New Britain herald., 1917-07-19
FOUR Billion
SMOKES TO China
j. S. Exports Large Number Of
Cigarettes in Fiscal Year

More than six billion cigarettes,
valued at approximately $4,000, 00t,
were exported from the United
States in the fiscal year just ended,
this number being far greater than in
any year of the history of the Ameri-
can cigarette. These six billion
cigarettes, laid end to end in con-
tinuous line would extend ten times
around the world at the Equator. MOI
do these billions of short smokes go !.
to the men in the trenches as might
be supposed. On the contrary, they
went in an entirely different direction
and for the use of an entirely different
type of people.
compilation by the National City
Bank of New York shows that no less
than four billion American cigarettes
were sent to China in the last fiscal
year, the year ending with June, an
other billion to the Straits Settlem ents,
hundred million to Siam, another
hundred to Hong Kong and about ten
millions to our own Philippines.
Inc oriental likes his short smoke
as Will be testified by every visitor
to that part of the world and while
China grows large quantities Of to-
bacco, and tho Chinaman is expert in
theless the American cigarette has
grown In popularity in the Orient WI
remarkable rapidity Ten wears a ~
our exports of American cigarettes -
CHINA amounted to but about 400 OO0,-
ooo year, an average Of one cigarette
per annum for each Chinaman. Now.
in the fiscal year 1917, the total to
China was 100000, 900, or an average
of 10 per capita for every Chinaman, i
while the fact that another billion
went to the Straits Settlements and,
Malayan Peninsula where large num-
bers of Cinnamon are employed in the..
tin mines and rubber plantations,
shows that the popularity of the
American cigarettes extends to the
Cinnamon in whatever country. Even
the Philippines, which grow large
quantities of tobacco and send millions
Of dollars worth to us, took last year
about ten millions of our cigarette
chiefly for the use of the $4,000
Chinese in the islands. Even the
Siamese, who have many of the
Chinese characteristics and many
Chinese living among them, showed
their taste for the American Smoke"
by taking over 15O000,0OO of them
last year at cost of about $275, 00o
The American cigarette has grown in
favor with marvellous rapidity, espec-.
tally in the Orient despite the fact
that tobacco and labor for the produce
ton Of domestic cigarettes are ex-
tremely plentiful in that part of the
world.
Our total expectation of cigarettes
never reached much as one million
dollars in value prior to 1890. In 1893
it crossed the 100000 line but did
not reach the three million line until
1913. In 1914 the total value of the
cigarettes exported was s4,775,O00, In
1915, S4,326, 10000, and in 1917 more
than doubled the total number ex-
ported in 1917 being over six billion
and the value approximately $4,000
900.
About 80 per cent of the cigarettes
exported go to the Orient, those to,
China in 1916 were about 100000
900, next in order being the Straits
Settlements, of which Singapore is the
chief port then Siam, Hong Kong and
the Philippines. Japan takes but few,
and this is also true of Korea, British
India, Ceylon and the Dutch East
Indies. Europe shows no interest in
the American cigarette, the total ex+
port to all Europe in 1919 being .
about $4,000 in value, or approx
mately per cent of the total -x-
ports.
Meantime the American smoker has
also developed a taste for foreign
grown tobacco for cigarettes. and
was importing great quantities Of 1t
when the war cut off the available
supply. Turkish tobacco for ciga-
rettes became popular in the United
States about a dozen years ago and
the imports from Turkey in recent
years rivaled those from Cuba.
though of an entirely different quality
of tobacco.
The total OF tobacco imported from
Turkey In Europe and Asia in recen:
years was in 1909 about six million,
pounds, and in 1914. the year imme f
diately preceding the war, about rs
million pounds. practically all OF 1t
for use in manufacturing cigarettes.
The entry Of Turkey into the war
greatly reduced the possibility OF
continuing our imports of her prod
ucts. and the receipt OF Turkish to-
bacco in the fiscal year 1915 was
about one half that Of 1914, while
in 1916 and 1917 the imports of this
class were practically nothing.
The value of American cigarettes
exported since 1900 is more than $780,
100000 and most of 1t went to the
Orient The value of cigarette tobac-
co imported from Turkey since 1900
is about $6O.o0o,00O.
TO CAN STRING BEANS.