The Wilmington morning star., 1940-02-23
Editorial Comments
From Other Angles

The following letter from the London Times
of January %. offers an interesting sidelight
on the British ban on American tobacco I'm
ports.-The Editor.
Sir,-In yesterdays issue OF The Times there
appeared a letter from a correspondent on
the subject of Britain and the Balkans For
ward Economic Policy" The object of this
letter-namely, to develop trade between this
country and the Balkans-is one with which
all Englishmen must sympathize. It is there
fore the more unfortunate that your cores
pondent, in arguing for this desirable end,
should have based his case on a quite sur
prising number of misstatements of fact.
Your correspondent is particularly interested
in finding a market in this country for tobacco,
which he states is the chief product of Greece.
In support of his statements he uses the fol-
lowing arguments
~ sFor many years the entire exportable
crop (of Greece has gone to ermany, and
this too is the case with Turkey and Bulgaria"
The facts are that, while Germany has been
the largest buyer of Balkan tobacco for a
number of years, the United States of Ameri'
ca has been a very important buyer, taking
about 20 per cent of the published exports, in
GLIDING the most valuable part of the crop.
Other countries also buy small quantities of
Balkan tobacco, and, in fact, Germany's i'm.
ports during 1868 did not amount to moro
than so per cent of the published exports.
(2) Your correspondent says that "the total
production Of Greece represents a mere 2 IL
per cent of the Virginian tobacco consumed Gin
this country.
The facts are that the average production in
Greece for the three years 1868 was 46,000,.
900 lbs. per annum and the average consump.
ton Of Virginian tobacco in this country for
the last three years has been about 1872, 600, 900
lbs. per annum. Greek production is therefore
10 per cent and not 2 IL per cent.
(3) Your correspondent states that some
large sums in the purchase of tobacco-growing
lands in America and that their chief source
Of profit is derived as growers.
The facts are that the Imperial Tobacco COM
pany, the largest British tobacco company,
does not own any tobacco-growing land in
America, does not grow any tobacco in Ameri-
ca, and derives no profit from growing tobac-
co there. 1 am authorized to state that the same
is equally true of the other leading tobacco
companies in this country, Messrs. Careras,
Limited, Gallaher, Limited, Godfrey Phillips,
Limited, and The Ardath Tobacco Company,
Limited.
az Your correspondent states that England
now has an opportunity of buying up the
total production of tobacco for export from the
Balkans. namely, Greece, Turkey and Bulgaria"
The facts are that the amount produced by
those three countries for export for the three
years 1886 to 1888 averaged 100000 900 lbs. per
annum. The total amount of tobacco from all
sources retained for home consumption in
Great Britain and Northern Ireland for the
same three years averaged 1872, 900, 900 lbs. per
annum. If your correspondents policy were
carried out, what would happen to the tobac-
co-growers of Canada, Northern and Southern
Rhodesia, Nyasaland, India, &C., who, for 20
years, have been encouraged by the British
Government to develop the growing of tobacco
for this market, to say nothing Of tobacco
growers of the Southern States of America,
who have supplied tobacco to this market
since the days of Queen Elizabeth
Tobacco manufacturers in this country are
very much alive to the desirability, on political
grounds. of taking a portion of the exportable
surplus of Balkan tobacco. While it would be
foolish to belittle the inherent difficulties of
the problem, it is positively mischievous to in
vent stories and statistics tending to suggest
that these difficulties are due to selfish mo-
tives. I can assure you, Sir, that there IS no
lack Of good will.
Yours faithfully,
DULvERTON, Chairman, The Imperial
Tobacco Company (of Great Britain