The Nezperce herald. (Nezperce, Idaho) 1900-1957, 1908-01-23

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A Fs<s~2s spsat a. rr><~ei~s Th~~
kvssy Yeas.
There IL probably not cigar smoker
In the land who has not wonder8. at
3ne time or another. how much or what
be pays for his smoke goes into the
Dox and the Autographed labels and
the, gilt bands and the like, says Tit
Bits. A box which holds nifty cigars
costs from 4 10 3 cents. according TO
what Il lie made Of. and this without
counting the labels and bands. or any
thing but the wood and nails. The cost
Of these boxes used In the United
States alone foots up 70 100000 ey-
cry year. Some OF them go 70 Ha-
vana. but they come back with cigars
Ia them.
Perhaps the most interesting and
least known fact about this industry II
that. while some cigar boxes are made
OF cedar, a great number are made OF
poplar, yeneered on one side with &C.
dar, while stll others are made OF
poplar without any veneer. In the lat
ter case the wood Is printed IN imi-
tatlon Of cedar by the use OF ink OF
the proper color and machine which
carries a printing roller on which are
the lines 10 resemble the granting Of
cedar wood. The bottom and top Of Q
cigar box OF standard grade are o-az OF
an inch In thickness. while the ends
are 7-32 OF an inch Despite the very
small amount OF wood needed. II IL
cheaper. however. TO use the yeneered
poplar than the cedar. and still cheap
sr TO print the poplar. Solid cedar
boxes TO hold 100 cigars now cost about
10 cents and the half boxes. or those
for fffy cigars. about s cents The cor.
responding price for veener is about J
cent less. while for the printed poplar
the prices are 3 20 c~nis-
Such prices are only made possible
By the use OF intricate machinery and
subdivision OF labor. and IL is also i'm
portant 70 waste as little OF the ma
terlal rs possible. To this end the
wood OF the proper thickness Ia not
sawed froni the log. bur ziiced or split
By a special machine The Immense
pressure used Ia ven~ering wood for
the msnnfacture Of furnifufs Is not
used. and the yeneered sides. which are
pretty well warped and twisted az rrst.
are sfraighfened out and dried simply
By passing through rollers.
Then the slabs arr taken 70 t. saw
Ing table. where they are ripped and
cross. I've 10 ten In one
eut-into pieces Of proper dimensions
for the single boxes which are being
made. Thence the pieces are sent 70
the inspector. who. besides examining
each and sorting out those which are
imperfect. make separate piles. con
tanning the same number In each. Of
snds. sldex bottoms and teps
The ends and sides are nailed 10
refher into a frame By one machine
and the bottoms and tops are nailed
on By another. These machines are
fed with nails by an automatic ar
rangement which presents the required
number Of them SO each stroke. one
stroke does the business OF mailing Al
each corner and one stroke also suf
Aces for the bottoms and tops. the
nails being pushed In rather than driv'
ca. One OF these machines win frame
5000 boxes a day and two machines
working together win turn out 10000
,oxes except for the labels
The I'D Of the cigar boz II held in
place by mailing only along the front
edge and generally By one nall. The
hinge at the baes II made By one strip
OF cheesscloth glued upon the outside
and subsequently covered By the labels
and paper trimmings. when the hinge
IL dry the pasting OF the labels Is be
gun. Tiny metal hinges are sometimes
put upon cigar boxes. but these are
comparatively rare. So are dove-tnii
ed boxes. which can. however. be had
IN order.
Generally speaking. the entire Int
rior surface OF the box Is lined with
paper and paper naps and in large fac
tories the label printing and sometimes
even the designing OF the labels consti
tute an important branch OF the work
such printing Ia OF an unusually va.
ried character. requiring several kinds
OF presses. including thoss for embo~e