Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1923-07-30
American Us e
Huge Quan ii fy
Chewing Gum

The people OF the United States
pay more than a million dollars a
week for their chewing gum. And
the habit" is apparently a grow
ing one, for the value turned out
by the factories of the United
States in the latest census year,
1921, is more than double that of
the pre-war year, 1914, the first
year in which the government
dignihed the indu try by official
statements of the amount turned
out by the factories of the country.
This assertion that the people Of
the United States now pay more
than d million dollars a week for
their chewing gum is based upon
statements of the factory outturn
OF this particular industry COM
piled for the Trade Record of The
National City Bank of New York.
1t shows that the value at the fac
tory of the chewing gum produced
in the United States in 1921, the
latest census year, was 49,
million dollars, to which may be
added about 211 million dollars as
by-product of certain other fac
tories, making the factory value of
the total outturn in 1921 about Al
milliof dollars, while of course
thc additional sums paid by. the
FINAL purchaser would bring the
total sum paid by the consumers
considerably above an average of
one million dollars week,
It seems that the habit" has
proved contagious as relates to
other countries, for our exports of
chewing gum show as large a per-
centage Of Increase as do those of
factory production. Whe her it
was the example set by the Ameri-
can soldiers who found it a con-
ycuicnt companion in their long
marches, it is at least a fact that
the world demand began shortly
after the opening of tho war and
grew very rapidly, since official
statistics of exports, which only
began with the year 1910, show an
advance from less than million
dollars in 1910 TO 2H millions i'll
1920, while the value of the ex-
ports in 1928 though materially
less than in 1920 arc 40G5 greater
than in 1922.
Where does If go-these millions
Of dollars worth of this product
now being sent out OF the coun-
try? To practically every coun-
try OF the world. Figures pre-
pared for he Trade Record show
that the exports Of chewing gum
in 1920 went to no less than rs
countries and colonies scattered
the world over. To dlgnifed
England the total exports of
1920 were Approximately u million
dollars, measured at the wholesale
price at the port from which ex-
ported, and in 1918 the exports TO
Great Britain were $1,120,000
France took in 1920 $383,000 worth,
and other European countries in
proportionate quantities, though to
Germany the export was COM
paratively small, only 500 worth.
That it is equally popular in
the other side of the globe is
evidenced by the fact that our
total exports to Asia and Oceanic
amounted to nearly a half million
dollars in value, including &268.000
WORTH to The Philippines, $4,000 to
Japan, $4,000 to Australia, and
$4,000 to India. South America
also developed the habit and the
total to that continent in 1920 was
S279O0O, while the sales in Africa
were also large, the total to Egypt
alone being nearly 100000.
That the habit has come to
stay" seems to be an accepted
view by that very high au-
thority-capital, for nothing is so
wary as capital in forecasting the
future demand Of manufacturing
industry. And when we find, says
the Trade Record. that the amount
Of capital invested in the chewing
gum industry as stated by the cen
suS reports Wa IN 1919 $23GO0OC0
against only $I0000000 in 1914, it
would appear that those studying
tic manufacturing Industries from
the standpoint Of the investor have
confidence in the future world de-
mand for this article Of which
the United States is apparently the
cliief producer. since official rec
ords OF the government TAIL to
show any impOrtatiOns OF this ~i~g-