CONSUMED IN SMOKE. What the American Public Pays Annually for Tobacco.

Te Aroha News, Volume V, Issue 211, 16 July 1887, Page 3 (Supplement)

CONSUMED IN SMOKE. What the American Public Pays Annually for Tobacco.

Last year tho losses by reported fires in the United States reaches a total of 120000,000d01., or an average monthly loss of 10,000,000d01. This is regarded as an enormous waste and carelessness. How to reduce the amount so lost is a matter of constant study. Legislatures, local governments and insurance companies make regulations and exercise the greatest care to prevent fires. And yet tho loss they occasion is 00,000, 000c101. per annum less than the amount paid by consumers for oigais, and 86,500,000d01. less than the total cost of tobacco consumed in smoke. Last year tax was paid upon 3.510,898,-188 cigars. The average smoker is content with a cigar worth 30dol. per 1000, or one that retails at 5 cents. On that basis there annually goes up in smoke 180,000,000d01., or ir>,ooo,OOOdol. every month, or 500,000 doJ. every day. In addition, boys waste on cigarettes 0',509,000d01. and those who prefer a pipe a further sum of 20,000,000d01. How many smoke ? If we deduct from the total population as nonsmokor.s all children under fifteen years, constituting 40 per cent, of the total population of 90,000,000 it leave 8 ! o(5, 000, 000, of whom one-half aie females ; deducting these gives a male population, above the age of 15 years, of 15, 000, 000. If six out of every ten males above the age of 15 years smoke, it moans that 10,500,000 peisons consume S.oIO.SOS488 cigars, or an average per smoker of 325 cigars per annum. This is less than one cigar per day. The average smoker, however, is not apt to be contented with a daily allowance of one cigar, demanding at least two. If the latter basis is the nearer con ect, tho army of cigar-smokers would be 1,800,449, being 8 per cent of tho total population above the age of 15 yeais. Whatever the number of smokeis, it is a moderate estimate to place the co-t of smoking to the people of the United States at 200,500, 000d01. If the cost of chewing tobacco X added the total expendituie for tobacco reaches 250,500,000d01. ; that i*> a sum that represents a per capita tax of odol. 44cents. per annum. If tho number of smokers is 4,809,449, the average expense of smoking is 42d01. 89cento. each per annum ; if the number is 7,000,000, the cost is 2Sdol. G4eents per individual; it 10,800,000, it falls to 19dol.l2cents., a sum sulHcient to allbrd one 5-cent cigar daily, and leave a balance of 87 cents for evtras.