| Show t THE DUTY ON HAVAXAS Why We Do o Not Get UII Good Cigars as we Ought Everybody who has been in Cuba or whose friends have been there remarked re-marked a prominent tobacconist complains com-plains bitterly because he line to pay so much for his cigars here He planks down a dime for fair a cigar or a quarter for two of f a better quality growls that it is too much andmentions that he or i somebody else bought as good cigars in Cuba for a third of the money lIe does not seem to remember that all imported j cigars have to pay a big customs tax In ti j the first place w e li aye to pay 25 per i cent ad valorem duty at the Custom House In addition that we must I 250 a pound also pay o prescribed bv the cue I i toms law A thousand cigars twelve pounds in weight and that average means I a total import duty of 30 a thousand i I besides the 25 per cent of first coat Then I the stamps cost us 50 cents a thousand I unit me 1UlCrnalleenu levcnue fcS a thousand 1 I cost must be paid There ie a cigar that + me only 24 a thousand in Havana I There they could be sold for a nickel at good profit and they ate fair goodsbet ter than I any domestic cigar ever made Now just see what they cost ma here First the 25 per cent amounted to GO j The cigars weigh twelve pounds a thousand and at 250 a thousand that is 130 more The stamps cost 50 cents and and the internal revenue 3 freight cx change etc brings the total cost up to I 6930 So you see a cigar that could easily be retailed for 5 cents in Havana Hnannl has to be handled very close in order to sell for 10 cents here The im average ported 10cent cigar costs from 15 to 20 in Havana and is the kind that i smoke in Cuba Our imported poor 10cent men I cigars would be three for 10 I cents in Cuba on an average and pur two for a I quarter is a nickel cigar there street gamins of Havana wouldnt smoke The I one of our 5cent domestic fcigars I t i |
