Herald and tribune. [volume] (Jonesborough, Tenn.) 1869-current, 1886-08-05
MISCELLANEOUS.
COST OF DRINKING AND sMoK.
ING.

COST OF DRINKING AND sMoK-
ING. IN
Information Cleaned from tho Figures OF
laeIl 3 The Internal Revenue. s1
| Il will be interesting TO all readers to
know that. while demagogues continue
TO complain about the sufTerings ofilabor
the consumption Of luxuries in almost ev-
cry particular is greater than 1t was one
Or two years ago, and In most classes of
expenditure greater than 1t ever was in
tho times called most prosperous. The
dry figures of the internal revenue report
when examined, yield this and much 9th
or information. 1t appears that the con-
sumption Of beer increased 1,594 $50 bar
rcls. The consumption in 1886 was
greater than ever before, and, adding the
officially reported increase, itappears that
no less than .642, ,OOO, 900 gallons of beer
were consumed last year. The population
is over 60. 900, 900, but the consumption
for the year ending June 80 must be
reckoned upon the mean population for
that year, which was about SO, ,257, 900.
On that basis the consumption of beer
appears to have been 1888 gallons for
every inhabitant, babies included. Con.
sidering that alarge p@tofi The popula-
- D.. =. "a -
ton does not consume beef at all, this
| seems to imply an enormous COP assumption
Eltothose who do, and yctpsinecthose who
use lbeerlatiall certainly eonsnme as much
as half q pint daily, theSnwould at that
rate get rid of s3Hghllons.ea Appar.
lcntly the CONSUMPTION is abputcquivalent
Fto a pint day for half The adult popula.
| tion. 8 ,b9'j t'rl e-T
The increase in the consumption of
whisky was 1906 1OS. gallons, which
makes the consumption for the year 20,
7G3, ,010 gallons, or | 10 gallons per capi-
Ia. That is much more than was con.
sumcd in the years OF depression; the fis.
cal years 1878 and 1879, when the tax was
| the Same ,thatit is now, but 1t is much
below the consumption, OF 1888 or 1884
when the quantity was 1.41 and 1.42 gal
Ions per capita The increase in the con-
sumption Of beer, which has risen from
seven gallons tofiearly eleven gallons
since 1859, accounts for some diminu-
lion in the use Of spirits, and probably
the. rapid spread of prohibition at the
South has affected the consumption Still
more. Fifteen years ago. when thestax
was only so cents perlgall6n, the CON
sumption ranged between u and 2 gal-
Ions per capita. ~ 80
The increase in,eonsumption of tobacco
in various forms, has been remarkable,
but especially in the least healthy Of all
forms. Snuff.using, ) IL may be remarked
lisgoh the dccline2 195747 pounds less
were used last year than the year, before.
But the consumption of manufactured to-
].bacco, forsmoking and ehcwiiig, increas.
ed 11,010.574 pounds; reaching 191 ,023,
663 pounds. OF 1922 pounds per capita,
which is considerably in excess OF the
consumption in any previous year. Prior
to 1870 the quantity consumed was from
1 to 9 pounds; in 1870 1t rose to 2.3S, and
until 1870 averaged about $50; then it
rose in 1880 to 2.75. in 1882 to 3,08, and
has been above pounds ever since. But
the increase in this form of tobacco
would have been greater but for the in
crease in the consumption OF cigars and
cigarettes.
The number of cigars consumed in
creased last year ISL, ,925, ,S55. making a
total consumption of 3,510,372, $50, or
50.2 per capita. Just twenty years ago
the consumption was 1912 yearly; in 1870
it rose,to 80; in 1875 TO 439, and then de
clined little with the hard times to 40.5
in 1878, but in 1881 it rose to 52.6, reach,
ing Oh % in 1884, and declined to 5S.2 in
1885, but has now risen again to 59.2.
Thus the consumption is a shade lower
! than the greatest yet recorded, and there
is some reason to doubt whether this
small decrease betokens the pressure of
hard times, because the consumption of
cigarettes has greatly increased. Last
year alone the increase was 252 ,212, 112,
or about % per cent making 1910, 0,556,
, 512 in all, or 22.1 per capita. In 1866
there was small consumption, hut prac-
tically none officially recorded in the
years 1866. 1880. In 1870 1t rose to per
capita. in 1875 70, 40 per capita. and in
| 1875, Just ten years ago. rose to IL per
capita. But that was only the beginning;
in 1880 1t had risen 10 8.2 per capita, in
1884 to 16.1 in 1SS5to 1873. and now av-
erages 90. 1 per capita. OF the influence
of this change upon health doubtless
physicians may have something to say.
but q considerable increase in the use of
tobacco in other forms is evidently pre-
vented by the manufacture. and use of
cigarettes, whether that change be bene-
fetal to health or not.
1t remains TO add that, supposing ci-
gars to average only FIVE cents each, and
cigarettes twenty cents package, tobac-
co dollar per, pound in retail forms.
beer five cents a glass, and spirits five
cents for half gill, prices which are GER
tainly not as high as those paid by most
customers, the cost Of these articles to
the people of this country is over 81 ,1S9,
600, 900, or $40 50 for every inhabitant.
This burden is borne by about 10000, 900
wage. earners, however, and for them II
averages $50 40 yearly. All the money
that trade unions have added or ever will
add to the wages Of labor will not equal
half the sum spent last year, mainly by
working people, in the consumption Of
liquor alone. which cost them much over
$500, 900, ,000.--N. Y. Tribune.
Character In Shoes.
"Show me the shoes of a man after hi
has worn them two months and viii