The Ocala evening star., 1921-06-30
Prohibition of Weed Would Mean
Big Financial Loss to
Allied Trades.
WHO USES THE MATcH7
TIE Smoker halnIy-AIso Reasonable
for Spending Hundreds Of Millions
Annually fer LIoories. Sugar,
u Ceal, Cigar 5oxsA Tin
Fell, Etc.


little articlef Anyhow, inasmuch as IL
IN estimated that there are 10000. 900
esoaceo users In the country, we would
guess that the answer to that question
would run into the hundreds OF MIL
Bsns.
For IL Ii weren't for the smokers in
these days OF electric lights how many
matches would be used? A pretty
anall proportion Of the number Of
these sticks Of blazes" produced in
ne country every year. Abolish to
hacco and the match business would be
shot TO pieces
But the match business n 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-
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-
tmated at 81. .937 100000. OF the cost
Of producing and selling this quantity
Of cigars. cigarettes and other forms
OF the weed, some hundreds Of million
dellaB are paid out for other things
than the raw tobacco and labor OF
making II up.
SR5 ,o0o, 900 a Year for Boxes
For example, the tobacco trade con-
sumes each year 45,o00.0O0 pounds OF
licoriee, 100000 pounds of sugar,
both used in navoring tobacco, and
65O.0 tons Of coal II Is estimated
that the value of wooden cigar boxes
used In S25,0O0yO00 q year, quite an
item 90 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 fer tobacco bags, Ia
bels, coupons, etc, involving the print
ing trade extensively.
Then building contractors and manu.
hcturers Of machinery are largely In
terested. Investments In plants and
machinery employed I'm manufsctur-
ing csbacco are estimated at s102 O0O,-
900. Replacement, up-keep and inter-
est sn the investment make No small
sum annually.
And let realty men note there are
approximately 325,OO0 tobacco farms
In tho country, with a total estimated
valuation of $50, 100000 OF further in
terest to real estate men is the fact
that there are 100000 retail establish
ments selling tobacco, involving a total
rental and up-keep impossible to esti-
mate, besides the large amount Of Of
Gee space occupied by administrative
branches Of the general business.
The insurance men, toe, have their
share of the pickings. The tobacco
business pays out annually $1,000, 900
IN premiums In the United States.
And,there are the railroads who reap
revenpe from 2,210.ooo tons Of tobacco
products every year
As fer the advertising business,
here again II is impossible to form
any estimate Of the enormous annual
sutlaX
The prohibition Of tobacco would also
knock good-sized hole in the receipts
Of the United States government.
he hternal revenue receipts from
tobacco for the fiscal year 1920 amount
ID to S295, sos. .355.44. Customs duties
provided an additienal SIS. .00o. 900 in
reundsfgures, making the total revenue
return to the government $500 200 900.
Inauenee on Popular Sentiment
1t In this interlocking OF the tobacco
business with 50 many other interests
and tie vast amount Of financial loss
q tobacco that is one Of the most Sc
rieus aspects Of the proposal TO pre-
hibit the sale Of tobacco, a proposal,
however. which has little support By
public sentiment IL the newspaper edi-
tors Of the country are correct In their
estimate Of that sentiment
In q poll Of the editors made recently
BY the Tobacco Merchants Association
Of the United States, through the Press
Service Company Of New York City,
e6 per cent Of the 7.S47 editors who
replied expressed the opinion that the
people Of their communities were op-
posed % any law against tobacco As
these editors represent some so.0O0, ,0Oo
readers the results form a pretty gem
eral test Of national spinion.
In their remarks accompanying their
replies many Of the editors expressed
II rs their opinisn that the opposition
Of their communities to the abelitisn
of tobacco was based to some extent at
least On the damage such a 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 Is considered. as above
briefly outlined. IL Is clear that there
ie hardly a section Of the country that
would not be affected directly or In