Fulton County tribune. (Wauseon, Ohio) 1883-1925, 1921-06-02
MANY INDUSTRIES
TIED TO TOBACCO
Prohibition of Weed Would Mean
Big Financial Loss to
Allied Trades.
WHO USES THE MATCH?
The Smoker MainIy-Aiso Responsible
for Spending Hundreds Of Millions
Annually for Licorice, Sugar,
Coal, Cigar Boxes, Tin
Foil, Etc.
BY GARRETT SMITH

Got match?"
How many times day is that ques-
tion 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 3O,OOOOO0
tobacco users in the country, we would
guess that the answer to that question
would run into the hundreds Of mil
lions
For If it 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 it, 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 q2antity
| 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.
$4,000 900 Year for Boxes
For example, the tobacco trade con-
sumes each year 100000 pounds Of
licorice, 5O,OOO,OOO 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 $25,OOO0OO a 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-
I 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 $1G2, ,000,-
! 600. 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 $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 theil
: Share of the pickings The tobacco
bus ness pays out annually ST 100000
: in premiums in the United States.
And there are the railroads who reaI
revenue from 2,21OOOO tons of tobacco
: products every year.
AS for the advertising business
! here again it is impossible to form
: any estimate OF the enormous annua
outlay.
The prohibition of tobacco would alsC
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 $295,809, 1854. Customs duties
: provided an additional $25,OOOOOO il
7 round figures, making the total revenue
return to the government $500, 100000
Influence on Popular Sentiment
1t is this interlocking of the tobacc,
bus ness with so many other Interest,"
and the vast amount of financial los
n shat would be involved in the abolition
a Of tobacco that is one of the most Sc
: rious aspects of the proposal to pro
. hibit the sale of tobacco, a proposal
7 however, which has little support b,
public sentiment if the newspaper edi
G tors OF the country are correct in thei
o estimate of that sentiment.
d In poll of the editors made recent,
n w CAiC AODoSNCe 4hCl (lldlllS ASSOCldIlOI
|. of the United States, through the Pres
e Service Company of New York CITY
e 95 per cent of the 7,S47 editors wht
n replied expressed the opinion that th
{ people of their commun ties were on
- posed to any law against tobacco A
these editors represent some $4,000. .OO
e readers the results form a pretty gen
eral test of national opinion.
. In their remarks accompanying thef
replies many of the editors expressed
1t as their opinion that the oppos ito,
of their communities to the abolition
of tobacco was based to some extent a
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 when the extent of the busines
involved in the allied interests Of tn
tobacco trade Is considered, as ahov
briefly outlined, it is clear that tber
Is hardly a section of the country 'ha
would not he affected directly or in
directly by abolishing tobacco.
q IN HARD LINES