Blood Donors Get Cigs.
What! No Cigarettes?
,\llighty short now- and probably not very many for a long tim e.
You have been told that we must give our cigarettes to our soldiers and sai lors, and
to our Allies. But when our soldi ers and sailors were at home they smoked cigarettes, too.
As for our Allies, we have long been consistent exporters of tobacco.
The explanations do not explain. True, war increased cigarette co nsumption. But
underlying reason for today's shortage is our own delibera te refu sal to grow enough
tobacco in time.
Most cigarettes are ma de from flue•cured tobacco, of which 70 per cent is grown on
plots of less th an one acre. We co uld easily have grown more. Why didn't we?
Because acreage is restricted under the Agricultural Adjustment Act; by a
1940 amendment, tobaceo farmers vote in advance on tobacco quotas for three-
year periods (previously one year).
During the first four war years-1940-1943-we deliberately planted less
acreage and grew less cigarette tobacco than the average of the preceding four
prew·a r years.
COIN
MACHINE
REVIEW
46
FOIi
JANUARY
1945
In 1940, 1941, and 1942, we paid tobacco farmers not to grow more cigarette to-
bacco. During the whole war period, right down to th e present day, we punish with a
fine of 10 cents per pound tob acco growers who try to suppl y more than th eir restricted
quota.
Toba cco has to be kept two- preferably three- years before it is fit to smoke.
Cigarettes we smo ke today come primarily from the small crop grown in 1941. Smokers
here and abroad have been kep t goi ng durin g th e past few years by stea dy reduction of
tobacco in storage from th e 1939 bumper crop. Reserves today have been cut in half.
The better 1944 crop will not help until 1946 or 1947.
Th e grower of th e tobacco has done pretty well. From 1935 to 1939 he averaged 20.5
ce nts a pound; today he gets 45 cents a pound.
In a free and uncontrolled economy, a greatly increased price would e n-
courage increased production. Control avoids operation of th e law of supply
and demand. H e n ce, steep price increases did not produce any more cigarette
tobacco.
But nature kindl y ex tended herself this year and coope rated with a tardy in crease
in acreage (1 ,095,183) to give us one of the greatest tobacco cro ps in history.
By 1947 we may have all the cigarettes we wan£. But meanwhile we shall
continue to suffer a shortage caused b y one of the inevi table mi scalc ulations of
a planned economy.
FLUE-CURED TOBACCO
Unrestricted acreage ( except 1938)
Yearly average 1935-39 .......................... 836.9 million lbs .......................... 876,581 acres (1939)
Restricted acreage
Yearly average 1940•43 .......................... 752.4 million lbs ........................... 816,241 acres
The above figur es are from the Agricultural Adjustment Administration, Department
of Agriculture.
- Reprinted from the November 6, I 944, issue of " Wh at's H appen ing," published by Prentice•Hall , Int.,
70 Fifth Avenue, New York 11, N. Y.
1tle
7~tJhk
1,{cu
for your valued patronage in
the year past. We shall earn-
nestly endeavor to continue
faithfully serving you during
1945.
That you may have a
pleas~nt H oliday Season 1s
our sincere wish.
SAN FRANCISCO- R. A. Parina, of R.
A, Parina and Co., has received a letter
from the San Francisco Chapter of the
American Red Cross expressing their
thanks for the donation of cigarettes for
distribution to blood donors. Said the
letter: " On behalf of the Blood Donor
Service, I want to express to you our deep.
est appreciation for your generous con•
tribution of cigarettes each week for dis•
tributio n to th e donors at the Center. We
conside r it highly important that those
people of San Francisco who visit the
Cen ter to donate their blood to save th e
lives of our wounded soldiers are accorded
a gracious reception while here. Your
con tributi on will ena ble us to offer ciga•
rettes to the donors to be used over th eir
coffee and doughnuts after th ey have made
their donations and will provide an ad di.
tional means of relaxation.
"I know that your con tribution was
prompted en ti rely by your desire to aid in
this vital Blood Donor Program and that
you expect no thanks for your generosity.
However, I want you to know th at we at
th e Cen ter are indeed grateful to you for
your interest in our program a nd I think
I can speak for the donors when I say that
we all insist that you do acce pt our thanks.
"Our records show that you are a nine•
time donor and that th e members of your
organization are also donors. This record
is truly outstandin g an d I know that we
can count on your continued support."
Parina is to be congratulated on his
patriotic cooperation in supplying ci~a•
rettes for the Blood Donor Service. Other
operators mfght do well to follow his ex•
ample. Certainly there is no finer way to
build goodwill for the vending m~ch in e
business th an to pursue the practice of
such cooperation.
* * *
What did Paul Revere say at the end of
hi s famous ride? Whoa.
* * *
Certainly th e pleasures of youth are
o-reat but they are nothing to the joys of
; dult~ry.
ZINCO
1st UPRIGHT
FREE PLAY
PIN GAME
COMING-"FLAT-TOP"
A Pin Game Revamp! Write, Phone,
Wire for Advance Information.
WILLIAMS
MANUFACTURING COMPANY
161 W. Huron St., Chicago 10, Ill .
*
OPERATOR'S SERVICE
(Jimmie Rutter)
1423 W. Pico Blvd.,
Los Angeles 15, Cal.
PRospect 8400
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