The chronicle of Eger Tobacco Factory

The factory-under construction

Ranked in the highest wage category an overwrapper would, then, earn more than the trainers. At the same time, this rather simplified and strict wage system put a restraint on overall performance because, for instance, a worker inexperienced to produce 1,000 cigars a day who might, however, be capable of making 700 would not produce more than 500, since at the end of the day it was not the actual output that

counted but classification. It is easy to see the value of 10 forints and 80 krajcár a week considering a kilogram of lean pork cost less than 30 krajcár, better pieces 30-32 krajcár a kilo, and 7 forints bought a 100 kilos of large potatoes.

In May 1894 there were but a few women in the work rooms of Crown Hotel. However, the leader of Esti Híradó on 25 September that year reported that “in appropriately fitted rooms just a few months after opening over 120 well-trained women and the necessary number of men are working away busily...” On 11 December 1894 Excise Officer István Rónai reported to the City Mayor that he had completed his organizational tasks. By the end of the year Rónai had drawn up the balance sheet: between May and December some 120 employees had produced 2 million cigars from 25 tons of tobacco. In the course of the training programme an immense amount of tobacco must have been wasted, however, it proved to be a good investment. In the following year 5.2 million cigars were made from 56 tons of tobacco. This extremely fruitful year is linked with the name of the director Román Boltizár who gave up his job as vicedirector at the Temesvár (Timsoara) Tobacco Factory to come to Eger.