THE TOBACCO INDUSTRY 193 



quantities not exceeding half a pole, and also, on forfeiture 

 of ;^io for every rood of ground.' These prohibitory 

 measures remained in force until April 1886, when English 

 farming being in in extremis the Government granted 

 permission to grow the plant in the United Kingdom, 

 under certain precautions and restrictions for the purpose 

 of safe-guarding the revenue. Several land-owners in Kent, 

 Norfolk and Essex, tried their prentice hand in the new 

 husbandry, notably, Messrs James Carter & Company of 

 Bromley, whose first crop seemed to give fair promise of 

 future success. Their sanguine expectations however were 

 short-lived. What with hampering restrictions on the one 

 hand and our fickle climate on the other, it soon became 

 too apparent that English agriculturists must not look to 

 the Indian weed for the much needed succour. The 

 crops raised proved to be unmarketable. The cultiva- 

 tion of the tobacco-plant in these islands is no longer 

 authorized. 



The Home manufacture of cigars from foreign leaf 

 however increased by leaps and bounds, and now affords 

 remunerative employment for many thousands of work- 

 people in London alone. There are also large tobacco 

 factories in the chief seats of industry and commerce 

 throughout the kingdom. This is due in great measure to 

 the heavy tax levied upon foreign made cigars imported 

 into this country, namely, six shillings on every pound 

 weight — i.e., double the sum charged on tobacco in the 

 leaf. This great difference would seem to afford the 

 unscrupulous an incentive to fabricate spurious high-priced 

 cigars under foreign names. Looked at in this light it may 

 be a question worth the consideration of the Board of 

 Customs whether or not it would be well to lessen the 

 difference between the two rates of duty — to raise the one 



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