CIGARETTE SMOKING.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXI, Issue 10, 28 August 1911, Page 8

CIGARETTE SMOKING.

The sneakers at the Methodist Union for Social Service, who chew attention to the enormous output' of cigarettes in New South Wales, and at the same time deplored excessive indulgence in tobacco, especially by the young apnear to have understated rather than overstated the actual figures (says a Sydney exchange), (hie speaker stated that m 1909 id fewer than 537,000,000 cigarettes had been manufactured and consumed in New South Wales alone. The Government Statistician puts dov.n the number of cigarettes man R ictuiv-1 in Ne w South Wales during 1.309 ao 172 3/2,000. But, of course, tluue is it. evidence as to bon; many of tlaro cigarettes were cxiurted’ to clher States of the Commoaw’alvh and, no doubt, the number was coii?'d< • able, because Victoria manufactured the relatively small number of 137,817,000 cigarettes during hie veer, the West Australian output was only 209,000, and Queensland, South Australia, and Tasmania manufaccui eel none at. all at any rate, in the regul:.T f.ulacco factories. In view if cue \<bra.cut denunciation of cigi.ettc smoking by medical v on and o‘b-:s it njli / onv with something of a shock to many people to learn that in this continent of four and a half million people no fewer than 710,428,000 cigarettes were manufactured in one year —apart altogether from the millions of imported cigarettes. Of course a proportion of tho manufactured cigarettes were exported, but it is probable that 'no bulk of them ,as well as all the imported cigarettes, were smoked in the Commonwealth. Apparently AusjLilians havo got the cigarette } abit badly, and it is for their medical advisers to say what effect the large consumption of tobacco and paper is likely to have upon the physique and stamina of the people. While tobacco in moderation is enjoyed by many people without injury to their health, medical opinion is practically unanimous in holding that excessive cigarette smoking, especially by young people. is productive of tho gravest harm. Tho figures of tho Government Statistician lend colour to the belief that the members of the Methodist Union for Social Service .have calls 1 attention to a very real evil .'n our midst.