The Wisconsin tobacco reporter. (Edgerton, Wis.) 1877-1950, 1922-03-17
NOTE BOOK SKETCHES
A PROTEST.

| the tobacco growing areas OF Wiscon-
sin for signatures of growers and pack
ers Of Wisconsin leaf in protest against
the proposed increase in the tariff on
imported wrapper and filler tobaccos.
| The matter of the tobacco schedule is
mittee at Washington, and certain in
terests in this country who are in the
wrapper growing business are pushing
with all might tariff on the above
mentioned types of imported leaf in or
der to improve the limited market for
their own wrapper grades.
The Wisconsin Tobacco Reporter gave
this matter some attention year ago
when the temporary tariff was under
discussion, calling attention to the fact
that high import duty on wrapper
and filler tobaccos would work detri-
mental to the Wisconsin grower and
packer.
| A duty of from 91.85 to $2.35, with
bright prospects of an increase even
above these figures, is giving an unfair
advantage in the competition, and sad
ding upon the consuming public bur-
den which it can not and should not
bear.
The manufacturer of cigars who is
forced to pay an excessive price for his
wrappers and filters is not going to
take the loss himself. He passes the
cost on to the consumer who in the end
must pay the fiddler.
But this is not all. The manufacture
er who by the operation of the tariff
automatically increases the cost of the
wrapper that is to go on his cigar, will,
as matter of course, seek to force the
cost of the unprotected binders down
to figure where he can make up some
of the loss sustained in the high cost of
the other leaf entering into the manu-
facture of his brands If the tobacco
schedule, as it now is written into the
proposed permanent tariff act, goes on
the statute books, the Wisconsin grow
ers and packers would have to face
an onslaught upon the price of the
| Wisconsin binders that might become,
not only uncomfortable, but serious.
AS matters have been during the
17asE two. years, the Wisconsin tobacco
farmer has not been in position to meet
further reduction in price upon the leaf
without being forced out of the tobacco
growing business entirely. Whatever
the effect an inflated tariff would have
upon the price of Wisconsin binders in
the future might be, one thing is GER
tain, and that is that it would not work
to the best interests of the Wisconsin
growers The manufacturer would
have mighty good talking point in de-
clining to pay good prices for Wisconsin
binders, if the government clubs him
into paying an excessive price for the
cigar leaf, outside of the binders, that
he must have TO produce his goods.
! Just now the Wisconsin grower is not
in mood to be pushed any stronger up
Iagainst the wall; he is standing with
his back against it, fighting for his
very existence, and he will not. with
out most emphatic protest, submit TO
conditions due to tariff manipulations
which would tend to still further en-
barrass his economic status.
| The Wisconsin Tobacco Reporter be-
lieves that the Wisconsin tobacco men
everywhere should sign the protest and
send it to its senior senator, Robert M.
LaFollette, who is member of the
Senate Finance committee, making it
clear to him how the folks back home
feel in this matter
| The petitions may be signed at any
of the asserting and packing centers
where buyers of binder leaf reside and
operate.
The firm of Cullman Bros, packers
and importers of leaf tobacco, with
headquarters at l61 Front ST., have in
corporated = The certificate of incor-
poration authorizes $1,000, 900 of first
preferred stock. S2,0O0,000 of second
and twenty thousand shares of common
at no par value. The officers of the
company are: Joseph F. Cullman Sr.,
president; Joseph F. Cullman Jr., vice
president; Howard S. Cullman, vice
president; Harry S. Rothschild, treas
urer; John Regan, secretary; Thomas
IT Reade assistant treasurer The di-
rectors are: Joseph F. Cullman Sr,,
Joseph F. Gullman Jr., Howard s.
Cullman, Harry S. Rothschild and Louis
Muller. Leaf.
The annual report of the Liggett &
Myers Tobacco Co. for the year ended
December 81, 1921, shows surplus after
taxes and charges of So, 854, 157, equiv