THE CUBA REVIEW 



27 



THE TOBACCO CROP 



PLENTY OF SPOTTED WRAPPERS 



"Manufacturers of clear Havana cigars, 

 both in Cuba and in the United States, 

 are now facing a situation that has had 

 no parallel in the past few decades," says 

 Tobacco, New York, August 22d, "and 

 cigars with more or less badly spotted 

 wrappers seem likely to be the rule and 

 not the exception for a good many months 

 previous to the harvesting and curing of 

 the 1913 crop of Cuban tobacco. 



"Of course some manufacturers still have 

 some little reserve stock of wrappers from 

 the crops of previous years, and others will 

 be able to cull out a limited quantity of 

 fairly presentable wrappers from this year's 

 tobacco — but these will not last long. 



"Every manufacturer of genuine clear 

 Havana cigars must sooner or later use 

 some of the spotted wrappers, and the 

 dealers will find they will be compelled 

 to listen to far less complaint on the part 

 of their customers, if they can in a measure 

 prepare them to accept the cigars in the 

 spotted wrappers before the goods are 

 actually laid before them. 



"Large manufacturers with immense 

 capital have tried, as an expedient, to buy 

 up the supply of old wrappers which had 

 been neglected as unsuitable last year, but 

 which are now preferred to the spotted 

 new wrappers, even if the latter are far 

 superior in taste and burn, lacking only 

 the color. The final decision will lie with 

 the smokers themselves if they are only 

 given a chance for a fair and unbiased 

 trial by the importers and retailers. In 

 outward appearance the old wrappers are 

 the more attractive, but judging by the 

 smoking qualities even the ugly-looking, 

 new wrappers will be found to be sweeter 

 in taste and faultless in burn. Everything 

 appeared rosy enough six months ago, 

 when we were not alone promised a bum- 

 per crop of fillers and wrappers, but low 

 prices in the bargain, and now there is 

 the greatest scarcity of clean, colored 

 wrappers while, owing to the reduced 

 quantity of fillers, the prices are again as 

 high as last year." 



MARKING GENUINE CUBAN TOBACCO 



In a law of July 16, 1912, the Cuban Gov- 

 ernment has provided for the use of an offi- 

 cial stamp, to be issued by the Government, 

 on the boxes or packages of all tobacco 

 manufactures exported from Cuba. Each 

 box or package of cigars or other manufac- 

 tured tobacco must be so sealed that the 

 contents cannot be removed without tearing 

 the stamp. It is intended that this stamp 

 or label should be a guarantv of genuine 



Cuban tobacco. The law is to go into ef- 

 fect ninety days from the date of publica- 

 tion in the Gaceta Official, i. e.. on October 

 23, 1912. 



HENRY CLAY & BOCK CO. NEW OFFICERS 



Francis A. Wilson has resigned as 

 deputy chairman, director and general 

 sales manager in the United States of the 

 Henry Clay Co. and Bock & Co., Ltd. ; as 

 vice-president and director of the Havana 

 Tobacco Co. : also as vice-president and 

 director of the Havana Commercial Co., 

 M. Valle y Ca. and H. de Cabanasy Car- 

 bajal. 



Mr. Wilson's resignation came as a 

 great surprise to his many friends and 

 acquaintances in trade circles all over the 

 country. It took effect September 1st. 



A. L. Sylvester, president of the Ameri- 

 can Cigar' Co., has been elected chairman 

 and managing director of the Henry Clay 

 and Bock Co. to succeed Percival S. Hill 

 who has resigned a similar position in all 

 the companies. 



TO USE MOTOR TRUCKS 



On account of the trouble experienced by 

 strikes a meeting was called recently by the 

 leaf dealers' association in Havana, at 

 which the advisability was discussed of 

 forming a company to buy 30 or 40 motor 

 trucks for the moving of tobacco and be- 

 come independent of the cart service. A 

 committee was appointed to look into this 

 matter consisting of Messrs. Mark Pollak, 

 Carlos Cano and Miguel Gutierrez, Jr. A 

 company of $100,000 capital may be formed 

 to carry this through. The motor trucks 

 will not only do the city work, but also 

 run into the country and bring tobacco in 

 from nearby points to save freight charges. 

 — United States Tobacco Journal. 



The value of Great Britain's importations 

 of cigars from Cuba for five years ending 

 with 1910 were as follows : 



1906 £1,216,493 



1907 760,027 



1905 943,217 



1909 921,038 



1910 857,440 



The value of the leaf tobacco importa- 

 tions from Cuba for the same period also 

 follow : 



1906 £10,539 



1907 3,289 



1908 ■ 574 



1909 5 



1910 107 



