Evening star., 1923-12-17
l92}RECORD YEAR
dNT0|BACC0 TRADE
Output Enormously Increas-
ed But Greater Consump-
ton Prevented Crisis.
BY. j. c. ROYLE.

Special Dispatch to The Star.
NEW YORK, December 17.-Plant-
ers of the days when tobacco was
legal tender in the colonies would
lave difficulty in estimating the
wealth of the industry fathered by
Sir Walter Raleigh if they could
check over the crop of the past year.
so great has been both acreage and
output for 1923 that growers fear
that continuation of expansion will
cause period of; overproduction in
the near future unless it is checked.
However, consumption has increased
all over the world in nearly the same
proportions as production. Authori-
ties of the trade state that 10000
100000 cigarettes will have been smoked
in the United States and it's possess
sion" this year. The production of
IN amount Of the paper-covered
cy fers has required 210,000,oO0
pc Is of American leaf tobacco. An
a, Aonal 350.00O,00 pounds has gone
II gear into the manufacture of
81 nng, and chewing tobacco. OF
T. Ptal consumed, a large portion
tafky ght b1Eey 6ho teeaese and
q Growth in Production.
crop of the original colonies,
Nding Georgia, South Carolina
q the border of North Carolina,
&rn North Carolina and the old
Eof Virginia and North Carolina,
year totaled 46S,000,000 pounds,
compared with 41S,000,000 pounds
ri year. The Georgia crop, com
Eng 100000 pounds, brought an
Gage price of $34 per 100 pounds.
q second district produced 100000
Npounds, which averaged $20.97 to
II growers.
b the eastern North Carolina dis
N the old belt yielded an equal
Aount. Prices up to a few days
averaged S22.03 for eastern North
erolina and $20.6O for Virginia, but
Me additional poundage grown is
Hll coming on the market in these
Eghtly.
HGeorgia growers received tremen-
bus encouragement this year. Not
uhly was their crop 100000 pounds
greater than in 1922, but they re-
Sived nearly $40 a 100 more for it
lands were planted to tobacco and
yielded splendid returns.
Selling Methods Improve.
Manufacturers willingly paid high
prices for the product. Growers in
Eother southeastern states comment
freely on this trend, declaring that
isome manufacturers are anxious to
Isee production increase in Georgia
since the cooperative marketing
/ movement has not had time to gain
lIe foothold there it has obtained in
4 Virginia. North and South Carolina
and Kentucky.
/ In the first three states co-opera-
tive associations marketed about 40
per cent of the 1928 crop while in
Kentucky almost 85 per cent of the
growers sold their leaf in this man
ner Recently the Tobacco Growers
cooperative Association made sew
cral large sales of 1922 redried to-
bacCos, which they have been carry
ing for advantageous prices.
Fears of overproduction and wide
expansion of acreage planted to
tobacco next wear have been allayed
to a large extent. by the high price
secured by cotton growers in the
south this year. The tobacco men
feel that this will result in the plant
ing to cotton of fields previously
abandoned and check the tendency Of
cotton men to adventure into the
tobacco industry.
Tax Reductions Sought.
Growers and manufacturers alike
are preparing for a vigorous cam
paign for the reduction of revenue
taxes on their products. They assert
that on a package of cigarettes re-
failing for Is cents the government
tax is s cents. while the return to the
actual grower of the weed from each
package amounts to only about one
half cent. Manufacturers declare that
with this tax and with labor and
manufacturing costs at present levels
they cannot pay the grower more and
make a profit In the fiscal year end
ing June 80 the federal tax on tobacco
yielded s300000,000 to the United
States Treasury.