The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1921-05-27
MANY INDUSTRIES
TIED TO TOBACCO
Prohibition of Weed Would Mean
Big Financial Loss to
Allied Trades.
WHO USES THE MATCH?
Tho Smoker MaInly-AIso Responsible
for Spending Hundreds Of MIlllons
Annually for LieorIee, eposr,
Coal, Cigar Boxes, Tin
Foil, Eto.
BY GARRETT SMITH

e. oy GhHhEi SMt a..
"Got a matchT"
How many times a day is that dues-
ton asked I'm these United States?
How many more times is the question
unnecessary because most pockets are
kept. we'll supplied with the useful
Eittle article. Anyhow, inasmuch as 1t
Es..estlmated that there are <0,0O0000
eobacc0 users In the country, We would
guess that the answer to that question
would run into the hundreds Of mil
lions: T.
For II 1t 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
bacco and the match business would bs
shot to pieces. 80,
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-
tibition Of tobacco were to 60 into
effect as some Of our reformsrs would
have 1t. The annual sales Of tobacco
products, based on retail prices, is e.
timated at $1,937, 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 1t up. d..
SCI, 5,oo0, 900 a Year for Boxes
For example. the tobacco trade con.
sumes each year 45,O0O,0OO pounds OF
licorice, 50,0O0,OO0 pounds Of sugar,
both used in favoring tobacco, and
$4,000 tons Of coal 1t IS estimated
that the value Of wooden cigar boxes
used is 325,OOO,0O0 a year, quite an
item to the lumber business and tc
manufa cturers 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 manufacture
ing tobacco are estimated at $102, ,OOO,-
600. Replacement, up-keep and inter
est on the investment make no small
sum annually.
And let realty men note there are
approximately 325000 tobacco farms
in the country, with total estimated
valuation of $16O,OO0,OOO. or further in
te.est 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
fics 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 S7,0O0,0OO
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 1t 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, 5,S09 1854. Customs duties
provided an additional S25,0O0,000 in
round figures, making the total revenue
return to the government 1920, 600, 900.
Influence on Popular Sentiment
II Is this interlocking of the tobacco
business with so many other interests
and the vast amount Of financial loss
THAI would be involved in the abolition
OF tobacco that is one Of the most Sc
rlous 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 a poll Of the editors made recently
by the Tobacco Merchants Association
Of the United Sta:es, through the Press
Service Company Of New York City,
95 per cent Of the 7,847 editors who
replied expressed the opinion that the
people Of their communities were op-
posed to any law against tobacco. AS