Sioux County pioneer. (Fort Yates, Sioux County, N.D.) 1914-1929, 1921-06-30
MANY INDUSTRIES
TIED TO TOBACCO.
Prohibition of Weed Would Mean
Big Financial Loss to
Allied Trades.
WHO USES THE MATcH7
The Smoker Mainly-AIso Responsible
for Spending Hundreds Of Millions
Annually for Licorice, Sugar,
Coal, Cigar Boxes, Tin
Foil, Etc.
BY GARRETT SMITH
SCOT a match?"

How many times day is that ques-
ton asked in these United States?
How many more times Is the question
unnecessary because most pockets are
kept well supplied with the useful
little article? Anyhow, inasmuch as 1t
Is estimated that there are 3O,O0O,O00
tobacco users in the country, we would
guess that the answer to that question
would run into the hundreds Of mill
lions
For if It weren't for the smokers in
these days Of electric lights how many
matches would be used? A pretty
snail proportion of the number of
these "sticks Of blnzes" produced in
the country every year. Abolish to-
baccO and the match business would be
shot to pieces.
But the match business is only one
of a dozen or more allied industries
which derive large revenues directly or
indirectly from the tobacco trade and
would suffer heavily If national pro-
hibition of tobacco were to go into
effect as some of our reformers would
have 1t. The annual sales of tobacco
products, based on retail prices, is es-
timated at $1,937 100000. OF the cost
of producing and selling this quantity
of cigars, cigarettes and oth8 forms
of the weed, some hundreds Of million
dollars are paid out for other things
than the raw tobacco and labor Of
making it up
$25,ooo,ooo Year for Boxes
For example, the tobacco trade con-
sumes each year 45OOO,OOO pounds Of
licorice, 50O00,O0O pounds of sugar,
both used in tiavoring tobacco, and
G50,0o0 tons of coal. 1t is estimated
that the value of wooden cigar boxes
used is $25,OOO,OOO year, quite an
item to the lumber business and to
manufacturers Of the boxes.
In making these boxes $4,000
pounds Of nails are employed. Other
large items used in making and pre-
pairing tobacco for sale are tin and
lead foil, paper for bags and cigarette
wrappers, cloth for tobacco bags, la
bells, coupons, etc, involving the print
ing trade extensively. ~
Then building contractors and manu-
facturers of machinery are largely in
terested. Investments in plants and
ing tobacco are estimated at $1O2 ,O0O,-
600. Replacement, up-keep and inter-
est on the investment make no small
sum annually.
And let realty men note there are
approximately 325,OO0 tobacco farms
in the country, with total estimated
valuation of S16O, 100000. OF further in
terest to real estate men is the fact
that there are 100000 retail establish
ments selling. tobacco, involving total
rental and up-keep impossible to esti-
mate, besides the large amount of Of
flee space occupied by administrative
branches Of the general business.
The insurance men. too. have their
share Of the pickings. The tobacco
business pays out annually 100000
in premiums in the United States.
And there are the railroads who reap
revenue from 100000 tons Of tobacco
products every year.
AS for !. the advertising business.
Z here again 1t is impossible to form
any estimate Of the enormous annual
outlay.
The prohibition Of tobacco would also
knock n good-sized hole in the receipts
of the United States government.
The internal revenue receipts from
tobacco for the fiscal year 1920 amount.
ed to 1926, SOC, 1854. Customs dutie.
provided an additional $25,OOO,O 600 in
! round figures, making the total revenue
return to the government 1920, OOO, 600
Influence on Popular Sentiment
It is this interlocking of the tobacco
business with so many other interests
and the vast amount Of, financial Loss
that would be involved in the abolition
Of tobacco that is one Of the most Sc
rious aspects of the proposal to pro.
hibit the sale Of tobacco, proposal
however, which has little support b
public sentiment IL tl:s newspaper edI
1 tors Of the country are correct in their
estimate Of that sent '%nent. u.
& 4 doll Of the edii = mazda Dc recentls