The Oklahoma City times. [volume] (Oklahoma City, Okla.) 1908-1984, 1918-03-18

5000 In State Contribute.
The totaling Of the final returns from
the Smokes Week campaign was com.
pleied Saturday after having been
checked and rechecked by the Times
snd the committee Of the Lions club
II is estimated that approximately
5000 persons in Oklahoma con
tfbuted TO the fund The result was
far better than had been expected In
tcreSt in the fund was aroused In every
section OF the state and organizations
and individuals poured in their contri.
buttons Some contributions came in
after the date announced Tor the closing
OF the campaign.
City Gives s7,26ZsO.
In Oklahoma City alone the contribu-
tion' to the fund reached a total OF
2.267SO. Splendid cooperation wa,
given by proprietors Of drug stores,
restaurants and tobacco stands through
out the city
Tin boxes were placed on the counters
in the places OF business and beside
them were placed sheets on which
contributors were asked to write their
names and addresses and the amount Of
money contributed
The securing of these signatures was
important because for each Is cents
contributed kit OF tobacco is to be
made up in which will be placed a post
card, stamped and addressed to the
contributors
Soldiers Acknowledge Gifts.
When the soldier in France receives
the kit OF tobacco he is expected 10
acknowledge its receipt by message
on the postcard. Few OF the cards have
miScarred because OF me ease with
which the soldiers can thank their
friends in their home country.
Hundreds of the cards have been re-
eeived in Oklahoma City already to
acknowledge contributions made before
the campaign just closed. Ia some
cases where contributors had not given
their names or had not given legible ad-
dresses cards were inserted BY the New
York committee bearing the address OF
, the Times.
Dozens Of these cards have been re-
eeived from the soldiers
0klahomans Get Tobacco.
BY a strange coincidence many Of
these kits have come into the hands OF
soldiers from Oklahoma They re-
turned the postcards in some cases with
messages to personal friends in the
state
The postcards give interesting side
lights on the spirit Of the men at the
front. Each card is signed with the
name and the unit OF the receiver OF the
kit in which il was enclosed
Tobacco Is Sold at Cost.
As announced during the campaign
the purchasers of tobacco for the sol
diers have an agreement with the large
tobacco companies to buy tobacco at
cost and the fund will purchase nearly
twice the amount that could be secured
At retail prices.
The tobacco enclosed in the kits Is
all VI htdludIu DldluS anu 10 ulV hhlu
that experience has shown is most ap-
preciated by American soldiers,
Since American troops have been In
France frequent stories have come back
Of their difficulty in getting cigarets
and smoking tobacco of the kind which
they were accustomed to smoking in
this country. The French and English
cigarets do not appeal to the American
soldier as a rule and he is hungry for
American smoking tobacco. This want
Is filled by the Our Boys In France
Tobacco Fund.
Lions Committee Works Hard.
The Lions club of Oklahoma City had
sole direction OF the campaign for the
Times in the state Under the chair
manship of J. c. Leonard the Smokes
Week committee of the local Lions or
ganization made extensive plans for
thorough canvass of the state before the
campaign was gotten under way.
Mr.. Leonard was assisted on the
committee by Raymond P. Locke,
Roger S. Coates, William Hippen, Rob
tIl ~. WClChCI, ~. ", IdIlSnt l. D.
Taylor and Robert NJ Scott
Addresses of drug stores, cigar
stores and confectioneries Throughout
the state were secured and few blanks
and collection boxes were sent to each
by the committee Stationery was sup
piled and posters telling in detail the
purpose Of the campaign were dis
tributed
Other Lions Clubs Help.
The Oklahoma City Lions club was
helped in the campaign by the Lions
clubs in Tulsa, FL Reno and Muskogee.
The other three clubs worked hard to
roll up big contributions and how well
they succeeded is shown by their final
repors.
Muskogee Lions collected $487. 40, the
Fl Reno Lions collected $3.50 and he
Tulsa Lions collected 46l.50. NJ
The bookkeeping work connected
with the campaign was arduous and TO
the faithfuneSs of the Lions club
workers is due the accuracy with which
Me lists were kept
State Contributes s5Oo1.64.
The contributors throughout the
,tata evrt,eiy nf thoee ~ nLIahnr,,