The Wisconsin tobacco reporter. (Edgerton, Wis.) 1877-1950, 1921-02-11


crease the import duty on Sumatra
wrapper leaf from ST.. .85 to 1885, is a
tobacco merchant in Edgerton. We
print in this column a letter which he
addressed to u. S. Senator Irvine Len
root. The communication follows:
Dear Sir: We beg to call your at
tention to a proposed change in the
tariff on Sumatra wrapper tobacco, and
the proposition of certain interests to
raise the tariff duty from $l.85 per
pound to So 85 per pound.
Such a change would, without q
doubt, be detrimental to our cigar in
dustry.
Over SO per cent of all cigars pro-
duced in the United States are covered
with imported Sumatra wrapper tobac-
co, notwithstanding the present enor-
mously high duty of $l.85 per pound.
Nearly all the other cigars are covered
with domestic wrappers. The nature
of tobacco crops is such that only a
limited percentage of the leaves con-
stitute wrappers. If the importation
of Sumatra wrappers were curtailed,
we could not produce enough wrappers
To supply our industry. Such short
age of cigar wrappers would put up the
cost of same to figure prohibitive to
most manufacturers, and it would de-
crease the production to such an ex-
tent that only very few and very high
priced cigars could be produced. This
would drive the greatest part of our
smokers to cigarette smoking, and also
would put most cigar manufacturers
out of business. Only few of the
wealthiest and most powerful corpora
tions would be able to continue and
make only high priced cigars for the.
few who could afford to smoke these.
Such curtailment would necessarily
cause tremendous decline in the de-
mand for domestic cigar filler tobaccos,
which now constitute a most important
agricultural product in Pennsylvania,
Ohio, Wisconsin and New York.
1t is beyond question that our gov
ernment would lose many times more
revenue on account of such curtailed
tobacco production and cigar industry
than they could ever expect to receive
from higher import duty; $1.O0 per
pound extra duty on Sumatra tobacco
means $160. 90 per bale, or less than
SIS, 900, 900 on the present yearly lmpor-
tation of Sumatra tobacco. This is
only very small figure compared with
the loss of revenue which would follow
a crippled cigar industry.
There is no danger at all of our cOun
try being flooded with foreign cigar
wrappers, if our tariff duty is not high
enough. 1t has been demonstrated
through all the years that nowhere in
the outside world can wrapper tobacco
sc produced which answers our Ameri-
can requirements, except in one small
part of the Island of Sumatra, and in
an insignificant extent, Ill district on
the Island of Java On account of the
peculiarities of tobacco growing and
local conditions, these districts can only
produce limited quantity Of wrappers
and no more. AS it is now, there comes
from these islands just about enough
wrapper tobacco to our country to sup
ply the needs of our industry. To make
this supply impossible would paralyZe
the industry, which is such q wonderful
revenue producer for our government,
and means the livelihood of a great
number of our population.
Please exert every effort to prevent
this change in tariff, as it is vital to
thousands of cigar factories.
Thanking you, we beg to remain
Yours very respectfully,
A Packer of Leaf Tobacco.
State Senator Bennett from Vernon
county has introduced measure in the
legislature to enact law compelling
buyers of tobacco standing in the field
or otherwise to adhere strictly to the
contract upon delivery of the leaf. Ac-
cording to the information given out,
the bill provides for form of contract
which must be used by all buyers in
order to make the transaction legal and
binding. 1t also provides that in case
of disagreement at the time of deliv-
cry, method of comdulsory arbitra-
ton be instituted whereby the buyer
and grower each name a man of their
choice, and the two chosen select
third competent party residing within
the district where the dispute has
arisen, the findings of the three to be
final If this measure is enacted into
lava thing that is possible but hardly
probable field buying of tobacco will
in all likelihood be thing of the past.
1t will depend upon the terms written
into the proposed form of legal con-
tract whether this legislation will prove
of any benefit to either of the parties
involved If it provides as exacting
terms upon the farmer in handling the
tobacco as it evidently intends to fix
upon the buyer, it may work out satis-
factorily, though it is easy to foresee
that the board of arbitration will have
its hands full at the time of the deliy-
cries, and that delays in settlement will
be unavoidable, and work hardships up-
on the grower. Too much legislation is
not only expensive because it creates
new and costly processes with paid COM
missions and official burdens, but also
because it acts as drag on business
and is source of annoying litigation
The result of law like the one pro-
posed by Senator Bennett would in all
probability be that the grower and
buyer would drop the whole process of
a written agreement and come to an
understanding by method of options
founded upon the personal integrity and
the word of honor passed between man
on L IL - hot