New-York daily tribune., 1850-05-01

uha. is called dqsting boy sitting on the flor.
vri,b handle before him strikes the matches with
sort Of mall-t on the dipped ends TIL they be-
! come thoroughly loOsened. In the best matches
the PROCESS of sui phur dipping and dastins IS re-
| peated They have now TO be plunged into Pre-
marathon Of phosphorus or chlorate OF potash. &C
cording 70 the qla.iry Of the match. The phospho
! rus produces the pac, nOseess hre the cnlofais
of rotash the sharp cracking illumination. Aiter
u Is application Of the more inhammable substance,
the matches are separated. and dried In Facks-
Thoroughly dried, they are gathered up sgain INTO
bundles Of the quantity, and are taken 10 the
boys who cut them; Tor the reader will have OBJ
served that the bundles have been dipped at each
| end. There are few things more remarkable IN
manufactures than the extraordinary rapidly OF
/ this cutting process and that which IS connected
with IT, The boy stands before a bench the bun
die on his right hand pile Of hafOpened empty
boxes on his left, which have been manufactured AZ
smother division Of the establishment. These box
es are formed of scale board that IS thin slices of
wood, planed scaled off a plank. The box itself
is q marvel Of neatness and cheaPness IL consists
OF an inner box. without top, IN which the match
| es are placed and OF an outer case. open at each
end. into which the first box slides. The matches,
then, are 20 be cut. and the empty boxes filed
| by one boy. A bundle is opened; he siezes
| poi tion, knowing by long habit the required
number with sufficient exactness; puts them rapid
" into a sort Of frame. knocks the ends evenly to-
gether, confines them with a strap which he tight
ems with his foot, and cuts them in two parts with
a knife on hinge which he brings down with
strong leverage; the halves lie projecting each
end of the frame he grasps the LEFT portion and
thrusts ii into half open tox, which he instantly
closes and repeats the process With the matches on
his rish, hand. This series OF movements is per
formed with a rapidity almost unexampled for in
this way, two hundred thousand matches are cut
and two thousand boxes Fl led in day, by one boy
at the wages OF three hafpence per gross OF boxes
Each dozen boxes is then papered up, and they
are ready for the retger The number OF boxes
daily filed at this factory is from fifty to sixty gross.
The irholes0le price per dozen boxes OF the best
matches, is FoURPENoE, Of the second quality
THREEPEScE.
There are about ten Lucifer Match manufacto-
res in London. There others in large provln-
cia towns The wholesale business is chiefly con-
fined 10 the supply Of the metropolis and immediate
neighborhoOd By the London makers for the raul
road carriers refuse to receive the article, which IS
considered dangerous in transit. Bot must not
therefore assume that the metropolitan population
consume the metropolitan matches. Taking the
population at upward of two Millions and the IN
habited houses at about three hundred thousand
let us endeavor 10 estimate the distribution OF these
little articles Of domestic comfort
At the mandatory at Wiskers Gardens there
are fifty gross or seven thousand two hundred
boxes turned out daily made from two hundred
bundles, which viii produce seven hundred and
twenty thousand matches Taking three hundred
working days in the year, this will give for one FAC
tory, two hundred and sixteen millions OF matches
annually or two millions one hundred and sixty
thousand boxes, being a box of one hundred
matches for every individual Of the London popula-
tim. But there are ten other Lucifer manu'acto-
ries which are estimated 10 produce about four or
five times as many more. London certainly can
not absorb ten millions of Luclier boxes annually,
which would be at the rate OF thirty three boxes 10
every inhabited house London, perhaps, demands
sl
at this rate the annual retail for each house is
eightpence, averaging those boxes sold at half
psNny and those AT a penny. The manufacturer
sells this article, produced with such care as we
have described, at one iarthng and traction per
box.
Aud thus, for the retail expenditure @. three
farthings per month every house in London. from
the highest TO the lowest may secure the nestma-
bic blessing of constant fire at all seasons, and at
all hours. London buys this fox ten thousand
pounds annually.
The excessive chespness is produced by the ex
tension of the demand enforcing the factory divl
son ofabor, aud the most exact saving Of material.
The scientific discovery was the foundation OF the
cheapness. But connected with this general prin-
ciple OF cheapness, there are one or two remark
able points which deserve attention.
1t is a law OF this manufacture that the demand
is ere ater ia the Summer than in the Winter The
old match maker, we have mentioned. was Idle
IN the Summer-without fire for heating the brim
stone-or engaged in more profitable field work
worthy woman who once kept chambers shop
In village, informs US, that in Summer she could
buy no matches lor retail but was obliged to make
them for her customers. The increased Summer
demand for the Lucifer Matches shows that the
great consumption is among the masses-the la
boring pOpulatiOn--thOse who make up the vast
majority Of the contributors to duties of customs
and excise In the houses of the wealthy there is
always fire; in the houses OF the poor, ire IN sum
m le "a
the Lucifer Match to supply the want to light the
candle to look in the dark cupboard-to light the al
ternoon fire TO boil the kettle 1t is now unneces
sary to TO the neighbor for light or, as des
perate resource, to work at the finder box The |
Lucifer Matches sometimes fail, but they cost lit |
tie, and so they are freely used even by the poor
est
And this involves another great principle. The |
demand for the Lucifer Match is always contnu- |
Gus, for it is perishable article. The demand ne
vcr ceases. Every match burnt demands new |
match to supply its place This continuity Of de-
mand renders the supply always equal u the de-
mand. The peculiar nature OF the commodity P. u
vents any accumulation of stock its combustible |
character-requiring the simple agency of ftrctionto
ignite it-renders il dangerous for large quantities
OF the article to be kept In place. Therefore, no
makes for store but all for immediate sale The
average price, therefore, must always yield profit,
or the production would altogether cease But |
these essential qualities limit the profit The man
uacturers cannot be rich without secret process
monopoly. The contestis to obtain the largest pro
fit by economical management. The amount OF
skill required in the laborers, and the facility OF ha
bit which makes fingers act with the precision of
machines, limit the number OF laborers, and pre-
vent their mpOverishne Every condition OF
this cheapness is natural and beneficial result of
the laws that govern production
"PARALLELs BErwEES THE Constitution
AND CONSTITUTIONAL History OF ENGLAND AND
HUNGARY by J. TouLNAS Smith, is the title Of
well printed pamphlet, containing some interesting
political details republished from the second Eng
an Edition hx T,cLnor Reed n Fields Roston