The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1921-01-06
TOBACCO MARKET
is AT STANDSTILL
All But Three Kentucky Ex-
changes Are Closed.
Growers Who Plunged on Crop
Refuse to Sell.
BOYCOTT ALMOST COMPLETE
One-Fifth Worlds Supply Tied
Up by Strike.
Ruin Faced by Producers Who
Invested Their All.
BOYCOTT ALMOST CoMPLETI

Louisville. Ky, JAN 6.-Governor
Edwin p. Morrow of Kentucky will
keep hands off the tobacco situation,
he indicated today. unless difficulties
between planters and warehouse own
ers develop into violence.
MORROW has under consideration
plans for a statewide conference of
growers of hurley tobacco and buyers,
in the hope of avoiding a repetition of
might rider" warfare which in the
past invariably has followed a slump
in the price of tobacco.
Seven Markets Close.
Meanwhile, the hurley district of
Kentucky is Seething. Seven hurley
markets closed their doors Wednesday
following wholesale suspension of
sales: This brings the total of closed
warehouses above twenty-five. The
latest to be effected were at Lebanon.
Lancaster, Danville, Harrisburg, Flem-
ingsburg, Carrollton and Walton.
No violence or threats were evil
denced at any of these points but
fered for their crops. A more opti-
mistic situation developed today at
Richmond, Emince and Cynthinia,
where sales were not cancelled and
growers apparently had reconciled
themselves to low prices. Quotations
in these cities ranged from 3 to 65
cents in comparison with average
prices of 35 cents to 81 offered in
1920.
Plunged on Crops.
The tobacco war in Kentucky is a
price war. Growers, inspired by re-
in 1919 and 1920 plunged on the crop
| this year. Many mortgaged all their
possessions to invest in tobacco.
Now they have seen tobacco tumble
from the high level of two years ago
to the present, where it brings less
than it costs to produce.
The opening of the hurley sales
markets Monday was looked forward
to as the means of relief from the
financial strain of carrying the crop.
Instead, prices were SO low that farm
tefs--indignaht1y refused the offers,
forced warehouses to close and in
many instances carried their tobacco
back to their farms.
Foreign Market Closed.
A contributing factor to the general
upheaval was the fighting of a world
war and subsequent Generalization OF
rates of exchange which has made it
Improbable for foreign buyers to buy
in the 1920 crop at the 1919 figures.
: The first disturbance of the year was
spontaneous when farmers forced
closing early in the week of markets at
Frankfort, Maysville, Carlisle, Coving-
ton. Paris. Lexington. Winchester
OWensville, Pleasantvil1e and Mt
Sterling.
Only Three Are Open.
The movement spread with such
rapidity that today there are only
three or four tobacco markets open ir
the state of Kentucky.
The peaceful warfare of today is
being fought on the same ground har-
assed by the might rider" outbreaks
of 1908.
| Torches, whips and guns emphasized
the demands of planters in that war
This year they have returned to the
! more peaceful weapons of boycott
! closing of warehouses, threats and
| limitation of the 1921 planting.
The next movement in the contro-
versy is expected at Lexington, Friday
when growers from Kentucky, south
i ern Ohio, and Indiana, will meet ir
conference represented by county del.
iegates to discuss reduction of tobacco
/ acreage
| One Fifth World Supply.
| Washington. Jan. 5.-Kentucky pro.
/ duced more than one-third of the to-
| bacco crop of the United States. In
| 1919 and more than a fifth of the
| total production of the world, ac-
cording to reports of the department
of agriculture here.