Montana labor news., 1932-11-17

FE At 80
in the labor movement, this cigar
lives up to that name in being made
Of the finest of tobaccos obtainable,
and made strictly by hand, by union
labor.
At the convention of the Cigar
makers International Union held in
Buffalo in 1929, the union was con-
fronted with an unprecedented con
dition of unemployment caused by
the trend of the times and the in
PRODUCTION of machinery.
After much discussion of this con-
dition in all its phases by the dele
gates present, a proposition was pre-
sented as a result Of which a COM
mittee of the union investigated the
possibility of securing and furnish
ing to union cigar manufacturers a
superior quality Of tobacco and by
handling it themselves eliminating
middlemen and thereby decreasing the
cost of such superior tobaccos to these
union manufacturers. From this eff
fort grew the plan which has re-
suited in the production by the Cigar
makers Cooperative Association, an
organization financed and sponsored
by the Cigarmakers International
Union, of the Samuel Gompers Scent
cigar.
By dealing directly with the grow
ers of the tobaccos which they de-
sired to incorporate in their product,
this association was enabled to OBJ
tain not only tobacco enough for
their purpose from the 1882 crop,
but by use of leases and agreements
to assure the same quality for a
period of from ten to twenty years.
There growers are all members of
the Cigarmakers Cooperative Asso-
citation by reason of stock purchased
therein, and therefore it is to their
interest as well as to the interest of
every member of the Cigarmakers
Union to see that the association
%prospers. This is also true of the
boxes used for this product. They are
produced 100 per cent by union la
Dor, and stock in the association is
also held by this branch of the pro-
ducing organization.
Tobacco, boxes, and in fact all
material necessary in the production
of this new product is handled by
the association at a cost to the in
dividual cigar manufacturer of just
the cost of the materials plus 10
per cent, which money is for the
cost of handling, advertising, and
salaries Of association employees.
When it is realized that under any
other method Of procedure the cost
to the manufacturer is many times
this 10 per cent, and that the quail
ity of tobacco bought under any
other plan will vary widely, it can be
seen that in no other way would it
be possible to produce a cigar of
anywhere nea the quality of the
Samuel Gompers at even twice the
price.
An interesting fact in connection
with the manufacture of this cigar
is the way in which the union OBJ
tanned the name-a name dear to
the hearts of all union men. In 1914,
fearing that some corporation might,
by using his name for their product,
be able to "cash in" on the regard
held for him by all who have the
interests Of labor at heart, and know
ing that the supreme court of the
United States had rendered a de-
cision to the effect that after a mans
death nobody, not even his family
Or his associates, have a prior right
to that name, Mr.. Gompers had his
name copyrighted, and it is this
copyright that is revived and re-
issued, which is being used by the
Cigarmakers International Union for
its product. And it is indeed fitting
that the organization of which Mr..
Gompers was a member and in which
he was a leader for so many years
should use his name for a product
which has such a worthy purpose
and which is of such superior quail
ity.
This cigar is being manufactured
in Montana by the Union Cigar Fac
tory and is being distributed through
out the state by Louis S. COIN, state
wide jobbers of cigars and tobaccos.
Continued on page four