The Meridian times. (Meridian, Idaho) 1909-1938, 1921-07-08
WHO USES THE mATcH7
The Smoker Mainty--Also Responsible
for Spending Hundreds Of Millions
Annually for Llcorice, Sugar.
Coal, Cigar Boxes, Tin
Fell, Etc.
BY cARRET SMITH
$500 A YEAR


How many more times IS the question
unnecessary because most pockets are
kept well supplied with the useful
little articlei Anyhow, inasmuch as It
Is estimated that there are 30,000,000
tobacco users In the country, we would
guess that the answer TO that question
would run into tie hundreds of mile
lions,
For II II weren't for the smokers q
these days of electric lights how mnny
matches would be used7 A pretty
small proportion Of the number OF
these sticks OF blazes" produced In
the country every year. Abolish to.
bacco and the match business would be
shot to pieces.
Bui the match business 10 only one
OF dozen or more allied Industries
which derive lnrge revenues directly or
Indirectly from the tobacco trade aud
would suffer heavily u national pro
hihltion Of tobacco were 10 20 into
effect as some II orr reformers would
have IL The annual sales of tobacco
products. based on retail prices, Is es-
iImaied nj $l,037 100000. or the cost
of producing and settling this quantity
or cigars. cigarettes and other form
OF the weed, some hundreds or million
dollars are paid out for other things
than the raw tobacco and labor OF
making IT up.
SIS, 900 900 Year for Boxes
For example. the tobacco trade con
sulues each year 45,0O0,000 pounds Of
licorice, 50,000,000 pounds Of sugar.
both used 10 tiavoring tobacco, and
850,000 tons of coal 1t Is estimated
that the value OF wooden cigar boxes
used is s25.o00,000 a year, quite an
Item 10 the lumber business and To
manufacturers of the boxes.
III making these boxes 100000
pounds Of nails are employed. Other
large Items used IN making and pre-
pairing tobacco for sale are tin Hnd
lead foil, paper for bags and cigarette
wrappers, cloth for tobacco bags, In
bells, coupons, etc, Involving the print
ing trade extensively.
Then building contractors and mann
facturers Of machinery are largely IN
terested, Investments in plants and
machinery employed In manufacture
ing tobacco are estimated at 100000,
O00. Replacement, up-keep and inter.
est on the investment make no small
sum annually
And let realty men note there are
approximately $4,000 tobacco farms
Ia the country, with totai estimated
valuation Of Sl60, 10000 OF further III
terest 10 real estate men Is the fact
that there are 100000 retail establish
ments selling tobacco, involving total
rental and up-keep impossible Is, est
mate. besides the large amount of Of
nee space occupied hS administrative
branches OF the general business.
The insurance men. too, have theiI
share Of the pickings The tobacco
bus ness pays out annually STo00,00t
In premiums In the United States
And there are The railroads who rear
revenue from 2,2l00O0 tons Of tobacco
products every year
Az for the advertising business
here again II is Impossible to form
any estimate Of the enormous annua
outlay
The prohibition Of tobacco would also
knock u good-szed hole IN the receipt.
90 the United States government
The internal revenue receipts from
tobacco for the fiscal year 1920 amount
ed 10 s205, sos, 3a5.l4 Customs dutle
provided an additional $25.O0o,000 II
round figures. making the total revenu
return 70 the government sS20000O0C
influence on Popular Sentiment
II Is this intorIoeklng of tile t0bace,
bus ness with so many other Interest
md the vast amount of finaucIal los
that would he Involved liz The abolition
Of tobacco thar Is one of the most 81
rious aspects Of the proposal to lro
hihit The sale q tohaeco proposal
however, whh,h has IIttle support i,
public sentiment II the newspaper edl
tiers of the country are correct I'm thel
estimate at that sentiment
III a poll % the editors made recentl
by the Tobacco Merchants Assaciatto,
OF the United States, through the Pres
Service Company nf New York City
50 per cent Of The 1917 editors VII,
replied expressed the 0plnion thai m
people of their eommun ties were On
posed TO ANY INV against tobacco. A
these EDITORS represent some 10000 0
readers tile results form a pretty gen
eral test Of national opinion.
In their remarks accompanying thei
replies many % the editors espresso,
II as their opinion that the oppos tiol
OF their communities to the abolition
OF tobacco was based To some extern n
least on the damage such chang
would do to the business interests o
the community. This was particularly
true in the tobacco growing states an,
centers where there were large tobacco
plants
But when the extent OF the bushes
Involved In the allied interests OF tn