Cigar Box, A.O.K.
Credit LineGift of Dr. J. M. Waters, Strathroy, Ontario, 1992
Object number1992.002.015
Label TextThis cigar box bears a union label to indicate the manufacturer employed members of the Cigar Makers International Union. These union members earned a fair wage and enjoyed decent working conditions. Many of London’s cigar manufacturers did not meet the criteria to use the label. They hired poorly paid, non-unionized workers with little job security. London’s cigar-making industry took off after Prime Minister John A. Macdonald introduced the National Policy in 1879. This placed duties on manufactured products, like German cigars, but not on unprocessed materials like Cuban and American tobacco. Homegrown business could produce good quality, affordable products, including cigars. The city's cigar industry began to decline during the First World War (1914-1918). With the introduction of Prohibition in 1916, the cigar industry suffered because the treating system ended. In that system, men in taverns would buy each other drinks, and those who didn't drink would receive a cigar. Another blow to cigars was the popularity of cigarettes. Men who smoked cigarettes during the First World War kept up the habit when they returned home.
NameBox, Cigar
