The Wisconsin tobacco reporter. (Edgerton, Wis.) 1877-1950, 1920-04-16
NOTE BOOK SKETCHES

Rico leaf IS an indication TO all men IN
terested in the tobacco industry of the
close relation of every field of tobacco
operation to every other field. The
opinion that the Porto Rico price may
effect the price of the Havana offering,
is general among buyers of this stock,
and many serious students of the situa-
tion are inclined to believe that the eff
feet will be felt also in the domestic
market. If the Porto Rico and Ha-
vana must be eliminated from the 10
cent cigar, the manufacturers will be
eagerly looking for domestic filters of
a high type for that cigar. Fancy do
mestic filters will be in strong demand.
The demand for good binder leaf is
insistent. The need of it is emphasized
by the reports coming in of the eager
buying at1stiff prices of the new force
sweated Broadleaf, and that this leaf
is at once worked into cigars. The
packers of all cigar leaf are pretty well
agreed that as matters stand now the
lowering in the cost of this commodity
is extremely unlikely.
x**
The farm labor situation in Wiscon-
sin is not promising. 1t is not only
that the wages asked are outrageously
high, but even at the extremely high
wages offered the farmers will be
obliged to run shorthanded. If this will
mean a reduced acreage of tobacco
during this season is not by any means
certain. The information reaching us
is rather to the effect that the usual
acreage of tobacco will be planted if
the present outlook for liberal prices
holds, and that other products will be
allowed to take the shortage. This is
unfortunate, though by no means un-
natural, The farmers have to figure
for the crops which will bring the
largest returns in money if they are
going to come out even after the help
is paid aRd the other increasing ex-
pense is taken care of. One of the
packers in the northern field stated
that the indications are for normal
| acreage, with, perhaps, an increase in
sections where the tobacco culture is
yet comparatively new. Minnesota to-
bacco areas would stand good chance
| of planting more, and this would un-
doubtedly be done if an enterprising
packing firm would establish a packing
center somewhere, say at Rochester or
st. Cloud. Both these places have
good transportation service.
Among the topics which will come
before the Tobacco Merchants associa-
tion convention in Washington at it's
| meeting May 10 and 20 are: The anti
tobacco crusade, Federal taxation,
Standardization of cigar sizes to permit
| the use of fiat tins, The labor situa-
tion, The more complete organization
of the entire tobacco industry. The
| Reporter again calls the attention of
| the Wisconsin tobacco merchants and
growers to this convention, and hopes
that the preliminary steps to the or
ganization of the Wisconsin tobacco in
dustry, taken by Edgerton tobacco men
some time ago, may reach maturity,
and that it may see it's way clear to
send delegates to the Washington con-
vention.
| ***
| Considerable attention is given by
some members of the present Congress
| to legislation effecting tobacco. One
bill provides amendation of the revenue
act of 1918 as follows:
s'That upon all tobacco or snuff man
ufactured in or imported into the Unit
| ed States and hereafter sold by the
manufacturer or importer, or removed
| for consumption or sale, there shall be
! levied, collected, and paid in lieu of
| the internal revenue taxes now imposed
thereon by law, tax Of 18 cents per
pound, to be paid by the manufacturer
or importer thereof; and upon all leaf
| tobacco sold or removed for sale to the
consumer, except by farmers, on and
after the date of the passage of this
act a tax of 8 cents pound, to be paid
by the person so selling or removing
such leaf tobacco"
| This is lowering the tax for such leaf
from 18 to 9 cents. This would ease
the packers of such packages. To sell
in packages of three, six, nine, twelve
and fifteen pounds. loose leaf was pro-
hibited in the 1918 act, and as result
considerable tobacco not commonly used
| in domestic manufacture could not be
disposed of. By the enactment of this
amendment into law there would be re-
lief without any loss to the revenue de-
partment. There has been a rather
| surprising slnmp in the loose leaf mar