The Wisconsin tobacco reporter. (Edgerton, Wis.) 1877-1950, 1920-12-24
/ NOTE BOOK SKETCHES

different sections of the country, both
east and west, one is agreeably sur
prised at the nay the retail business of
tobacco keeps up. The tone of the re-
tail market in tobacco is so far ahead
of the mournful sounds emanating from
the realms of other business that it
should bring cheer into the heart Of the
most pessimistic Now the holiday
trade is just ahead, and if the activity
of the manufacturers is any indication
of the demand on the part of the pub
lie, the Christmas business ought to
make the retailers smile with good
will'' toward all smokers. With this
pend of the industry going well, there
should be some hope for the grower and
the leaf merchant. The beauty of to-
bacco is that it goes up into smoke, and
in order to have more to smoke, more
leaf must be secured by those who
make the smokes. There are already
signs which permit of an Interpretation
in favor of optimism on the part of
those who have leaf to sell. By the
time the ground hog is ready to take
measure of his shadow, new life may
be looked for in all lines of business.
Not the extravagant and freakish life
of the past years, but an activity on a
new and sane basis of values, with a
sane and healthy demand.
M**
The element of cost and facility of
transportation plays an important part
in efficient and economical marketing.
Just now this country is suffering under
a poor and wasteful transportation sys-
tenn in addition to the mounting cost of
shipping. The fuel problem adds to
the trouble. The excessive price of
coal is burden both upon the individ-
ual and upon industry, and it adds to
the cost of transportation. The senate
committee which is investigating the
coal price situation has in their prelim-
mary report characterized the coal OPP
orators profreering as "a national dis
grace. +" It might be added that our
department of justice which has per-
mitted this outrage upon the public is
worse than a national disgrace lit is
ssime. Economical and efficient mar
keting can not be had until the nation
transportation system and its fuel pro-
duction and cost have been brought to
serve the public on a. basis of their
needs, rather than on basis, as now
is the case, of what the traffic will bear.
If it is true that the farm crops of
the United States this year, measured
by last years value, are registering
loss of S., 900, 600, 900, as is the claim of
the department of agriculture in its
latest report, published last week, it is
not strange that there is recession in
the activity of business. The loss to
the buying power of the nation of such
quite crimp into the demand for goods.
1t is, however, hardly fair way to
present the situation. 1t must be re-
membered that the total yield of the
farms in the u. S. in 1920 was, for the
corn and grain crops, nearly nearly five
and one-half million bushels higher than
last year. This country has today 120,
900, 600 bushels of wheat for export and
for carry-over until next crop, and it's
corn crop was 374, 600, 900 bushels larger
than last years. We have the goods,
but we have not the markets to take
care of them. In other words while
we are richer in food, we are poorer in
money to exchange for manufactured
goods, and as result business lag.
That better system of marketing is
imperative, if stable conditions of trade
| are to prevail, is evident. The fact
that the heavy unloading takes place on
| a falling market is an evil that the pro-
! ducer does not seem able~to get away
from. To save him from this psyche
logical bias he needs to have establish
ed stabilizing agency that would help
him to realize on his product without
having to dump it onto the general
market. Farmers societies are now
giving attention to this matter by or
ganizing for better, marketing methods;
but it is question if the national gov
ernment ought not to cooperate with
them to make the control equitable
both to the producer and the consumer.
Through the agencies of the govern
ment the finding of market would be
easier than it would be for independent
organizations, unless they became trusts
and operated as the big corporations do.
Measures relating to this matter are
now before congress, and it is to be
hoped that some workable plan NAV be