Richmond daily register. (Richmond, Madison County, Ky.) 1917-1978, 1921-05-26
Prohibition of Weed Would Mean
Big Financial Loss to
Allied Trades.
WHO USES THE MATCH?
The Smoker MainIy-Also Responsible
for Spending Hundreds of Millions
Annually for Licorice, Sugar,
Coal, Cigar Boxes, Tin
Foil, Etc.
BY eARRET SMITH

utIle article. Anyhow, 1naSmucn as II
is estimated that there are 100000
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 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.
S25, 100000 Year for Boxes
For example, the tobacco trade con-
sumes each year 100000 pounds of
licorice, 50O00,O00 pounds of sugar
both used in flavOring tobacco, and
100000 tons of coal 1t is estimated
that the value of wooden cigar boxes
used is $2j,O00,000 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-
pairing tobacco for sale are tin and
lead foil, paper for bags and cigarette
wrappers, cloth for tobacco bags, Ia
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
III tui
ing tobacco are estimated at S102, 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 S160,000,000 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
business pays out annually 100000
in premiums in the United States.
And there are the railroads who reap
revenue from 100000 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 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 1895, S09, 1854. Customs duties
provided an additional S25,000000 in
round figures, making the total revenue
return to the government $4,000, 600.
Influence on Popular Sentiment
1t is this interlocking 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
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 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 100000
readers the results form a pretty gem
eral test of national opinion.
In their remarks accompanying their
replies many of the editors expressed
it as their opinion that the opposition
of their communities to the abolition
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 whcre 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, it is clear that there
is hardly section Of the country that
would not be affected directly or In
directly by abolishing tobacco. a.
. a