Minutes of a coalition of private, state and federal entities into the feasibility of growing tobacco in Australia.
Melbourne: 1927 - 1930. Hardcover. The only known copy of the privately compiled Executive Committee Meeting Minutes of this Australian government investigation into growing high quality light tobacco in Australia. This is likely the copy of the American Director of Investigations, C. M. Slagg. The scheme was financed by the Commonwealth, the States, and the British Australasian Tobacco Company and conducted growing experiments throughout Australia in an effort to duplicate the quality of American tobacco.
Charles Mervyn Slagg, the Director, was an American recruited for his broad experience in growing tobacco. He undertook growing projects throughout Australia, experimenting with different soil conditions, seed, fertilizers, irrigation and curing & processing methods in order to duplicate the elusive aroma and texture that the smoking public and the British Australasian Tobacco Company demanded (p71). Slagg, in a separately published report to the Executive Committee, wrote of the many obstacles encountered, "The Australian Tobacco Investigation is experimenting mainly in the production of the bright flue-cured type of tobacco, since this type at present forms the bulk of our leaf imports. It has been found that we have not one aroma to deal with, but many aromas, at least as many as there are States in the Commonwealth". (The Smoking Qualities of Australian Tobacco, A Preliminary Report Presented to the Executive Committee'; pp 28-29). The Investigation lasted 3 years after which Slagg returned to the US.
The meetings were held in the Offices of the Development and Migration Commission. As the first meeting was attended by only two men-the Chairman of the DMC and the CEO of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research- and the gatherings seldom exceeded seven attendees (including a Recording Secretary), it is likely that few copies of these Minutes were produced, let alone survive.
"The scheme was financed cooperatively by the tobacco company, the Commonwealth and the states, an arrangement that was the basic cause of failure. Understandably, Slagg responded to the pressures of Australian federalism by initiating small projects in each of the mainland states. The results of cultivation and curing tests were highly variable because of geographical dispersal and inadequate control; their scientific value was negligible. In 1930 Slagg resigned under the weight of criticism, and in the next few years the work was pushed from pillar to post." (Schedvin, C.B. Shaping Science and Industry: A History of Australia's Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, 1926-49. 1987, p.162).
The Minutes start with the first meeting of May 39, 1927 and run through to November 7, 1930. The topics cover a broad range of subjects from projected field work to communications and expenditures. The index, which is an original typescript running 31 pages, includes such meeting topics as: Aroma experiments; Agreement with BAT Co; Air cured Tobacco; Blue Mould; Bathurst Experiments; Climatological Data; Chemical Experiments; Co-ordination and co-operation with state departments; Darnell-Smith, Dr., Visit to America; Economic Survey of Tobacco Growing Industry; Experimental Farm; Finance; Fertilizer Experiments; Growers; Heating & refrigerating plant; Imperial Economic Committee; Importation; Irrigation; New South Wales, progress reports; Victoria, South Australia and Queensland progress reports; Processing and Handling methods; Publications; New companies formed to manufacture in Australia; Queensland, Progress reports; Research, blue mould; Smoking Qualities of Tobacco; South Australia, progress reports; Tasmania progress reports; and Western Australia, progress reports.
The work of this Investigation should not be confused with the Australian Parliament's Select Committee on the Tobacco-Growing Industry in Australia, that was convened in 1929, with its Report published in July 1930. The House Committee had a much narrower inquiry, within a short period of time. However, there was some involvement with this Investigative body. As the House Report noted, "Mr. C.M. Slagg, M.Sc, Director of the Australian Tobacco Investigation, was also invited by the Committee to be present... (he) was present at nearly all sittings throughout the inquiry, and asked questions of witnesses" [p. xviii].
Folio, 13 3/4", Index [31], 190pp, [1]. Pages 1-68 numbered with blue china marker by hand, the last 22pp unpaginated. Typed or mimeographed carbons, pages 1 to 168 numbered in blue pencil. Housed in a black cloth binder, "Brampton's Patent Instantaneous Binder" with typed label laid down at front board, no title at spine.
The Australian Tobacco Investigation did publish an annual Bulletin; but we can find no holdings for these original Minutes, including OCLC and Trove. Very good condition. Item #22144
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