THE TOBACCONIST.

Evening Post, Volume LXXI, Issue 136, 9 June 1906, Page 9

THE TOBACCONIST.

TO THE EDITOR. Sir, — The definition of the term "tobacconist," as given in one of oar law courts a day or two since, hardly seems complete or even precisely accurate so far as it goes. If one were to 'define a tobacconist as a tradesman who runs a tobacconist's shop some, at all events, of the present haze fchat surrounds ttho tobaoco seller would be cleared away. The retailer of tobacco does not depend on tobacco only for the conduct? of his business — he sells a multitude of things other than tobacco, all of which are recognised as being well within his particular line of tirade. -If he depended on the profit of his retail sales of tobacco alone the chances are that he would soon cease to be a tobacconisb in any sense of the word, for the retail profits on tobacco aro exceedingly tinning. Mo3t — nearly all — tobacconists, therefore, cell a host of things besides tobacco, and even, in a great majority of cases, have to add to fherr broines3 that of a hairdresser as well. In this way everybody knows exactly -what 'a tobacconist's shop 3npplies,* and everybody can tell af once what a modern tobacconist's sjiop is. No one would dream of calling a Chinaman's freemjr»e«cy & "tobacconist's «kop," even supposing that John did (sell alto ther* a stick of some brand 1 of tobacco occasionally. The same remark ■would apply to the holtelkeeper. Ido not know that grocers sell tobacco now at all. Ido know ( that some of them who at one iume did retail tobacco abandoned the trade in that article as of no account and not worth the trouble. It is clear that the tobacconist's "shop" presents no difficulty eibher to the law or to thb general public. Everybody knows what a tobacconist's shop is, although the tobacconist himself may defy precise definition if ive contemplate him outside hit own shop door. It is a rather curious fact that, until comparatively recent times, it was the user, not the seller, of tobacco that was called tlhe tobacconist. If lihe term was so applied in these days what legions of "tobacconists" there would be! — I am, ebc., H.R.R. Wellington, 7th June.

Hochstauffen, near Bad Reichenhall, in Germany (says a contemporary), will soon have one of the most peculiar railways in tho world. It will run up a stoep mountain side, and will be operated by a balloon. The mountain is so steop that mo ordinary way of locomotion would do, s« it has beev planned to hitch a balloon to tha car that makes tke up trip, and hare it practically lift , the car to the top of the hill. But the car will bo held to the earth by clamps that will retain the wheels close to tho rails, and the upward tendency of the balloon will furnish tho power. Tho big bag. of cos will be 67ft in diameter, and will have a lifting capacity of about 10,0001b,.