The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1921-03-30

'io 'ops'',oo DcSdll W increase prices
and even far too moderately to cover
the increased cost of production.
The manufacturer having thus
givcn the consumer the.full benefit OF
his holdings of prc-war priced leaf to-
bacco, for almost three years, and at
times when the prices of all commo-
dltlcs were rising by leaps and bounds
1t follows as matter of course that
ne is not IN position to take a loss
on the high priced tobacco he now
holds, and that he cannot now be ex.
pcctcd to reduce the prices of his pro-
ducts made of the tobacco purchased
at the high-pcak war prices.
Indeed the manufacturer is clearly
entitled to full realization of the
cost OF the hi high-prced crops of leaf
tobacco used in this present produc-
ton, by the same rule of fair trading
lhat lmpelled him to give the consum-
er the benefit of the pre-war prices
during the first three years of the
War while he was using the ow-prjced
tobacco, purchased before the prices
began to rise.
But there is still another phase of
the history and circumstances rclat-
lhg TO prices of cigars, cigarettes and
tobaccos which demands considcra-
ton; namely, the moderation char
actcrlzlng the price advances ON to-
bacco products, as compared with
other commodities.
1T IS Il matter of common know
ledge that, with the rHception of to-
bacco products there IS scarcely a com
modify that did not increase IN price,
aftcr 1914, from two hundred to three
hundred per cent. Let us comparp
TINS with what happened in the to-
bacco business.
The prc-war livc-cent cigar having
gone to eight cents, the increase
amounts to sixty per cent; the ten
cent cigar having advanced to fifteen
cents brought an increase of Gftv pcr
cent; the liftccn-ccnt cigar selling at
twenty cents has advanced thirtv-
three and one-third per cent; the high
grade twcnty-ccnt cigar, which has
Dccn raised to twenty five cents, has
gone up twenty per cent; while the
old time twenty-five cent "pcrfncto''
Wh'ch went to thirty five cents, shows
an increase of forty per cent. And
pc 1t understood that these advances
nad to take care of the Increasing
war Revenue Taxes, as well as the
customs Duties paid on imported
clEa'S, ana on the imported tobacco
'Scd IN domestic cigars which ay-
%rrgate from about Il onc-half-ccnt to
over cents on each cigar.
=. AS TO cigarettes, exclusive of the
war revenue Tax, which amounts to
" cents ON each package of 10 cigar
coIcS ana cents on each package Of
~ cigarettes, the 10 for Il nickel cigar
etlcS, winch now sell for 10 cents, in
a. l..
cents cigarettes, which nave advanced
/" - cents, increased 80 per cent; the
~ Tor dime cigarettes, which have
been advanced to IS cents. incrcnsrd
81 per cent; the 10 for Is cents cipnr-
cites, which have gone up to 20 cents
Increased 23 per cent; while the 10
Tor a quarter cigarettes, which have
risen TO 80 cents, increased l3 per
cent.
As to manufactured tobaccos. di-
vIdlng them into three general class
es' to wit, CD the | - ounce pack
age, tn" prc-war price of which was
. cents, and which is now selling at
o-8 ounces for 10 cents, has Welded
IN increase, after dCductinr the War
fcVcnu" Taxes, of TIA per cent; (2)
Ihc ounce package, which sold at
. cents, an dis now selling in is
ounce packages for 10 cents. shows
an increase, after dcducting the War
axes or 70 per cent; ca while the
ounce package, which rctailcd be-
torc the rise for 10 cents, and which
are now sold in packages Of I'D
ounces Tor l6 cents, nave ponc IN.
after dcducting the War Revenue Tax
$50 per cent.
Now, while the maximum increase
on cigars was 60 per cent. on cigar
ctteS 81 per cent, and on other tobac
co products 80 per cent, what were
the increases which the manufacture
cr$ had to pay for leaf tobacco?
rom an examination Of the official
states &C the Government it will bn
seen that the various types of cigar
tobacco advanced from 9 cents =
pound IN 1914 to Is cents in 1919. to
i9b per cent. on Wisconsin tobacco
winch rose from an average of T .
cents per pound in 1914 to an AVERAGE
OF over % cents in 1919, while the
buficY and other types Of leaf tobacco
used i0r cigarettes or manufactured
tobarco have advanced from a mini
mum of 1892 per cent on one sucker
kentucky, which were marketed at
ABOUT l-2c per pound in 1911, and
advanced to an average of over ice
IN 1913, to 588 per cent on the Burlcv
District tobaCcOs, which sold at tho
average price Of cents per pound in
IVA, and reached an average of near
~ G6 cents i'm 1919.
chc mas but TO compare the maxi
mu madVAnccS on tne manufactured
product which began about three
years after the general rise in prices,
MMHHNE@TED G mHlHN