The Wisconsin tobacco reporter. (Edgerton, Wis.) 1877-1950, 1922-02-10

NOTE BOOK SKETCHES

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2. S. Hill, president of the American
Tobacco CO., in a letter to the COM
panyls jobbing customers with refer
encelto the report of the Federal Trade
comhission setting forth certain ale
Igatidns involving the American Tobac-
co Co., Liggett & Myers Tobacco Go.
and z. Lorillard Co., among other
things has the following to say, accord
I ing 10 Tobacco Leaf:
!. While newspaper headlines indi-
cate otherwise, the fact is that there is
no charge by the Federal Trade Com
mission, as no charge could with any
semblance of truth be made, that there
was any combination or conspiracy be-
tween this company and Liggett &
Myers Tobacco Co. and or P. Lorillard
Co. and or any other manufacturer,
to maintain prices or otherwise. The
charge is that each of these manufac-
turers, including this company, sep
| bers jobbers individually or jobbers in
local associations-to maintain prices
to be charged by such jobbers for pro-
~
spectively This company is accused
only of combining with its own custom
ers. and not with it's competitors.
q 1t is not charged that this COM
binhtion between this company and it's
customers was made in order to put
higher prices, or more money, into the
pockets Of this company, but the charge
| is that this company went beyond what
the law permits in its efforts to secure
| to its customers, distributors of its pro-
ducts, q fair return for their services,
effbrts, investments and risks in such
distribution. We do not understand
that there is any charge that we have
sought to secure for our customers auy
exorbitant or unreasonable profit, and
| if ouch charge is made or implied, none
know better than our customers that it
is utterly without foundation.
***
According to the last report of the
Bureau of Labor Statistics IF the De-
partment of Labor, the number of per-
sons employed inthe manufacture of
cigars in the United States during the
month of December decreased 2.7 per
cent as compared with the same month
a year ago; 16,879 persons were EN-
ployed in December, 1920, and 16, 423
IN December, 1921. The payrolls for
the same year show still larger drop,
the amount for December, 1920, being
$3.50, 216 as against $298, ,674 in 1921,
decrease of Id per cent Comparing
the months of November and Decem-
Der, 1921, it was found that the num-
ber of people employed in December
fell off s per cent from November
and that payrolls decreased 40 per
cent. 1t is estimated by the Depart
ment that at least rs per cent of the
workers have had wage reductions of
10 per cent within the last year. -Tob
Journal.
The following review of the tobacco
industry was written specially for the
New York American, by Joseph D.
Goodman, of Newburgher, Henderson
& Loeb:
'sThe tobacco industry as a whole
came through the period of depression
in very satisfactory way. The cigar
makers suffered from decrease in
consumption of about 18 per cent over
the previous year. Cigar manufactur-
ers entered 1921 with large stocks on
their hands, but they were worked off
during the year; and now there is
hardly any surplus. The evidence is,
therefore, that the current year will
show considerable improvement over
1921 for cigar manufacturers.
The cigarette manufacturers had
one of their best years in 1921, con-
sumption increasing 16 per cent over
1920 The years output was more
than three times that for 1914. The
| demand for cigarettes has been aided
by the liquor prohibition movement.
| The prices of raw tobacco are now
moving in an upward direction and with
prospects of revival in general busi-
ness becoming brighter, the industry
| should have several years of prosperous
business. From u. S. Tob. Journal
| The producers of basic commoditiesi
| in America are going 10 have more to
say in the future than they have had in
| the past about the marketing of their
products. They will not be satisfied
always to market their products in a
lump at harvest time, to be held by
others until the consumer is ready to
| buy. They are going TO be more and
more interested in the marketing ma
chinery; they are going to pay more
attention so the financial side of that
marketing. If it can be made possible
for the producer, under normal condi-
tions, to market his products gradually
there will be many advantages. The
producer will not be compelled to sell
his crop at a particular time without
Iregard to the consuming demand, and
the dauger of violent fluctuations will
be considerably reduced. And nothing
would be better for the producer and
the consumer better for the nation as
| a whole than to have comparatively
steady market and steady flow of busi-
ness. From Chicago Tribune.
Many growers in differant sections of
| the country write US TO advertise the
fact that they have tobacco, old and
new, to sell. rs a rule The Reporter
complies with these requests and makes