The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1919-04-18
TOBACCO BUYERS HAVE STARTED
FOR OHIO FIELDS, SAYS SANB0RN
BY WILLIAM r. sANBoRN

BY WILLIAM r. sANeoRN
YORK. Pa, April 1S.-The crop of
York county leaf has been practically
all sold, and one single man has Sc
cured at least 70 per cent Of it, It
Will not be used in American made
cigars.
That is an amazing statement. we
admit. But 1t is true unless, as
David said: "All men are liars"
And that man does not live in York,
but in the little town Of Red Lion, of
1000 persons, in this county He is
hiring every man he can lay hands
on to sort, bale and load his purchases.
Some OF his hands put in 100 hours
last week. the timekeeper told me.
What's all the hurry? Why, great
steamer is billed to sail in a few
days for Europe and there is dead
line on time freight can be received
for the voyage.
A Load or the Market
This leaf will not compete with
Ohio for the coming season, nor with
other Pennsylvania crops. Early in
the year few independent packers
bought some York county leaf and
few are now buying in a small way.
Admittedly. lot Of the tobacco here
is of the won't burn" type, as we
have stated with regard to Lancaster
1918 crop. in many instances.
But it can be made to burn"-stick
pin in that fact. 1t can! But all
this makes costly handling and then
there Is the flavor to think about. But
OF this more when we get back to
Richmond, and when We meet our
Ohio friends, who are loaded with
leaf.
A Visit to Red Lion
The writer visited Red Lion yester-
day and talked with this representa-
tial leaf man. He was very courteous
and talked freely, apparently. We went
through his packing DEPARTMENT. It
was busy scene, denoting the activ-
ity OF pressure for time. A train was
to have been loaded in a few hours
and will be long before this reaches
our readers.
Our next call was on another old
time tobacco packer. They had
bought all they cared to. in this Sec
ton, and had started three or four
They do that every year and, but for
the combinations out our way asking
too much money" they would have
had men in Ohio weeks earlier.
AS a side light on the situation this
would indicate that there may be
others in the same boat, as OF course
there are.
But they expect to buy at low
price. They say there is much 1917
tobacco in sight, and such lot OF
both 1916 and 1917 leaf in the hands
of manufacturers, and that many OF
these have just begun on their 1916
reserve. This we know to be true as
to the 1916 holdings in the case OF
the makers OF some OF the nationally
known brands of cigars.
Following our quest into the leaf
situation came visit to one Of the
largest cigar factories, who make a
very popular nickel smoke-that is
to say, II formerly sold at a nickel
until our genial Uncle Sam had 10
have more revenue from the cigar In
dustry.
There are a number Of cigar plants .
in Red Lion and, SO far as we know, |
are all non-union. The men work an
hour longer than the women, and
there are many expert cigar makers
among the latter. Neither of them |
work by the day but at so much per |
thousand cigars. York is also large |
cigar-making center and doubtless the
same scale Of wages and factory reg. |
ulations prevail in this city.
Fourteen Cents the Top.
IL is conceded that Lancaster coun- |
ty leaf. grown on a limestone soil Is |
the better leaf. Further than this, |
Lancaster growers have better rep |
utation as both growers and graders |
Of crops, taken as whole, and this |
explains the premium on their leaf !
There is also little limestone soil In |
York county and a few choice crops |
are grown here, but these are very |
limited in number.
At all events, the top on the 1918 |
crop at Red Lion, so far. has been |
IA and or IA and in extreme cases |
it maybe, while the top on Lancaster !
leaf, paid early in the year or season,
was around 20 cents for some choice
acreage and not many were fortunate |
enough to obtain this outside figure.
The low in York county was IL cents |
and the bulk Of the crop has been sold |
at about IL cents, according to our I,
informant.
Brought In Southern Leaf.
When Pennsylvania leaf was selling
at comparatively high figures within
the past three years, thousands of
HORSneauS Oh SOutueTu ioW Sidue 'eai
were brought into the Ninth Pennsyl-
vania revenue district. unpacked and
processed and finally made into cigars.
This Is as reliable men told 1t, con-
fidentially, to their customers who
used the Southern leaf for the sake
OF economy. This leaf was very low
at that time. Just now conditions are
reversed. The Southern leaf is the \
highest. The tobaccos imported here
came from various sections Of Ken
lucky, Virginia and the Carolinas, to
the best OF our information, and were
largely substituted for Pennsylvania
leaf in the cheap smokers. Il