Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1919-10-16
TcoMMusIcATED.


To the Tobacco Growers OF Maryland:
Az The request Of members Of the
State Board of Agriculture and others,
am making the following statement
Of the State Tobacco Warehouse situa.
ttop, boeh as 10 financial and business
sidd and as 10 the much talked Of en-
barge.
IA March 1916 took charge % The
State Warehouses. and will say, that
no one was more surprised than myseif
when ms appointment was made known
10 me, 81 was not Al applicant FIR Tho
position ~ the Governor will atfeat
h d needless for me "a e. over fhe
condition the Warehouses were "a when
i took charge az them, that ls wen
known - the Farmers NJ we'll ~ the
dealers. | reeeipted for SAN hogshcada
OF tobacco and there had accumulated
1861, $50. 90 IN the four years Of my pre-
decesRor, this under the law had to be
turned over 10 the Comptroller. leaving
no funds on hand. Ne borrowed 20 pay
the fret payroll. and alao, 10 pay from
$1,000 90 10 $500. 90 that should have
been paid by the preceding Adminlatra-
ton. On December S0th, 1918. paid
the last note III the Bank and started
surplus on March IS. 1919. ! deposited
sl7. 600 % on a Savings Account at {
per cent, and on June 30th. the end Of
the iiacal year had checking account
together with the sI7 600 90 end inter.
estI OF s47. ei5. OF, which | turned over
10 the Comptroller Of the State, Octo.
Der 9Th. 1919.
On July End, | had 9659 hogsheads Of
=. a.. "a faA NAaa
we would be able to handle the 1918
crop without embargo. II will be re-
membered that tho month of July was
a wet one and tobacco came 10 Balti-
more In unheard Of quantities. this and
the strike OF the sailors tying up all
outward shipments. making II necessary
to put partial embargo on the boats
and railroads for about two weeks.
When went TO the Railroad Admins
tration to get embargo raised, they
claimed they needed tho space for per
ishable goods, last week ! went tothen
and appealed to them 10 raise the EN-
barge entirely, this they refused 10 do,
saying agsin they needed the space for
perishable freight. Certainly the
Warehouses should net be blamed for
| this action Of the Railroad Adminintra-
tion. The came case exiated 10 1913.
| the Railroad placed an embargo be.
cause their force had the Flu. the
Warehouses being blamed for this.
when the fact was the Warehouse EN-,
barge was Of short duration. want
to say that everything that could b.
done 10 serve the Farmer has beer
done.
In 1914 there was only II. 1857 hogs.
eeads Of tobacco received, and III 1917
there was 1850 hogsheads received and
at no time was there over u, 500 hogs
heads in stock. Contrast that with
| rs. GOD last week and our numbers arr
/ now 38. 900 for this year and may reach
| 40, 900 h0gsheads, and in 1918 out Of 1
crop Of $4,000 hogshoads we HANDLED
"a, 900 with scarcely any foreign ship
ments, and II must be remembered tina
the State IL practically the only Ware
| house open 10 the Maryland Farmers
whereas IN 1914 and 1916 the Baltimore
i & Ohio Reilroad Warehouse was hand
ling Maryland tobacco
II ~ needless for us 10 tell anyone o.
the difficulties In handling labor In 1911
and even now.
i cannot see why this institution
should be made political issue as tn
State Board Of Agriculture IL non
. political board, and every farmer ha
! had the same treatment here regardless
] of politics Business ability and atten
tion to duty have been the infiuenc
that retained the Warehouse force i
their respective positions As farme
! have given the best that was in IN
! to the interest Of the farmers, an
think am safe In saying the standar
! of Maryland Tobacco has been aised
good many cents per pound.
, want to ssy in conclusion, toe
hope there will be no more embargoel
} sincerely hope 80, and may be ther
] viii NOT be, for we all hope that time
} will become normal again before lon
, and that no one viii ever see a worl
war again, with all it's troubles an
horrors. But do cay, that II Mr.. Nis
or Mr.. Richie either had been Cove
nor In 1918 and 1919 they could not has
! done any more than was done, and IL
( is the desire Of Mr.. Nice to make n
8 Administration an issue In the campaiQ
. Il hope II is notl, 1 am perfectly wll
: ing 10 meet him on any Of bis frians
b or advisers and discuss the subject vii
Q them and draw comparisons with Il
& pact eud pfegent conditions.
b WM4 FikNsE ".
f 1a.E4N4 ~