Milford chronicle., 1921-07-08
MANY INDUSTRIES
tied TO TOBACCO
Prohibition of Weed Would Mean
Big Financial Loss to
Allied Trades.
WHO USES THE MATCH?
The Smoker Malnly-Also Responsible
for Spending Hundreds of Millions
Annually for Licorice, Sugar,
Coal, Cigar Boxes, Tin
Foil, Etc.
BY GARRETT SMITH

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 well supplied with the useful
little article? Anyhow, inasmuch as it
is estimated that there are 30,0OO,OOO
tobacco users in the country, we would
guess that the answer to that question
would run into the hundreds of mil
lions.
For If it weren't for the smokers in
these days of electric lights how many
matches would be used? 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.
But the match business is only one
of 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 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.
$25,0o0,000 Year for Boxes
For example, the tobacco trade con-
sumes each year 45OOOO0O pounds of |
icOrice, 5O,0OO,OOO pounds of sugar,
both used in favoring tobacco, and
650000 tons of coal. It is estimated
that the value of wooden cigar boxes
used is $25OOOOOO a 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 :
machinery employed in manufactur- (
ing tobacco are estimated at S102.OO0,-
600. Replacement, up-keep and inter- b
est on the investment make no small t
sum annually. Il
And let realty men note there are o
$4,000 tobacco farms y
in the country, with a total estimated n
valuation of $16O,OOOOOO. OF further in y y
terest to real estate men is the fact - -
that there are 100000 retail establish r
ments selling tobacco, involving a total ir
rental and up-keep impossible to esti- cl
mate, besides the large amount of Of
ice space occupied by administrative E
of the general business. F
The insurance men, too, have their
share Of the pickings. The tobacco NJ
business pays out annually S7OOOO0O
n premiums in the United States. VI
And there are the railroads who reap ssL
evenue from 2,21O,OOO tons of tobacco ~
every year. sn
As for the advertising business,
ere again it is impossible to form til
ny estimate Of the enormous annual lal
utlay.
The prohibition of tobacco would also w
mock a goOd-sized hole in the receipts at
the United States government.
he internal revenue receipts from Ia
,hacco for tho fiscoI voor 7oo0 or,o,,n+ his
d to 1926, ,809, 1854. Customs duties ne
rovided an additional $25,OO0O0O in g.,
1und figures, making the total revenue
eturn to the government $32OOOO,OOO. M,
Influence on Popular Sentiment No
1t is this interlOcking of the tobacco spt
lsiness with so many other interests ant
nd the vast amount of financial loss wa
lat would be involved in the abolition
tobacco that is one of the most Sc IIsI
GUS aspects of the proposal to pro- !
bit the sale Of tobacco, a proposal. pm y
'wever, which has little support by r.,,1
lblic sentiment if the newspaper edi- NJ.
rs of the country are correct in their
innate Of that sentiment. sne
In poll of the editors made recently N
the Tobacco Merchants Association dau
the United States. through the Press spe
rvice Company of New York City, n
per cent of the 7.S47 editors who rlns
1lied expressed the opinion that the atty
ople of their commun ties were op- J
sed to any law against tobacco. AS Vile
ese editors represent some SOOOOOOO =,
lders the results form a pretty gen 'liG n
Il test of national opinion. tom
,I,o ~ a-'cli leiii''nNS aocoIipahVlhg their Fou
as their opinion that the oppos tion
their communities to the abolition
tobacco was based to some extern M ri
st on the damage such a change now
uld do to the business interests Of tens
community. This was particularly In
e in the tobacco growing states and quie
tiers where there were large tobacco the
nts. OF
'ut when the extent of the business long
olved in the allied interests of the IrlsI
acco trade is considered as above 5a1t. 5:'I
fly outlined If is clear that there $50 .S1s
ardly section Of the country that rira
lid not be afYo ted directly or in n
city by abulirh'n" tobacco. nros,
CuNpTTNpc- -ruAprT DodC
r. Stoner of Wilmington is visit - m! y
friends of here. NJ. NJ =.
rs. J. M. Dickerson is visiting her so'.1 u
ler, Mrs. Laura Vincent OF Bridge D toi1 d,
?. and Mrs. Francis Morgan save i+oT
MI, dow no ,.41y 7ocf T1ridaV in hon. AoOt