every bag of
coffee shipped from the plantations of that state in a period of four
years. This tax, amounting to one hundred reis per bag of 132 pounds, or
about two and one-half cents United States money at even exchange rates,
is collected by the railroads from the shippers, and turned over to the
_Sociedade_.

The Brazilian Society sent to the United States a special envoy,
Theodore Langgaard de Menezes, to conclude arrangements; and on March 4,
1918, in New York, the pact was signed whereby Sao Paulo was to
contribute to the publicity campaign in the United States approximately
$960,000 at the rate of $240,000 a year for four years; and the members
of the trade in the United States were to contribute altogether
$150,000[346]. The success of the negotiations was due to the skilful
management of Ross W. Weir in the United States, and to the superior
salesmanship of Louis R. Gray, the Arbuckle representative in Brazil.

[Illustration: JOINT COFFEE TRADE PUBLICITY COMMITTEE IN UNITED STATES]

Supervision of the advertising in the United States was delegated to
five men, representing both the importing and roasting branches of the
trade, and designated as the Joint Coffee Trade Publicity Committee of
the United States. Three of these committeemen, Ross W. Weir, of New
York; F.J. Ach, of Dayton, Ohio; and George S. Wright, of Boston, are
roasters; and two, William Bayne, Jr., and C.H. Stoffregen, both of New
York, are importers and jobbers, or green-coffee men. The committee
organized with Mr. Weir as chairman, Mr. Wright as treasurer, and Mr.
Stoffregen as secretary. At the invitation of the committee, C.W. Brand
of Cleveland, then president of the National Coffee Roasters
Association, attended committee meetings, and assisted in determining
the policies of the campaign. Headquarters were established at 74 Wall
Street, in the heart of the New York coffee district, with Felix Coste
as secretary-manager, and Allan P. Ames as publicity director. N.W. Ayer
& Son, advertising agents of Philadelphia, who had engineered the plan
of campaign from the start of the movement in the National Coffee
Roasters Association, handle the advertising account.

[Illustration: CHART SHOWING PLAN OF ADVERTISING CAMPAIGN]

Sao Paulo's contribution to the advertising fund is sent in monthly
instalments to the Joint Coffee Trade Publicity Committee under an
agreement that it shall be expended only for magazine and newspaper
space.

[Illust