CHAPTER VIII.

IMPORTS, DUTIES, VALUES, AND CONSUMPTION.

A comparison of the taxation of the chief nations of the world for the consumption of tobacco has been published in the _Imperial Statistics of Germany_. Of the countries where the sale is a Government monopoly, France last year stood first, the gross duty, with profits, amounting to 7_s._ 1½_d._ per head of the population annually, the net revenue from the article being 5_s._ 8¼_d._ per head. In Austria the gross was 5_s._ 5¾_d._, the net, 3_s._ 5_d._; in Hungary, the gross 3_s._ 3½_d._, the net 1_s._ 7_d._; in Italy, the gross 3_s._ 11_d._, and the net 2_s._ 8¼_d._ In Great Britain, the duty and licenses brought in 4_s._ 10¾_d._ per head of the population for the year, and in the United States 4_s._ 4½_d._ In Germany, on the other hand, where the duty was very light, the average was no more than 7¾_d._ per head of the population.

The duties on unmanufactured tobacco are 3_s._ 6_d._ a lb. when it contains 10 per cent. or more of moisture; 3_s._ 10_d._ a lb. when it contains less than 10 per cent. of moisture. Snuff containing no more than 13 per cent. of moisture, 4_s._ 10_d._ a lb.; 13 per cent. and upwards, 4_s._ 1_d._ a lb. Cigars pay 5_s._ 6_d._ a lb. Cavendish of foreign manufacture pays 4_s._ 10_d._ a lb.; that manufactured in bond, 4_s._ 4_d._ Other sorts, including cigarettes, pay 4_s._ 4_d._ a lb.

The approximate relative values in the London market are as follows:—Maryland, fine yellow, fine, and good coloured, 7–9½_d._ a lb.; colory, 5–7_d._; light-brown and leafy, 5–(7½)_d._; ordinary and brown, 4–4½_d._ Virginia: Fine Irish and Scotch spinners, 7–10_d._; good and middling, ordinary light and dry, 6–10_d._; fine black sweet scent, and middling do., (6½)–(7½)_d._; part blacks, 5–6_d._; ordinary and heated, 3–5_d._; mixed parcels, ordinary and good, middling and fine, (5½)–(6½)_d._; stripped leaf, 4_d._–1_s._ Kentucky: fine long light leaf, 7–11_d._; good to middling do., (5½)-(7½)_d._; fine and middling blacks, 6–8_d._; ordinary and mixed, 2–5_d._; stripped leaf, fine, light leafy, middling and ordinary, (4½)–11_d._ Negrohead, 11_d._–1_s._ 6_d._ Cavendish, 4½_d._–1_s._ Amersfort and German, 2¾_d._–1_s._ 6_d._ St. Domingo, 5–(7½)_d._ Havana, Cuba, and Yara, 1_s._ 2_d._–6_s._ Turkish and Greek, (2½)–9_d._ E. India, Japan, and China, 2–9_d._ Java, 5_d._–2_s._ Colombia (New Granada), 5_d._–2_s._ 6_d._ Manilla, 8_d._–4_s._ Manilla cheroots, 4_s._–7_s._ 6_d._ Havana cigars, 5–40_s._

_Imports, Duties, and Values._—Our imports of tobacco in 1879 were as follows:—

(_a_) Unmanufactured: From United States, 25,743,880 lb., value 682,253_l._; Holland, 6,215,930 lb., 266,109_l._; China, 1,444,192 lb., 36,265_l._; Turkey, 1,214,319 lb., 32,627_l._; Japan, 805,928 lb., 24,003_l._; France, 651,350 lb., 14,585_l._; Belgium, 515,009 lb., 15,501_l._; Argentine Republic, 470,309 lb., 10,870_l._; Germany, 426,139 lb., 25,602_l._; Straits Settlements, 267,258 lb., 29,718_l._; British India, 246,305 lb., 3605_l._; New Granada, 241,638 lb., 9621_l._; Canada, 121,920 lb., 3473_l._; other countries, 497,043 lb., 14,256_l._; total, 38,861,220 lb., 1,165,488_l._

(_b_) Snuff: From all countries, 7719 lb., value 92_l._

(_c_) Cigars: From Spanish W. Indies, 495,518 lb., value 494,974_l._; Germany, 150,460 lb., 46,318_l._; Holland, 116,218 lb., 31,348_l._; Philippines, 80,199 lb., 21,738_l._; France, 73,348 lb., 24,071_l._; Straits Settlements, 51,191 lb., 13,822_l._; China, 48,762 lb., 11,240_l._; Belgium, 46,536 lb., 14,211_l._; British India, 33,208 lb., 10,898_l._; United States, 14,625 lb., 5461_l._; other countries, 43,978 lb., 19,184_l._; total, 1,154,043 lb., 693,265_l._

(_d_) Cavendish or Negrohead: From United States, 2,247,557 lb., value 84,422_l._; other countries, 45,052 lb., 1964_l._; total, 2,292,609 lb., 86,386_l._

(_e_) Cavendish, manufactured in bond: 33,069 lb., 7126_l._

(_f_) Other sorts, including cigarettes: From United States, 52,206 lb., value 7999_l._; Holland, 25,273 lb., 1372_l._; Channel Islands, 15,470 lb., 1279_l._; Germany, 14,474 lb., 4472_l._; France, 9497 lb., 2368_l._; Belgium, 7939 lb., 2086_l._; other countries, 12,328 lb., 3845_l._; total, 137,187 lb., 23,421_l._

Following are statistics of the imports of tobacco for the year 1884, being the latest available.

UNMANUFACTURED TOBACCO.

────────────────────────────────────────────┬──────────┬────────── │ Quantity.│ Value. │——————————│—————————— │ lb. │ £ From Germany │ 1,464,350│ 57,435 ” Holland │ 5,728,744│ 246,795 ” Belgium │ 299,863│ 10,994 ” France │ 733,207│ 23,975 ” Spain │ 1,265,347│ 24,370 ” Malta │ 81,026│ 1,160 ” Turkey │ 1,114,143│ 46,545 ” Algeria │ 85,580│ 3,081 ” British East Indies │ 918,066│ 11,082 ” Philippine Islands │ 45,989│ 3,785 │——————————│—————————— Carried forward │11,736,315│ 429,222 │ │ ” China and Hong Kong │ 1,813,221│ 63,566 ” Japan │ 1,876,787│ 46,081 ” British North America │ 150,056│ 5,188 ” United States of America │37,186,980│ 1,183,102 ” Spanish West India Islands │ 361,095│ 17,972 ” United States of Colombia │ 122,570│ 3,589 ” Ecuador │ 76,642│ 2,085 ” Argentine Republic │ 131,013│ 2,970 ” Other Countries │ 75,728│ 2,476 │——————————│—————————— TOTAL │53,530,407│ 1,756,251 ────────────────────────────────────────────┴──────────┴──────────

CIGARS.

────────────────────────────────────────────┬──────────┬────────── │ Quantity.│ Value. │——————————│—————————— │ lb. │ £ From Denmark │ 2,349│ 1,243 ” Germany │ 151,650│ 46,512 ” Holland │ 78,471│ 22,231 ” Belgium │ 109,388│ 32,789 ” Channel Islands │ 2,501│ 1,645 ” France │ 49,313│ 24,061 ” Gibraltar │ 1,437│ 982 ” Malta │ 1,008│ 390 ” Greece │ 1,750│ 600 ” British Possessions in South Africa │ 1,615│ 687 ” British East Indies │ 188,354│ 45,218 ” Philippine Islands │ 201,652│ 56,208 ” China and Hong Kong │ 25,659│ 6,242 ” Australasia │ 3,740│ 883 ” United States of America │ 166,740│ 98,510 ” British West Indies and Guiana │ 2,313│ 1,198 ” Spanish West India Islands │ 467,315│ 453,610 ” Danish West India Islands │ 2,448│ 1,519 ” Mexico │ 59,727│ 37,249 ” United States of Colombia │ 1,004│ 686 ” Brazil │ 4,519│ 2,089 ” Other Countries │ 4,127│ 2,008 │——————————│——————————— TOTAL │ 1,527,080│ 836,560 ────────────────────────────────────────────┴──────────┴──────────

CAVENDISH OR NEGROHEAD.

────────────────────────────────────────────┬──────────┬────────── │ Quantity.│ Value. │——————————│—————————— │ lb. │ £ From Channel Islands │ 78,569│ 5,156 ” British North America │ 64,910│ 3,244 ” United States of America │ 1,243,720│ 59,780 ” British West India Islands │ 16,332│ 2,764 ” Other Countries │ 32,315│ 1,646 │——————————│—————————— TOTAL │ 1,435,846│ 72,590 ────────────────────────────────────────────┴──────────┴──────────

SNUFF.

────────────────────────────────────────────┬──────────┬────────── │ Quantity.│ Value. │——————————│—————————— │ lb. │ £ From Brazil │ 4,099│ 830 ” Other Countries │ 96│ 24 │——————————│—————————— TOTAL │ 4,195│ 854 ────────────────────────────────────────────┴──────────┴──────────

OTHER MANUFACTURED TOBACCO.

────────────────────────────────────────────┬──────────┬────────── │ Quantity.│ Value. │——————————│—————————— │ lb. │ £ From Germany │ 9,993│ 2,920 ” Holland │ 20,657│ 1,173 ” Belgium │ 7,740│ 1,616 ” France │ 17,985│ 2,818 ” Malta │ 5,968│ 1,592 ” Turkey │ 5,444│ 1,674 ” Egypt │ 31,662│ 13,306 ” Algeria │ 6,410│ 1,580 ” United States of America │ 76,472│ 20,039 ” Spanish West India Islands │ 6,259│ 865 ” Other Countries │ 9,625│ 1,968 │——————————│—————————— TOTAL │ 198,215│ 49,551 ────────────────────────────────────────────┴──────────┴──────────