FREE CIGARS.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume LXII, Issue 9630, 19 March 1910, Page 6

FREE CIGARS.

Following upon the Biblical injunction agaiuat the muzzlijg of the ox that treads the corn, a custom has, it is said, grown up in tobacco factoriO3 generally of allowing employes a certain number of cigars daily, these beiug takou from what is known, in the trado us "smoke" oigars. by which name those "weeds" that develop some defect in manufacture are known. This, iv effect, was the defence put in at the Central Police Court, at Sydney last week by a German cigaraiaker to a charge of stealing two cigars and two pieces of tobacco used as cigar fillers, the property of the States Tobacco Proprietary Company, Limited. It was stated in evidence, however, that though such a custom did prevail in some factories, it was uot rocoguisod iv this company's factory in Cooper-street. In its place the manager personally doled out one cigar to each employe daily as the hands were leaving the factory at 5 p.m., aud three cigars to each on Saturday, on which day the further privilege was granted to each employe of purchasing twelve cigars for one sbilliug. The last three quarterly stocktakings of the factory had revealed shortages running in the aggregate into several hundreds of pounds, and the prosecution was taken as a warning to employes that they must keep their hands off the cigars after they are made, and that the mauager will attend to the distribution of the free cigars. Eventually the accused pleaded guilty, aud was fined a sum of AOs. The value of the property mentioned in the charge was placed at fourpence.