10 JULY 1964, Page 16

THE COST OF SMOKING

SIR,—The Prime Minister, in a letter to our society, states: 'The fact that smoking, especially the smoking of cigarettes, is a cause of many serious illnesses has been established beyond all reasonable doubt. This is accepted by the Government.'

This being so, the question surely arises: 'Is it right to continue to pay E130,000,000 a year to import from dollar areas something which (it is admitted) is a cause of many serious illnesses, and therefore a cause of a drain on our manpower and on the funds of our National Health Service?'

HUBERT V. LITTLE

National Society of Non-Smokers, Senzley Manse, Shaftesbury