September, 1911.] 



213 



Edible Products. 



PHILIPPINE TOBACCO. 



Prices op Leap more Reasonable- 

 New Areas devoted to Tobacco 

 Planting— Plea for American 

 Patronage. 



(Prom the Manila Bulletin, 

 August 9, 1911.) 



Late trade news from the Philippines 

 regarding the tobacco situation and the 

 trade in Manila cigars is the subject of 

 an article appearing in the "Tobacco 

 Leaf," dated Manila, and signed by 

 "Maniletto." 



The situation here is well summed up, 

 and the writer gives statistics regarding 

 the shipments of Manilas to the United 

 States since the passage of the Payne 

 Bill. 



With the exception of the monthly 

 statistics the letter is as follows : — 



The prices of tobacco leaf 1910 crop 

 are now more reasonable. The better 

 parcels have been bought up by the big 

 factories. There is very good wrapper 

 tobacco among the Isabela and Cagayan 

 leaf. Nearly the whole of the 1909 crop, 

 as well as that of 1908, has been taken 

 up by the large factories and are fairly 

 selected parcels. These parcels are to be 

 used in the manufacture of cigars and 

 cigarettes, which are sure to be of 

 excellent quality. 



The prospects for the 1911 crop have 

 also a fair outlook. It is predicted, how- 

 ever, that it will turn out to be of a 

 rather gummy character, but really it 

 is too early to form any definite conclu- 

 sion in this connection. The 1910 crops 

 of the other Provinces like Union and 

 Cebu have found a ready exportation 

 to Europe. This kind of tobacco is not 

 fit fcr cigars, and has never been used 

 for such. 



No new areas have been devoted to 

 tobacco planting except in Cagayan 

 and Isabella, comprising the Cagayan 

 Valley, because there is no other islaud 

 among the Philippine group where the 

 climatic and soil conditions are favour- 

 able enough for the growing of tobacco 

 suitable for making good cigars. This 

 had always been maintained since the 

 discussion in Washington about free 

 trade relations with the United States, 

 and it is actually a fact, with the pos- 

 sible single exception of the island of 

 Mindanao ; and there is little hope in 

 the tobacco line in that island for the 

 next twenty, thirty or fifty years, 

 owing to the lack of necessary labour. 

 As an instance we may cite Davao, 

 where abaca (Manila hemp) is grown. 

 Several Americans, some years ago 



went into the planting of hemp with 

 much real and enthusiasm, but their 

 ardour soon vanished in consequence of 

 their inability to secure a sufficient num- 

 ber of labourers. The hemp grown in 

 this district is of superior grade and 

 worth double the amount of that grown 

 in the Camarines and Albay Provinces. 



It is incomprehensible why the oppo- 

 sition continues among the tobacco 

 people in the United States against the 

 Manila product. We have a first-class 

 cigar over here, and considering the 

 fact that for the next ten, twenty or 

 more yeavs we shall not be able to ship 

 more than 150,000,000 cigars to the 

 United States annually, which is the 

 limit prescribed in the Payne Bill, it 

 seems hardly fair to oppose the Manila 

 article in participating to the extent of 

 one to two per cent, in the cigar sales 

 in the United States. 



A good Manila cigar is well worth five 

 to seven and one-half cents, which we 

 claim for it as the retail price. In the 

 long run the cigars must sell because 

 they offer an agreeable smoke (although 

 it is an acquired taste), and gives to the 

 importer, jobber and dealer a sufficient 

 margin. It seems to us that it would be 

 entirely to their interest to give the 

 Manila cigar a fair test rather than 

 continuing in their opposition. It would 

 really be advantageous, as some wide- 

 awake firms have already done, to secure 

 the representation of some reliable 

 brands. 



The factories of importance in the ex- 

 port trade to the United States are in 

 a perfectly sanitary condition and their 

 operatives are clean. This must be so, 

 as the rules laid down by the Bureau 

 of Health are stringent in this regard, 

 and inspections are made periodically to 

 see that they are complied with. 



Much has been said of the total pro- 

 duction of tobacco in the Philippine 

 Islands, which is about 50,000,000 pounds 

 annually, but if you really come down 

 to actual figures, you will find that 

 about ninety per cent, of this amount 

 must necessarily be exported and be 

 used for cigarettes for local consump- 

 tion, partly because of the fat, gummy 

 character of that percentage. 



The Manila cigar will eventually find 

 a market to a greater extent than is 

 now enjoyed in the United States, 

 because the consumer will have a word 

 to say about the matter ; and the sooner 

 the importers and dealers take a kinder 

 view toward the Manila product, the 

 better it will be for them. 



