The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1913-10-02
OJR SMOKE AND DRINK BILL.
Ii Reaches the Enormous Sum OF
So.7OO,OOO,OOO Year.

American people now reaches the
enormous figure of S2,700,000,000 a
year
Since the time when Columbus
braved the unknown seas in search
of the treasure of the Indies, man
has dug out of the earth SIS, 5,O00,-
coo, 100000 of gold" he says. Since
the panic of 1907 the American peo-
pie have spent for alcohol and tobac-
co SIS, 100000, 900. Or, to put these
two statements in the form of math-
ematical equation; the product of 42O
years of human toll, sacrifice and
bloodshed, of daring discovery and
exploration of continental wilder
ness, of cruel wars of aggression and
conquest, of wonderful engineering
triumphs, in the never-ending search
| for the precious metal, equals six
years easy going expenditure of the
American people for the weed that
soothes and the cup that cheers.
How much is S2,700,000,000? If,
thousand years before the time Of
Moses the Lawgiver, the the ancient
Egyptians had begun boarding a
treasure of gold at the rate of dol
| lar a minute, and if ever since then
every minute, day and night, these
thousands of years-the accumula-
ton of this treasure had continued,
the golden hoard would to-day be
500 years short of the S2,700,OO0,-
600 we spent in one year for alcohol
and tobacco
Mr.. Fayant says that the bulk of
this money is spent by wage-earners.
1t is equal to the earnings of more
than 100000 workers. 1t is two
and a half times the wages of all the
men on the railroads. 1t is fourteen
times the great pay roll of the Steel
corporation.
Sir George Paish, the English econ
omist, estimates that the American
people are saving the great sum OF
S5,O00,0O0 a year-that is, that we
are putting this money into new rail-
roads. factories, farms, homes and
other productive investments, and
thus adding to the national wealth.
But we are spending this sum every
% months for tobacco and alcohol.
Our enormous savings bank hoard is
the wonder and envy of Europe, but
we spent in 90 months as much mon
ey for tobacco and alcohol as we have
laid by in the savings banks in all
these years of prosperity and thrift.
Every month we spend more than we
add to our bank savings in a whole
year.
More than half the total wealth of
the United States is incorporated in
manufacturing and industrial COM
panies, banks and other financial in
stitutions, railroads, telegraphs, tele-
phones and other public service cor
porations. The combined profits of
all these businesses are less than the
expenditure for smoking and drink
ing. The s27,00O,O00,000 annual
outlay is greater than the total cost
of all our government, from the pres
ident's salary down to the cross
roads school house. 1t is three
times the national debt. 1t is more
than all Europe is spending for war
and preparations for war.
"If our habits do not change says
the writer, I'VE shall consume more
alcohol and tobacco in the next 35
years than could be purchased for the
entire wealth of the United States
today-the total value of everything
possessed by everybody from the At
lantic to the Pacific
A quarter of the s27,00O,O00,OO0
is spent for tobacco, and three quar-
ters for alcohol-that is, the drinking
bill is three times as large as the
smoking bill Of the two billions
spent for drink s1,170,000,000 goes
for beer, s7OO,OO0,OoO for whiskey,
brandy, gin, rum and for wine. The
$780, 100000 tobacco bill is thus di-
vided: s446,O0O,000 for cigars and
little cigars, s73,000,O00 for cigar
cites, s157, 100000 for smoking and
chewing tobacco, and s244,0o0,000
for snuff.
Mr.. Fayant's figures show that
beer is the drink of the American
people, and that cigarettes are rap
idly becoming the national smoke.
The consumption of cigarettes has in
creased 500 per cent in ten years.
| Munsey's Magazine.