The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1921-05-27
MANY INDUSTRIES
TIED TO TOBACCO
Prohibition of Weed Would Mean
Big Financial Loss to
Allied Trades.
WHO USES THE MATCH?
The Smoker Manly-AIso Responsible.
for Spending Hundreds Of Millions
Annually for Licorice, Sugar,
Coal, Cigar Boxes, Tin Il
Foil, Etc. o., i
BY GARRETT SMITH

"GOt matchI"
How many times day is that ques.:
tion asked in these United States!
| How many more times Is the question
unnecessary because most pockets are
/ kept we'll supplied with the useful
little article? Anyhow, inasmuch as 1t;
! is estimated that there are 30,00O,OOO
! tobacco users in the country, we would
guess that the answer to that question
would run into the hundreds Of mill
lions.
For II it weren't for the smokers In
these days Of electric lights how many
matches would be used? A pretty
small proportion Of the number Of
these "sticks Of blazes' produced in
the country every year. Abolish to-
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 anc
would suffer heavily If national pro-
hibition Of tobacco were to go into
effect as some of our reformers would
have It, The annual sales Of tobacco
/ products, based on retail prices, is es-
timated at S1,937, 100000. Of the cost
Of producing and selling this quantity
of cigars, cigarettes and other 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, 5,ooo, 900 Year for Boxes
For example, the tobacco trade con
sumes each year 100000 pounds Of
licorice, 100000 pounds Of sugar,
both used in fiavoring tobacco, and
65O0O0 tons of coal. 1t is estimated
that the value of wooden cigar boxes
used is s25,000,000 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. - 'aa' -:
Then building contractors and manu-
facturers of machinery are largely In
terested. Investments in plants and
machinery employed in manufacture
ing tobacco are estimated at $102, 2,OOO,-
600. Replacement, up-keep and inter-
1 est on the investment make no small
sum annually.
And let realty men 1fote there are
approximately 325,0OO tobacco farms
in the country, with total estimated
valuation Of $160,000,000. 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,
here again it is impossible to form
any estimate Of the enormous annual
outlay.
The prohibition of tobacco would also
knock a 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 S295, 500, 1854 Customs duties
provided an additional $25000,000 in
round figures, making the total revenue
return to the government S320,00O,000.
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 inxolved in the abolition
! Of tobacco that is one Of the most Sc
| rious aspects Of the proposal to pro
nlDlL the SdiS VI lODdCCo, proposal
+ however, which has little support by
public sentiment if the newspaper edi-
tors Of the country are correct in their
! estimate Of that sentiment.
In poll Of the editors made recently
I by the Tobacco Merchants Association
! of the United States, through the Press
! Service Company of New York City.
! 95 per cent Of the 7.S47 r";.o-s Who
replied expressed tho opinion t.lac n
people of their comilUn ,..nS We're o.
posed to any law against tobacco. :
these editors represent some 100000.
readers the results iorm D"ctty gen
eral test Of national opinion
In their remarks accompanying the
replies many Of the editors expressed
1t as their opinion that the oppositio.
of their communities to the abolition
Of tobacco was based to some extent AT
least on the damage such a change
would 90 to the business interests O.
the community. This was particularly
=.