THE CIGARETTE CRAZE.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXI, Issue 9073, 25 April 1908, Page 3

THE CIGARETTE CRAZE.

The Melbourne "Argus" draws attention to the great increase in cigarette smoking in Australia. Despite the alnqost general opinion of the medical profession that the cigarette is the moat injurious and least satisfactory form of smoking, the tobacconista report an increased sale every year. Wealthy people who can afford good cigars are smoking more and more cigarettes, and the workman who used to smoke a pipe is taking to the cigarette a« more convenient than the pipe. The apologetic air which used to mark the cigarette smoker of riper years has gone. The figures for Victoria and the Communwealth are startling Victoria. Commonwealth. Lb. Lb. *1903 .. 299,498 1,U55,624 1904 .. 307,456 1,143,065 1905 .. 327,822 1,208,240 1906 .. 362,163 1,299,121 1907 .. 783,565 1,427,368 There has been an increase during the five years of 89,0651b, or over 24 per cent., in Victorian consumption. The Commonwealth increase is just over 35 per cent, in the same period. But there are more graphic methods of presenting figures. One thousand cigarettes weigh 2Jlb, so 636,385,6634 were consumed in the Commonwealth last year—39,ooo miles of cigarettes. The population of the Commonwealth is 4,200,000, of which about 2,200,000 are males. Of these about 30 per cent, are too young to smoke cigarettes which leaves about 1,540,000 who are of years of indiscretion necessary to smoking. Here the statistician comes to an end of definite calculation. Some of these 1,540,000 people smoke pipes and cigars, some do not smoke at all. The "Argus" thinks that a fair estimate of the non-amokers is 5 per cent., which makes the number of smokers 1,450,000.. This would give each smoker nearly 440 cigarettes a year. It is difficult to make any further calculation, owing to the wide range srrokers between the cigarette fidnd and tfye man whose consumption is moderate. Some men smoke as much as three packets of ten a day, or close on 11,000 a year, so the writer was informed by a tobacconist. These, however, are exceptions,, the average consumption being about one-third or 3,600 a year, according tojsimilar evidence. AridJJtaking this as an average rate one deduces 212,128 cigarette smokers in Australia.