THE CURSE OF THE CIGARETTE.

NZ Truth, Issue 68, 6 October 1906, Page 8

THE CURSE OF THE CIGARETTE.

In view of the fact that the insidious and deadly cigarette is obtaining a terrilbly strong hold upon the youth of New Zealand, aye, and even upon its womanhood, the following article from our Sydney issue will be read with interest -and may be productive of some good :— - . - - "A far greater danger is threatening the rising generation from .cigar-ette-smoking than from drink." This is the note of alarm which many people m England, with a genuine desire to promote the welfare of their race, arc beginning to sound ; and the fr.cts upon which they base their fears show that . they are fully justified m the conclusion, expressed in ' the above words, to which they have been driven. It has been elicited that over a hundred million cigarettes are sold weekly m the United Kingdom m penny packets alone. Moreover, the sale af these is chiefly among boys and youths. In the last 10 years cigarette-smoking has increased 150 per cent., chiefly through tlie increase of juvenile smoking, fostered by the cheap and tempting packet, which has brought tobacco within the reach of every boy with a penny to spend. So far as "Truth's" knowledge goes, the penny packet is not - yet an Australian institution. It is merely a nuestion of time, however, when '"the cheap and tempting packet" will be on sale here as ■it 1 has now been, for some years, throughout Great Britain... Indeed, quite a lar-re quantity of cigarettes are already being sold m Australia m the shape of a pennyworth at a time, the seller opening and serving them out from these as they are i called for by the purchaser who hasn't more than a copper to satisfy ihis nicotian craving. Thus, British and Australian conditions are, after [ all, pretty well the same with legard to the penny packet, or the equivalent lof that packet, and the figures showling the increase m cigarette-smoking lin the United, Kingdom ; with all its attendant dangers to the individual and the race, apply here, proportionately to population, with precisely the same force that they do there. There is overwhelming evidence that cigarette-smoking m the case of boys is bad for them physically, mentally, and morally. Indeed, the person who would, even attempt to controvert this at this hour of the day would merely be certifying to his own insanity. What, then, is the remedy for the mischief ? So far as Great Britain is concerned, legislation similar to that already m operation m New South Wales and many other places, prohibiting the smoking gf cigarettes hy children under a certain age, is proposed, and, side by side with this, numerous anti-smoking leagues have been formed. "Truth," however, sees very little hope from all this. Legislation can do much; but to do so, it will have to be considerably more ef-, fective than it is at present m New : South Wales. Both here and elsewhere it ought to be made a serious offence for any person to supply cigarettes—to sell them or to give them —to children under a "smokable" age. Moreover, tobacconists ought to be restricted from selling them m anything less than a three-penny packet. Only /along these lines does there seem to be, m the light of past experience, any hope of dealing with the evil, and "until legislation is forthcoming m this direction, together with a determination to see that the offender— whoever he is, or wherever he is— is promptly bagged and boned, the consumption of the delicate, poisoned tubes must go on unchecked. Indeed, it must still go on increasing m the appalling way m which it ; is at .-.the present moment.