The Wilmington morning star., 1944-11-27
The Great Cigaret Mystery

Burton Heath, who writes for the News
paper Enterprise Association, tells about a
a.ed about the cigaret shortage that he made
IL telephone calls, mostly in government
agencies, to get the real facts and only added
to his confusion.
Mr.. Heath dwells on what he was told by
the experts about exports, largely to service
men, because the reporters experience seems
to illustrate why it is impossible to find out
just what is happening. He writes:
During July, August and September this
inquisitive reporter was told, the Army ship
Red Cross bought 1881 900 packs for kit bags,
service men overseas, service patients in hos
pitfalls on both sides, and prisoners Of war.
Multiply each Of these by four and it would
appear that the Army and the Red Cross to-
gether are using 1859 o66, 400 packs this year.
mostly but not exclusively overseas.
The Navy estimated a round figure of
SEQ, 0G0, 900 packs for its personnel outside the
United States
Add these together, and you don't need the
E1nstein theory, or even integral calculus to
figure that about 3,459, 066, 400 packs are be-
ing taken off the civilian market this year for
the use of soldiers, sailors, Marines, Wacs
Waves, Spars, nurses Seabees, officers and
gentlemen in uniform.
This would give each service man and
woman 50 cigarets day, the year around, if
there are five millions among whom to divide
them. 1t is doubtful if the average c. l.
smokes that many or gets them to smoke.
But it should be remembered that these
smokes have to travel long sea lanes in com.
petition with other essential supplies and ma
teriel, and then 60 through a complicated dis
tribution routine, so that there probably is a
huge backlog in transit and in process of dis.
tribution at all times"
Editors Note: You're going great, Mr..
Heath, but dispatches from Paris say there
aren't any American cigarets in Eurc,e.
either.)
In addition to these service supplies for
Americans, lend-lease sent 1870 600 900 packs
AOA
80 This is at the rate Of 20 millions month
or 24o millions for the year. And our perse-
Verlng reporter assumed, in the absence Of
contrary evidence, that exports for cash. to
friendly nations, will be the same this year as
last years 1888, 500 packs.
Nov add everything shipments to our own
service people, to Britain under lend-lease tn
foreign purchasers for cash. The drain on
manufacturers output would appear to total
1882, 5S5, 900 packs this year.
Blu. the Office of War Information y, N i.
OASIS OF data from the War Foods Admins
tratior's tobacco branch and the Bureau of
Internal Revenue, says that 1880, 0Oo. 900 packs
will go abroad this year.
That is 757,415, 900 more than the ino,ir;no
reporter can account for. Where are they 70.
ing? Who knows?
NOW, probably you've been told that more
than one-third Of our cigarets are going over.
seas OWL is one authority for that statement
Owl says that on the basis of the first sevsr
months experience, about 1850. 0oo, 900 packs
Will be produced in 1914 and about 1896. 900.
700 OF them will be tax-free for overseas shin.
ment.
Ihese tax-free cigarets, says OWL would
represent percentage in excess Of one.th;rd
OF our total cigaret Withdrawals for 1914.
reaching methods have changed since I
was in grade school. So, apparently has
arithmetic When divide 45s billions by 1s az
o'lions' in my simple way, get slightly TN.
Ger 20 per cent. And If remember what teach.
er taught me, it takes more than 80 Der cent
TO equal one-third, and still more to be lin
excess Of one-third''
individually these discrepancies may not
De Particularly important. But taking nv word
mat could point out similar ones in
connection with almost any aspect Of the Gig
are mystery, does this give you some idea
why reporters can't tell you the convincing
truth about why you can't get cigarets?"
-V
RNnn1x1xy~> II NJ. ~