Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1943-03-10
cigarettes in Demand
But tobacco Dealers
Feel Future Uncertain
Foreign Markets Loss,
Using Reserve Stocks,
Are Current Problems
BY MAX HILL
Associated preer Cta ~ ,Kyr;.

Associated Press Staff Writer.
DANV1LLE, Va, March 10.-The
man on the street hasn't made a
practice of worrying about where
the tobacco in his cigarettes comes
from, but he may in the near future.
This Southern Virginia city, where
tobacco is more of business than
habit, can't help feeling a trifle
uneasy. and its qualms are matched
by those of tobacco men in scores
OF other auction and market centers.
Pemberton Penn, a wiry and
amiable but tart-tongued dealer
distilled the plight of the indepen-
dent firms formerly depended on
foreign markets into one sentence:
Come in" he said, leading me
back through a row of musty offices.
II got heap more time than
money"
The problem of all dealers such
As Pemberton & Penn is to switch
their business from foreign trade to
the domestic market.
In 1910 there were more than so
places to which American tobacco
was exported. Now, eliminating the
Lease-Lend business which is in
Government hands, you can almost
count the export countries on the
fingers of one hand.
A. Berkeley Darlington. president
OF the Tobacco Association of the
United States, says there are four
immediate and difficult problems
facing the industry. They are,
New markets to replace those lost
through the war.
Farm labor to replace men now
IN the Army or in war plants.
Whether Government grading is
to replace the old and picturesque
system of auctions.
y Ships in which to carry tobacco
TO the few foreign markets which
are left.
An associate, Col S. w. Minor
mentioned another problem, the
urgent need of American cigarette
manufacturers for the type of to-
bacco called Virginia bright and
grown all along the Eastern sea-
BOARD. Manufacturers are using up
supplies in storage, and some of
them are down to cured stocks not
more than two years old. They usu-
ally have tobacco piled up from at
least three crops and sometimes
four.
Domestic demand, however, is
bouncing up at such rapid rate
that, with one-third of the bright
crop put aside each year for lease
lend purposes, they are digging
into reserves.
It's the cigarette which now is
taking most of the tobacco.
Mr.. Darlington is sure the war
won't change the tobacco habits of
smokers, no matter where they live.
r American tobaccos, he said. have a
navor and taste of their own, and
no other soil ever has been able to
match their qualities.
1here's one odd trait all tobacco
has, no matter where it is grown.
Ihe Japanese tried to eliminate
their purchases of Virginia by i'm
porting seed, but within three wears
the plants were transformed to the
Japanese type and flavor.
We never have been able to grow
Turkish tobacco for the same rea-
son. Within three years it has
gone native" completely. Soil and
climate are the reasons.
The tobacco men have a high re-
gard for the thoroughness with
which the Japanese went after the
problem. Not satisfied with lust
importing the seed and trying to
match the climate, one industrious
japanese bought 400 pounds of Vir-
GINA soil, packed it in bags and
toted 1t back to Japan. Even that
didn't work, and the japanese went
right on buying the best quality of
Virginia bright until the China war
put their financial structure on the
skids.
l found no particular preference
In cigarettes among the men I talked
with, and men who know these
canny merchants say they have
trick to impress buyers of tobacco.
They carry four packages of Gig
arettes-one of each of the leading
popular brands-which may make
their pockets bulge a little sus-
piciously but helps business. The OBJ
vious question was, Don't they ever
make a mistake and pull out the
wrong brand?
No" said my friend, they sell
dom slip between the package and
the pocketbook.