The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1902-01-26
CIGARETTE TRADE
1t Uses Up Annually ever Nine thousand
tIuus OF Tobacco.

The Anglo-American tobacco war has
produced some surprising revelations re-
Sarding the number of cigarettes con-
sumed in this country, and has lncioeht-
ally led to inquiries as TO how the enor-
nous demand is met by the manutac-
turers.
The popular cigarette of to-day is made
by machinery The contrivance favored
by the firm which has been acquired by
Mr. Duke is capable of turning out fso
cigarettes per minute, While the ma
chine used Ly Messrs. W. D. and IL y.
Wills. Limited-tre leaders of the ress-
lance which is icing offered to the
American invasion-can comfortably pro
d,,ca anA 600 cigarettes in a working day
of ten hours.
Each of these great factories mas
scores of it's respective machines d.
work and either, it is believed, coulu, II
necessary, continuously make cigarettes
from year-end to year-end at the rae
OF. III, 00o,00O per week. Some idea OF the
stupendous vogue which the cigarette mas
gained in this country may be gathered
from the fact that quite recently one Oh
the great firms mentioned was "orhl'iS
it's whole plant night and day.
Though the machines used py ieaoliS
firms differ considerably in appearance
their working principle is prachcaiiy t'te
same. The tobacco is put into klrlu
of hopper and is forced into tube which
runs the entire length of the machine.
N1e.nwhiIe n spool of what looks ike
thin white ribbon. but which is really
cigarette Daper. has been rapidly uh-
folding itself, and has met the long
str;o of compressed tobacco, resembling
now nothing so much as thick brown
string. .,,
PAPER and tobacco travel along toseth-
or for a short distance until the edges
of the former are gradually tent roui,u
the strip of weed so that they iieatis
meet. Then at the exact moment .iie
outer edge of the paper Just touches d
little cummed wheel, the other Gus
quickly adheres. ard knife cuts the
na,+ini,ous eicht-foot cigarette into re-
oliired lengths as it passes, ana the M
isbed article is ready for the packing
case. -;,,.
The machine employed by Messrs. Wills
;s the only one in this country that
..crimps'' instead of gums the cigarette
i, other words, the edges are joined by
pressing.
rho cigarette habit is of compara-
lively recent growth in Great Britain
When the first machine was brought Tor
oxhibition purposes to this country all
the English manufacturers refused 70
entertain it except Messrs. Wits. me
fact was that so limited WAS tnc use
If the cigarette in England that by one
DAVIS working the machine could haEe
etocled any tobacco factory for week
Nassr. wills cigarette trade was the
only one large enough to ma regular
work for the newcomer.
The machine hailed from the United
states where even then something like
!, $50 600 coo cigarettes were made annual
". -,
per cent of the population or the Urited
Kingdom are cigarette smokers. and that
they consume on an average five day
all the year rollnd-say, about 1,000,G00000.
That represents 800 tons of tobacco.
which. II placed on railway trucks cap
able Of carrying two tons each, Wouid
form a train about seventeen and one
half miles long. The machines OF Eng
land turn out every year .''s-oVo mics u
cigaretteS-enouSh 10 ." Aoui teeil 'i'iS
round the globe.
and yet despite this enormous smoking
of the nachine-manufac variety,
+baro are more handmade cigarettes
consumed than ever. The connoisseur-
tho smoker with the refined, supersen-
sitive palate--iIeClares that he can taste
| the metal of the machine in the cheaper
| brands. Handmade cigarettes cost about
| half-a-crown q thousand To make. Ma
chimes turn ont the same number Tor
| tTropence-farthing-
.,rhe cheaper cigarettes are made
| said an authority to the writer, the
! greater will be the number OF smokers
| but the place of the best hatu-'iiaue
| brands will never be taken ov the COM
T 4 q