Richmond daily register. (Richmond, Madison County, Ky.) 1917-1978, 1920-12-02
TOBACCO DELIVERIES
TO MARKETS DELAYED
No 1920 Sales Yet Expected At
acknowledgements Weed
Handlers Glutted


general movement of tobacco
from the farms to the warehouses
Tor the opening of the market. So
tar as could be learned there have
been on sales of 1920 hurley leaf
in Kentucky except at Louisville
Most of the Lexington tobacco
warehouses during the early fall
permitted customers who were
short OF barn room to store some
OF their tobacco on the floors here
and a large part of this stored leaf
has been stripped and is now
ready for market.
Rowlett & Gratz, Fayette coun-
ty tobacco growers, have the dis
tinction of bringing the first load
of 1920 hurley tobacco to the Lex
lngton market, all stripped and
ready for the sales which open on
january 3. This consignment,
comprising $500 pounds, and pro-
duced on about two acres of land
was delivered to the Growers To-
bacco Warehouse Company Sat
urday and those who inspected it
say that it is high grade leaf.
Lexington will have big to-
bacco show in January, if present
plans materialize. The project
has the approval of officials of the
Lexington Board of Commerce
and has the hearty endorsement
OF tobacco growers of surround
ing blue grass counties. Pre-
miums will be offered for the best
leaf in the various rings, the COM
petition to be open tC hurley
growers of the world. Expert
Judges are to be invited to award
the prizes.
The OwensbOro Messenger pub
lishcd down in the dark tobacco
district, told the other day why
the European demand is practi-
cally dead this year. The dark
tobacco crops have been going al
most exclusively to European
buyers. The Messenger said:
A cable from London, England,
to the United States Tobacco
Journal, says:
"No interest is shown i'll to-
bacco, as stocks i'll this mar
ket are enormous. 1t is re-
ported that existing supplies
will be sufficient for four
years"
The preceding brief tobacco
item only confirms what Owens
boro tobacco men have stated for
the last several weeks.
There is no use trying to make
the farmers believe that they will
get price for their tobacco that
compares favorably to last year"
said J. L. Bowling Mr.. Bowling,
who is president of the Ovens
boro Loose Leaf Tobacco Ware
house Company, has just returned
from New York. While there he
visited the offices of all the lead
ing tobacco companies. He is
convinced that the American,
Reynolds, Liggett & Myers, and
Lorillard will not be on the
Owensboro market before the
first of the year 1t is doubtful
when the smaller companies will
begin buying.
"The trouble is" said Mr. Bow
ling, that many Of the smaller
companies with capital OF from
100000 to $3,OOO,OOO, have
stocks of tobacco on hand for
which they paid from $5,OOO,OO0I
to $6,000,0O0 They claim these
tobacco stocks as assets, but they
could not sell them at the present
time for so per cent of their value.
The big companies are also over
stocked at high prices"
According to Mr.. Bowling, the
only foreign companies that will
be on the local market at the start
of the season will be the Imperial
and Gallaher. These companies
will take the top grades.
"The European countries do not
want any more tobacco" said Mr..
Bowling. "They have a large
surplus on hand and in some in
stances are trying to re-ship their
tobacco to this country. They
have not got the money to pay for
this years crop, and some of the
tobacco bought last year has not
been paid for"
James Hodge, of the Hodge To-
bacco Company, who recently re-
turned from England, says that
Europe does not want any more
American tobacco at the present
time. Mr.. Hodge is also pessimis-
tic regarding the price that will be
paid for this years crop. The
onl solution for the problem, as
he sees~it, is for the farmers to
prize this years crop of tobacco
4 xx1adsra n ,,or-t Of If a { omar