The sun., 1919-07-18
WAGE DEMANDS TO
RAISE CIGAR COST
Workers Here Striking for so
Per Cent. Increase and
Shorter Hours.
HAVE 8 HOUR DAY NOW
BOlshevism Suspected Behind
Moyement-1O Cent Smoke
to Be Two for 25 Cents.
HAVE 8 HOUR DAY NOW

u
A message, clear and we'll defined ana
almost as blue as a smoke ring from a
pure Havana, was waited yesterday from
the inner sanctums of the big men In
the business to the tobacco consuming
public. When It got fairly out and into
the nostrils of the same public II was
easily recognized and interpreted to
read:
soon your smokes are going to cost
you more"
That was the message, easy. simple
and terse. 1t was quickly followed by
an assurance from the tobacco men that
the fault was not theirs. Haven't they
kept the price OF cigars ard cigarettes
down all through war-dov'', to n mere
10 or 80 per cent. incrcr 3, over the
old prices? And wasn't pi It of the In
crease due to the Government tax?
But now when a near peace Is at
hand. and everybody Is looking to see
the props knocked from under the old
high cost Of living scheme Of things,
along comes this discouraging announce
rnent, just as II the tobacco dealers and
the street car companies were forming
a private league Of gougers. II a smoker
could even up by using a cigar band for
q street car transfer things might not be
so bad. but It might appear from infor-
nation given out yesterday that soon
they will take the bands of the cigars,
so there's no hope there.
Cigar Workers Blamed.
Tho whole trouble 1t appears to the
manufacturers Is caused by. the cigar
workers. It became known yesterday
that practically 95 per cent. Of the
cigar workers In the metropolitan dis
t-ict OF New York are idle and have
been idle for three weeks or a month
They have been presenting demands for
shorter hours and increased pay that
the manufacturers say amount to
30 per cent wage increase. This. the
dealers say. IL exorbitant and out of
all reason particularly in view OF the
fact that within the past year they
have had an average Increase OF better
than 80 Ia per cent. in pay and a re-
duction of two working hours a day.
The result, according TO D. A. Schultz,
president OF the Schultz chain Of cigar
stores. is that within the next thirty days
or 80 there will be a marked shortage of
many smokers favorite brands and
corresponding increase in the price of
the available commodity, The situation IL
aggravated because of the six months
strike that has been in progress among
the workers of Havana and Porto Rico.
which has resulted in a pretty general
depletion of these imported stocks.
These difficulties. however. have been
overcome largely and a mjority Of the
Cuban and Porto Rican factories began
operation again on July I, but 1t will be
some time before the effect Of this is
felt in the local market, and even so II
will not help the situation out to any
great extent in the event Of a prolonged
strike among the workers In this
country,
The nicotine users In New York city
are dependent for their supply to the ex-
tent of about so per cent. upon the fac
tories in and about New York city. Es-
timatlng the imported cigars at about 10
per cent. of the total consumed. the
other 40 per cent. must come from other
centres like Boston. Chicago. Cincinnati
and other places. But in these places. ac-
cording to information given to THE
Sun, the local demand Is even greater
than in New York. so that there will be
even less than usual OF the product with
which to supply outside demands.
Cigar manufacturers yesterday made
no secret of the fact that they expected
to have to concede something to the
workers along the lines of their de-
mands. But they were even more GER
tain that they would close up shop be-
fore they would consider giving them
anything approxlmating all they ask for,
\ year ago or less. according to one
manufacturer. the average cigarmaker
was earning s22 week for ten hour
day To-day he can make $50 a week
for an eight hour day. The demands call
for what would amount to an increase of
from 10 to so per cent. in cost OF produc-
ton.
According to D. A. Schultz. more than
5000 OF the cigar workers in the New
York district are idle, with little posi-
billy of an understanding being reached
with the manufacturers until they bring
their demands down to a basis that will
admit OF discussion. This means, Mr..
Schultz said, that within thirty or sixty
days there will be shortage of many
of the popular brands. officials of other
chains of stores admitted that this was
more than a possibility. Some OF the
larger concerns have stock enough to
last probably sixty days. but unless
things become adjusted many OF the
smaller retailers will be out of their best
selling brands long before that time.
Cigar men generally were reluctant to
believe yesterday that organized labor
generally was behind the present sit
uation. But they, professed themselves
afford to stay idle for an extended time
with the cost OF living what II IL. While
they believed that organized labor would
not discourage attempts on the part of
the workers to better themselves they
were moro inclined yesterday to attach
the present situation to the insidious
spread OF Bolshevist doctrines by the
ultra radicals. In support of this theory
they point to their records. which show
that while practically IS per cent. Of
the workers In and about New York
city are striking the number actually out
in other cities like Boston. Chicago.
Cincinnati, st. Louis ranges only from
about 40 to 60 per cent.
The average increase that II is ex-
pected will be put In effect within the
next few weeks may be between 20 and
80 per cent, and In some cases even
more. In any event. It was said yester-
day-and in this there appeared to be
no disa greement among the manufacture
ers and big dealers-the eight cent cigar
is soon to cost ten. the ten center be-
comes two for a quarter, the two for a
quarter brand becomes fifteen cents
straight and, 50 on. Certain brands of
cigarettes, It was also said, will go up In
a sympathetic flight. What its duration
will be no one yesterday was prepared
TO say.