The daily morning journal and courier., 1896-05-16
MATCH FACTORY TO CLOSE
THE DIAMOND MATCH COMPANY TO CLOSE THE LOCAL FACTORY.

The Business to be Removed to Chicago
 Heavy Transportation Charges Main
 Cause of the Change-other Factories of
 the Company Supply the Trade at Less
 Expense-Growth of the Concern-one
 Hundred Employees to be Thrown Out of
 Work.
 It has been decided by the Diamond Match company that it's factory at Westville, employing about one hun dred hands, will be closed and the bus mess moved to Chicago. It is stated by the manager, l.. Wheeler Beecher that. no definite time for the closing up has yet been decided upon, but that the change will probably come within a month or two. The reason for closing up the local factory is said, to be that the ten factories of the company in other parts of the country produce an ample supply of matches for the trade. The Westville factory is the smallest among the entire number owned by the company and Is the most expensive to operate because of the great cost of transportation. The change has been contemplated for some time.
 Although the department of the shop devoted to match manufacturing will be shut down, the making of machinery for the manufacture of matches will be continued as heretofore, and the part of the shop vacated by the match de- partment will probably be used to en- large the machine making plant This shop furnishes all the match making machinery used by the company in this country.
 The Diamond Match company was organized in this town forty-two years ago under the firm title of A. Beecher & Sons Some years afterwards it was reorganized under the title of Swift, Courtney & Co.,, but the Beechers still held control, and the firm was subse- quently merged into the joint stock concern of the Diamond Match com pany.
 There were at the time, when the company was organized, few match factories in the country, and none that manufactured With machinery, until the establishment of the Westville plant. This was equipped with ma- chimes invented by Anson and E. B. Beecher, and which have been models for the successive improvements in match making machinery to the pres ent day, many of which emanated from the inventive brain of MT. Beech CT.
 About four years ago the headquar- ters of the company were changed from this city to Chicago, and the name was changed to '"The Diamond Match Go. of Illinois,"
 The company now has capital stock of $11 100000, and has branches in Os- kosh, Wis, St. Louis, Mo-. Barberton, O., Akron, O., Oswego, N. Y, Whining ton, Del, Philadelphia, Pa, Boston, Mass, Westville and Chicago.
 MT. E. B. Beecher, the inventor, and L. w. Wheeler, manager of the local branch, will continue to be identified with this industry, and doubtless will not cease to develop it further, when the demand requires it. The mammoth business to-day, conservatively estima- ted to be more than 80 per cent. of the output of matches in the country, is sufficient testimonial of the ability these gentlemen and their associates possess to carry on a great industry.
 The Diamond match business is as sessed on the town books for s50,00o, and there are several other large pieces of property owned by the company assess