Public Law 70–69

That the Secretary

Leaf-tobacco statistics.

Secretary of Agriculture to collect, and publish the quantity of leaf tobacco in possession of dealers, etc., except original growers.

Details.

of Agriculture be, and he is hereby, authorized and directed to collect and publish statistics of the quantity of leaf tobacco in all forms in the United States, in the possession of dealers, manufacturers, growers’ cooperative associations, warehousemen, brokers, holders, or owners, other than the original growers of tobacco. The statistics shall show the quantity of tobacco in such detail as to types and groups of grades as the Secretary of Agriculture shall deem to be practical and necessary for the purposes of this Act, and said statistics shall show the stocks of tobacco of the last four

Separation of new and old crops.

crop years, including therein the production of the year of the report, which shall be known as new crops, separately from the stocks of previous years, which shall be known as old crops, and shall be summarized as of January 1, April 1, July 1, and October 1 of each year: Provided, That the Secretary of Agriculture shall

Proviso.

Quantities exempt.

not be required to collect statistics of leaf tobacco from any manufacturer of tobacco who in the preceding calendar year, according to the returns of the Commissioner of Internal Revenue, manufactured less than fifty thousand pounds of tobacco, or from any manufacturer of cigars who during the preceding calendar year manufactured less than two hundred and fifty thousand cigars, or from any manufacturer of cigarettes who, during the preceding calendar year, manufactured less than one million cigarettes, or from any dealer in leaf tobacco who, on the average, had less than fifty thousand pounds in stock at the ends of the four quarters of the preceding calendar year.

Sec. 2.

The Secretary of Agriculture shall establish standards for

Standards of classification to be established.

the classification of tobacco. He shall specify the types and groups of grades which shall be included in the returns required by this Act. Such return shall show the quantity of tobacco by such types and groups of grades for new and old crops separately. The Secretary

Blanks for returns.

of Agriculture shall prepare appropriate blanks upon which the returns shall be made, and shall, upon request, furnish copies to persons who are required by this Act to make returns.

Sec. 3.

It shall be the duty of every dealer, manufacturer, growers’ cooperative association, warehouseman, broker, holder, or owner, other than the original grower, except such persons as are excluded by the proviso to section 1 of this Act, to furnish within ten days after January 1, April 1, July 1, and October 1 of each year, completely and correctly, to the best of his knowledge, a report of the quantity of leaf tobacco on hand, segregated in accordance with

Punishment for refusal to furnish reports, etc.

the blanks furnished by the Secretary of Agriculture. Any person, firm, association, or corporation required by this Act to furnish a report, and any officer, agent, or employee thereof who shall refuse or willfully neglect to furnish any of the information required by this Act, or shall willfully give answers that are false or misleading, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor, and upon conviction thereof shall be fined not less than $300 or more than $1,000 or imprisoned not more than one year, or both.

Sec. 4.

The word “person” as used in this Act shall be held to embrace also any partnership, corporation, association, or other legal entity.

Sec. 5.

The Secretary of Agriculture shall have access to the tobacco records of the Commissioner of Internal Revenue and of the several collectors of internal revenue for the purpose of obtaining lists of the persons subject to this Act and for the purpose of aiding the collection of the information herein required, and the Commissioner of Internal Revenue and the several collectors of internal revenue shall cooperate with the Secretary of Agriculture in effectuating the provisions of this Act.

Sec. 6.

The returns herein provided for shall be made under oath before a collector or deputy collector of internal revenue, a postmaster, assistant postmaster, or anyone authorized to administer oaths by State or Federal law.

Sec. 7.

That the information furnished under the provisions of this Act shall be used only for the statistical purposes for which it is

Restriction on publication, etc.

supplied. No publication shall be made by the Secretary of Agriculture whereby the data furnished by any particular establishment can be identified, nor shall the Secretary of Agriculture permit anyone other than the sworn employees of the Department of Agriculture to examine the individual reports.

Sec. 8.

The Act approved April 30, 1912, providing for the collection of tobacco statistics by the Bureau of the Census is hereby repealed.

Sec. 9.

If any provision of this Act is declared unconstitutional or the applicability thereof to any person or circumstance is held invalid, the validity of the remainder of the Act and the applicability of such provisions to other persons and circumstances shall not be affected thereby.