Dominion Notes: The increasing popularity of the cigarette

Excerpt from ‘Dominion Notes' published in NZMJ 1911 May;11(42):35-37.The steadily increasing popularity of the cigarette among all classes of smokers has been a matter of frequent comment of late years. That it is well grounded is demonstrated by the figures, which show that while the importations of tobacco - under which heading, presumably, both pipe and cigarette tobaccos are included -have grown at a rate roughly corresponding to the growth of population, the importation of cigarettes, has increased out of all proportion by leaps and bounds.It has been calculated that during the past ten years the quantity of tobacco, imported into New Zealand has risen by about 30 per cent, while the increase in the case of cigarettes has been about 250 per cent. And these figures, it must be noted, take no account of the fairly large amount of tobacco made up into cigarettes in the Dominion.The following table shows the importations under each heading at the four chief ports for the years 1900, 1905, and 1910 :—