Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1921-06-01
MANY INDUSTRIES
TIED TO TOBACCO
Prohibition of Weed Would Mean
Big Financial Loss to
Allied Trades.
WHO USES THE MATcH7
The Smoker Mainly--AIso Responsible
for Spending Hundreds Of Millions
Annually for LIcorice, Sugar,
Coal, Cigar Boxes, Tin
Foil, Etc.
BY GARRETT SMITH
"Got q match 2"

/ UOt u ndICI
How many times day is that ques-
ton 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 10000, 900
tobacco users in the country, we would
guess that the answer to that question
would run into the hundreds of mil
lions.
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 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 II. 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
of the weed, some hundreds Of million
dollars are paid out for other things
than the raw tobacco and labor of
making 1t up.
$25 100000 Year for Boxes
For example, the tobacco trade con-
sumes each year 100000 pounds of
licorice, 100000 pounds of sugar,
both used in favoring tobacco, and
65000O 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.
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 s102, 000,-
100 Replacement, up-keep and inter-
est on the investment make no small
sum annually.
And let realty men note there are
approximately 325,000 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
bus ness pays out annually 100000
| in premiums in the United States.
And there are the railroads who reap
\ ItNtIlut lIOiu %,-io,VOO loio VI bVDoNNN
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 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 $25,000,000 in
round figures, making the total revenue
return to the government $500, 100000
Influence on Popular Sentiment
1t Is this interlocking of the tobacco
bus ness with so many other interests
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, 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 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 communities were op
posed to any law against tobacco. As
these editors represent some 10000, 0O(
readers the results form pretty gen
eral test Of national opinion.
, In their remarks accompanying theil
replies many Of the editors expressed
II as their opinion that the oppos tior
of their communities to the abolition
: of tobacco was based TO some extent n
least on the damage such a chang,
would do to the business interests o
the community. This was particular.
true in the tobacco growing states an,
centers where there were large tobacco
plants.
But yhen the extent of the business
: involved In the allied interests of tn
tobacco trade is considered. as abov,
briefly outlined, II is clear that Their
Is hardly section Of the country tia
would not be affected directly or in
] directly by abollshlng tobacco.