The Yale expositor. (Yale, St. Clair County, Mich.) 1894-current, 1921-05-26
Prohibition OF Weed Would Mean
Big Financial Loss to
Allied Trades.
WHO USES THE MATcH7
The Smoker MalnIy-Also Respo N ibis
for Spending Hundreds Of Millions
Annually for Lioorioe, Sugar.
Coal, Cigar Boxes, Tin
Foil Etc.
BY GARRETT SMITH

unnecessary because most pockets are
kept well supplied with the useful
little article? Anyhow, inasmuch AS II
Is estimated that there are 10000. 900
tobacco users Ia the country, we would
guess that the answer TO that question
would run into the hundreds of mil
lions.
For If II weren't for the smokers In
these days OF electric lights how many
matches would he used? 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-
| hlbitiOn Of tobacco were u go into
effect as some of our reformars would
have It. The annual sales of tobacco
products, based on retail prices. Is es-
timated at ST ,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 It up.
100000 a Year for Boxes
For example, the tobacco trade con-
sumes each year 45.O0O,0OO pounds Of
licorice, 5O,000,0O0 pounds of sugar,
both used in 1avoring tobacco. and
100000 tons Of coal 1t is estimated
that the value Of wooden cigar boxes
used is $25,0O0.0oO 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 manufactur-
ing tobacco are estimated at STOP ,000,-
0O0 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 60,G000OO. 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
fee space occupied by administrative
branches Of the general business.
The insurance men. too. have their
share Of the pickngs The tobacco
business pays out annually ST,O0O000
In premiums In the United States.
And there are the railroads who rear
revenue from 100000 tons OF tobacco
products every year.
As for the advertising business
here again 1t is impossible to form
outlay.
The prohibition of tobacco would also
knock n 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, 800 1904. Customs duties
provided an additional S25. OOO,O IN
round figures, making the total revenue
return TO the government $500. 600 600 |
Influence on Popular Sentiment
1t is this interocking of the tobacco
business 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.
rlous aspects of the proposal to pro,
hlbit the sale Of tobacco, a proposal,
however, which has little supDort by
public sentiment II the newspaper edi,
tors or the country are correct in their
estimate OF that sentiment.
In poll Of the editors made recently
ny the Tobacco Merchants Association
of the United States, through the Press
Service Company of New York City,
% per cent OF the 7,S47 editors who
replied expressed the opinion that the
people Of their communities were on
posed to any law against tobacco. As
these editors represent some 10000. 900
readers the results form pretty gen.
eral test Of national opinion.
In their remarks accompanying their
replies many Of the editors expressed
t as their opinion that the opposition
of their communities to the abolition
NJ tobacco was based to some extent M
least on the damage such change
would do to the business interests OF
The community. This was particularly
rue 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
obacco trade Is considered, as above
'riefly outlined, it is clear that there
8 hardly section OF the country that
would not be affected directly or In.
lirectly by abolishing tobacco.
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