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Show PHILIPPINE TODACCO. Llllle Danger of Competition wllb Amtrlcan-Maile Hood. "Juit at the present time," tald a prominent tobacco man, "It It of Interest Inter-est to consider the relation of the Philippine Phil-ippine tobtcco Industry to the United States. There need be no fear of com-petition. com-petition. Wo will tell them Infinitely more than we will ever buy from them, and at the Islands get more clvlllicd and more Americans and Kuropeant settle there, we will tell Ihem more and more tobacco and clgara nnd buy bat, though we ran not take many fewer cigar than we do now," relatet the New York Sun. "I have tcveral acquaintances, K illshmen, who occa-tlonally occa-tlonally like a Manila cigar, and they have to get them of one dealer, lla aendt to Canada for thete clgara In tingle case Iota, for there It no ttock kept In thlt country.nnd yet they make In the Philippines a matter of 160,000,-000 160,000,-000 clgara n year. There have been from lime to time efforts to Introduce theeo clgara here, but without much tuccett. In Kngtand they tell very largely, mainly In bundle! of five and tlx, which cost twenty centt a bundle. These are both cheroota and clgara, rather roughly turned out, banded with ttrlpt of red and yellow paper, about a quarter of an Inch broad. They come tOO In a bl; cedar box. with a sliding lid, and cost the Kngllth dealer, duty paid, about (3.60. They are to bo found In nearly every drug ttoro In tho country. The tobacco It of a peculiar pecu-liar light color, most of It rather dull looking, and It hat, to my tatte, the flavor among tobaccos which the beet has among vegetablet, rather earthy. It It also heavy In type, nnd makes the tmoker rather tleepy, which glvee rlto to the mistaken Idea that there It opium opi-um In It. Our people will not tmoke It at any price. It la good enough, but not the type they prefer. When the latt rebellion In Cuba begtn and the supplies of Hat ana leaf tobacco fell off, among the growths Introduced aa substitutes sub-stitutes wat Manila, but even ander thete favorable conditions the Importations Impor-tations never amounted to much mora than a drop In the ocean. In 1S02 wo brought In 8.870 pounds, valued at II.-793; II.-793; In 1893. l.ICS pounds, valued at 1200; In 1894, none, and In 1890, 11,360 pounds, vnlued at 11,724. None of thti wat classified at wrapper tobacco. In clgara tho Importation! In 1892 wero 339 pounds, valued at 1442; In 1893, 628 pounds, valued nt 1317; In 1894-96, 1,280 poundt, valued at 1808. and In 1898, 1,396 pounds valued at 8014, The great bulk of these shipments came from Canada, Outtldo of one tip-town ttoro which dealt In every tobacco under the aun, or pretty nearly, I do not think you could find n Manila cigar In the city, except mementoe recently brought back by soldiers." |