Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1901-11-21
WAR ON
European Countries That Forbid It's
Use in the Manufacture of
Matches.

"Strike-anywhere" matches are in
imminent danger of expulsion from
the face of the earth. They have come
into disfavdr in nearly every country
In Europe. Holland, Belgium, France,
Germany, Austria-Hungary, Switzer-
land, Russia and England have taken
measures to minimize the evils arising
from their manufacture and use; the
Danish government forbade both their
production and cansumption in that
country so years9ago, but the most
v blow has been struck by the
Swedish government, which represents
M of the largest match-manufactur-
ing countries in the world. Following
the example of Denmark, the Swedish
parliament has, after years of hard
fighting, prohibited the production,
importation, consumptionan and exporta-
ton of the ordinary phosphorus
match, and hat prohibitory law goes
into effect, says the Boston Transcript.
The United States and Italy appear
to be the only countries of ihpor-
lance which, still Indifferent toward
the elsewhere recognized dangers, per-
init the manufacture and use of this
match without special government
rules and regulations. There are three
essential arguments againstthe match;
namely, the danger of fires starting
through the careless handling of
matches, and the ready means of poi
soning which is placed in the hands
of everybody by their unrestricted
sale, because the yellow PHOSPHORUS
in the match head is highly poisonous.
England has done more than any other
country to expose all these dangers,
and she has enacted strict regulations
that will minimize some of the evils
which were possible a few years ago,
and from which the match-makers
themselves suffered o than any
other class of people. In the early part
of 1898 the attention of the home office
was directed to the danger attending
the manufacture of lucifer matches
as carried on in the United Kingdom.
It was found that certain cases of
phosphorus necrosis among the work
people had been Intentionally con-
cealed, and that others had escaped
record. 1t became known then that
Switzerland was preparing to follow
the example of Denmarkin prohibiting
the use of the yellow phosphorus
match, while Belgium had offered a
substantial reward for the discovery
of an effective "strike-anywhere"
match made without yellow phosphor-
us. In France renewed efforts were
made to- find a substitute. Improved
methods of manufacture, claiming to
secure safety by largely replacing hand
labor in the dangerous processes by
machinery, had been introduced in
America. Tt was realized that if the
use of yellow phosphorus was to be
continued more stringent control
would be necessary. Prof. Thorpe and
Prof. Oliver were requested to make
an inquiry and report upon the subject,
and in order to obtain the fullest in
formation they visited France, Bel
GUM, Holland, Sweden, Norway, Den
mark, Germany and Austria. Infor-
nation was obtained also from the
United States, Russia, Italy and Swift
erland. They made an exhaustive re-
port, which may have had something
to do with the prompt conclusion of
the match war in Sweden, with a thor
ough defeat for the yellow phosphorus
match. In England, however, it result-
merely in stricter regulations.