WOMEN AS SMOKERS

Evening Star, Issue 20483, 14 May 1930, Page 4

WOMEN AS SMOKERS

MORE TOBACCO THAN MEN CONSUMPTION OP CIGARETTES. The suggestion that women in London smoke more j than, men was made,by Judge Sir Alfred Tobin at the Westminster County Court a few weeks ago. A woman correspondent of the Daily Mail ’ writes on the subject as follows: '• The implication is one which, X am afraid, ’ cannot be denied. Although men are the main outdoor smokers, with the privilege of lighting up a cigarette in the street or tube train, the majority of women smokers can manage to compete successfully with them on the number of cigarettes consumed in a day. “ A survey of .the women diners in a restaurant will allow that nine out of ten women light up a cigarette immediately on seating themselves at a table, while men usually wait for the end of the meal and the liqueurs. In between the courses a woman will take another cigarette; she smokes quickly, and often consumes two to the man’s one. “ During the daytime, when business women are debarred from smoking at their work,, while many men are able- to do so, the desire for a cigarette grows, and woman makes the opportunity to have one. With her morning coffee, knowing that she cannot smoko again until luncheon time, she frequently smokes three or four cigarettes, and repeats the performance at Tunchcon time. Her cigarette case is again produced when the afternoon cup of tea arrives, and on arriving homo almost her first action on settling down to read or rest is to smoke. “ I talked yesterday to my tobacconist, who told mo that more than half his.customers are women. Ho stated that at least a third of them buys between 150 and 200 cigarettes a week each. And, he added, it is more than likely that they buy more at other shops when their cases are emptied while they are away at their offices.”