The Tobacco Monopoly

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The Changes in the Economic Life of the People of Luzon during the Rise of the Tobacco Industry from 1901-1950 A Research Paper Presented to the Faculty of Maria Montessori Foundation In Partial Fulfillment of Economics IV Aidilyn Mae Perez Senior Socrates School Year 2012-2013 Section 1 PLAN OF INVESTIGATION Tobacco is a green, leafy plant that is grown in warm climates all around the world. After it is picked, dried, grounded up, it can be used in many ways. It can be smoked in a cigarette, pipe, or cigar. It can be chewed or sniffed through the nose. The Philippines is one of the places where this particular plant grows. The different species of tobacco grown in the Philippines did not come from only one source, if one were to study the whole history of it. It is believed that the Hindu-Malayans who came from the mainland of Asia to the Philippines before were the people who brought some species of tobacco. In line with this, the Igorot tribes in Caraballo Mountain were also growing a different species of tobacco. Although, the commercial cigar filter that are commonly used nowadays were brought to us by the Mexicans. When the Spaniards came they were the ones who organized a Tobacco monopoly here in the Philippines. When the Americans came, the Philippines became a 100% exporter of tobacco worldwide. The Tobacco industry is considered one of the oldest industrialized agricultural enterprise of the Philippines (Gutierrez, 2). The tobacco industry had its own success and downfalls. Before technology was discovered the manufacturers had to do everything by hand and most of the products was not seen by the masses. In order to make the demands higher, the industry had to import expensive wrappers from Sumatra and Georgia. But by the beginning of 1909, cigarettes began to invade the country. The problems did not stop then, because the American
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