Middletown transcript., 1921-08-06
MANY INDUSTRIES
TIED TO TOBACCO
Prohibition of Weed Would Mean
Big Financial Loss to
Allied Trades.
WHO USES THE MATCH?
The Smoker MainIy-AIso Responsible
for Spending Hundreds Of Millions
Annually for Licorice, Sugar,
Coal, Cigar Boxes, Tin
Foil, Etc.
BY GARRETT SMITH


"Got a match?"
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 1t
is estimated that there are 100000
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? A pretty
sm,.n 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 q dozen or more allied industries
which derive large revenues directly or
Indirectly from the tobacco trade and
would suffer heavily If national pro-
effect as some Of our reformers would
have it. 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 other forms
dollars are paid out for other things
than the raw tobacco and labor Of
making it up.
$25,00o, 900 Year for Boxes
For example, the tobacco trade con-
sumes each year 45,OOO,OOO pounds Of
licorice, 100000 pounds of sugar,
both used In flavoring tobacco, and
65O,OOO tons of coal. 1t is estimated
that the value Of wooden cigar boxes
used is $25,OOO,OOO 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, scloth 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 manufacture
ing tobacco are estimated at $1O2, ,OOO,-
900. Replacement, up-keep and inter-
est on the investment make no small
sum annually.
And let realty men note there are
approximately 325.OOO tobacco farms
in the country, with total estimated
valuation Of $16O,OOO,0OO. 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
bus ness pays out annually 100000
| in premiums in the United States.
And there are the railroads who reap
revenue from 2,210,OOO 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 $295, ,SO9. 1854. Customs duties
provided an additional $25.OOO,OOO in
round figures, making the total revenue
| return to the government $32OOOO, 900.
influence on Popular Sentiment
1t is this interlocking of the tobacco
| bus ness with so many other interests
J 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, a 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
| 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 editors who
replied expressed the opinion that the
| people OF their commun ties were op-
posed to any law against tobacco. As
! these editors represent some SOO0O,OOO
readers the results form a pretty gen.
eral test Of national opinion.
! In their remarks accompanying their
replies many of the editors expressed
1t as their opinion that the oppos tion
| of their communities to the abolition
| Of tobacco was based to some extent at
least on the damage such change
would do to the business interests Of
the community. This was particularly
true in the tobacco growing states and
centers where there were large tobacco
plants.
| But when the extent of the business
involved in the allied interests Of the
tobacco trade ia considered, as above
briefly outlined, it is >clear that there
Is hardly section Of the country that
would not be affected directly or in
directly by abolishing tobacco.
| Couldn't Fool Him.
Two ~neighbors were chatting over
the fence when Mrs. Bailey passed,
smiling, down the street.
"Pretty woman, Mrs. Bailey!" re-