THE SMOKER’S DILEMMA

Otago Witness, Issue 3782, 7 September 1926, Page 36

THE SMOKER’S DILEMMA

NO TISSUES AVAILABLE. A WORLD-WIDE SHORTAGE. The smoker of “home-made” cigarettes is in a desperate plight. His brother who smokes the “tailor-made” brand stands at the street corners with a pitying smile on bis face, watching the frenzied afforts of the disciples of the * make vour own” cult to cajole one, just o~e, packet of “tisheys” from a sympathetic but none the less adamant tobacconist. “ Sorry, old chap, but we can’t sell ’em without tobacco,” is the merciless answer he gets to every appeal—an appeal that should melt the heart of Medusa, but which, alas, is fruitless in the cold realms of u.siness, and the poor unfortunate wretch slinks out, hating that •mile that he sees on the v-cant face of the smoker of .iude-up cigarettes. The man with the well-lined case of the most popular brand cannot understand this Dredilection for makings. He is not of the great fraternity of smokers who earn every cigarette to which they put a match. Ho knows not the pleasure of accomplishing successfully and artistically the delicate operation of rolling a “tisliev” which makes a man feel the force of that old saying: “Something accomplished, something done has earned a light’s repose.” No, the smoker of tailor-mades is a pariah. Out upon him. The shortage of tissue papci is really very serious from the smoker’s point of View. France, upon whom we depended for our “tisheys,” has failed us. We trusted her, and she has not risen to the occasion. ‘lt is a most peculiar thing,” 6aid a local tobacconist. “Tht.e is a shortage all over the world at the present time, and there doesn’t seem to be a likelihood of the position improving for the next 12 months.” “But surely other countries can supply the need?” asked the interviewer. “It seems not.” was the reply. “Different countries specialise in certain articles, and the manufacture of tissue papers has apparently been left entirely to France. You see, there is not much money in that particular line. If you are not getting a huge business you cannot afford to put in the costly machinery that is necessary, and to compete with an already firmly-established business. “But what is the cause ‘of the shortage?” “Well, it’s rather hard to say. It cannot be attributed to the rise and fall of the franc, because the quotation is in sterling. lam inclined to think that there is a shortage of raw materials. France does not manufacture wood pulp, and maybe she can’t get hold of any. But it’s a most peculiar thing.” Just then a woman entered the shop, and the tobacconist drew the interviewer aside while she was served by an assistant. “Look, she’s asking for tissues, and she won’t get any,” he remarked. And she didn’t. She flounced out as though she were just about tired of asking for tissues. “Oh. well, he can smoke newspapers as far as I’m concerned,” she growled as she went. “As a matter of fact, 1 believe that’s what some are doing,” the tobacconist said, “though I shouldn’t think they would keep it up. Oh, my goodness, you should hear some of the abuse we get,” he added resentfully. “And yet we do all we can for them even to spending pounds and pounds on cables. I sent to America as a last resort for a case recently, but all I could get was half of what I ordered. And so, as things stand, we can only give one packet of tissues with every packet of tobacco we sell.” The reporter went away thankful that be could smoke the elegant “tailor-made,” or even a pipe, if the worst came to the Vorst.