Cottonwood chronicle. [volume] (Cottonwood, Idaho) 1917-current, 1921-09-02
MANY INDUSTRIES
TIED TO TOBACCO
Prohibition Of Weed Would Mean
Big Financial Loss to
Allied Trades.
WHO USES THE MATcH7
The Smoker Mslnly-Aiso Responsible
for Spending Hundreds Of Millions
Annually for llcorice, Sugar.
Coal. Cigar Boxes. Tin
Foil, Etc.
BY GARRETT SMITH

out u tlulCng
How many times a day 10 that ques-
ton asked in these United Statesf
How many more times Is the question
unnecessary because most pockets are
kept well supplied with the useful
little articief Anyhow, inasmuch as II
Ia 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 II weren't for the smokers In
these days OF electric lights how many
matches would be usedi 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 a dozen or more allied industries
which derive large revenues directly or
! indirectly from the tobacco trade and
would suffer heavily II 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 Sl,937. 100000 or 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 II up.
$25, 000, 900 Year for Boxss
For example, the tobacco trade con-
sumes each year $4,000. 900 pounds OF
licorlce, 100000 pounds Of sugar,
both used in favoring tobacco, and
$4,000 tons Of coal. II IL estimated
tlIat the value OF wooden cigar boxes
used is s25000.000 a yesr, 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 sl02. co.,
900 Replacement. up-keep and inter-
est on the investment make no small
sum annually.
And let realty men note there are
approximately $4,000 tobacco farms
IN the country, with total estimated
valuation Of $l60 100000. OF further In
terest 10 real estate men is the fact
that there are 100000 retail establish
ments selling tobacco, involving a total
rental and up-keep impossible to estl-
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 $1,000 900
In premiums In the United States.
And there are the railroads who reap
revenue from 2,2l000O 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 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 500, S09. 1854. Customs duties
| provided an additional s25. 900. 900 in
round figures, making the total revenue
return to the government 10000. 600.
Influence on Popular Sentiment
| II Is this interlocklng 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 se-
rlous aspects Of the proposal to pro-
hibt the sale of tobacco. a proposal,
however, which has little support by
public sentiment II 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 7s47 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 $4,000, 900
readers the results form a pretty gen
eral test OF national opinion.
In their remarks accompanying their
replies many Of the editors expressed
IL as their opinion that the oppos ton
of their communities to the abolition
of tobacco was based 10 some extent at
least on the damage such change
would do 10 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. II Is clear that there
Is hardly a section Of the country that
would not be affected directly or In
directly by abollshing tobacco.