The Savannah morning news., 1901-08-18
MAKING OF MATCHES.
chinery in Cheapening the Pro-
duct.
From the New York Sun.


chinery in Cheapening the Pro-
duet.
From the New York Sun.
1t was found a few years ago that
each of the inhabitants of Great Bril-
tain consumed on an average eight
matches a day. The consumption in
this country per capita is considerably
larger, though exact statistics cannot
be given because treasury returns of
the imports of matches convey no
idea of the number brought into the
country, which is certainly large. The
foreign matches are not so cheap as
ours but for one reason or another
there is a considerable demand for
them.
If we figure on the British basis of
eight matches per capita a day the
home consumption is Clio, 427 ,096
matches a day. This enormous figure
may be accepted as approximately the
home consumption of homemade
matches that are found in ali of our
markets; but it by no means represents
our total output, for a considerable
quantity of American matches are sold
in European and other countries.
Success in match making at the
present time is largely a question of
machinery. Matches are sold at price
so exceedingly small that the manu-
facturers controlling the best machin-
imum cost have a great advantage in
cry for eliminating hand labor and
producing excellent matches at a min
trade. 1t is next to impossible for one
match factory to compete with anoth-
er unless it's machinery is equally eff
ficient. 1t cannot buy the machinery
used in rival factories for it is almost
invariably the case that manufacture
ing concern absolutely controls the pat
ents it has thought it advantageous to
employ. In order to compete success
fully in the match industry, nowadays,
it is practically essential to own ma
chinery that is at least as perfect as
any used by rival establishments.
American matchmaking machines are
the best in the world, which accounts
for the success of the American con-
Germ in England the other day in abb
sorbing the plant and business of the
largest British establishment In the
meeting held for the purpose of voting
upon the proposal to amalgamate the
two concerns the president of the
American company, addressing the
shareholders of the British company,
told them plainly that though the
American enterprise had occupied the
British field only a few years it was
competing successfully with their own
industry on their own ground, largely
for the reason that American machin-
cry was superior to that of the British
invention
Our public is paying for matches to-
day less than half what it paid TWEEN
ty years ago, though they were then
regarded as very cheap. Elderly perl
sons can remember the time when
matches were husbanded with consid-
cradle care, for it did not take very
many of them to represent the value
or cent. But now, thanks to machin-
cry and improved processes. nobody
cares very much how many matches
he wastes trying to light his pipe on a
WINDY day In fact, matches are so
cheap that the cost of supplying a
great country with all the matches it
wants does not reach any impressive
inquire. The total produce of all the
match factories is sold for less than
$lOO,OOO,OO0 year, which cuts a very
small figure when it is remembered
that the value of the machines of all
Kinds that are produced in this coun-
try every year is alone about $500 0OO,-
ooo: match manufacturing is a small
industry after all.
Not many establishments are reouir-
ed to turn out the matches this coun-
try needs Over in New Jersey, only
Few miles from this city, there are
two factories with a capacity together
oil 9O,OO0,O00 matches a day. The larg-
est factory in the country, at Barber
ton, o., can turn out 100. 900. 900
matches day, probably a seventh OF
the entire consumption.
RMS country has a great ADVANTAGE
In the abundance of aspen, which tree
is superior to all other timber for
matchmaking on account of its natural
qualities and the ease with which ii is
worked. 1t is light. spongy and splints
easily, and though pine, linden, birch
ana other woods are also used in this
anu otner countries, aspen is preferred
to them all. European match manufac-
turers have been engaged in a scram-
BILE for years to secure a sufficient
quantity of aspen. Germany is import
ing from Russia every year about g.
ooooOO cubic feet of aspen to supple
ment her own supplies.
a while ago the German manufac-
turers petitioned the minister of agri-
culture and forestry to cause the for
esters in the districts where match fac
tories are situated to give more atten-
ton to raising the aspen. A similar APP
peal has been made in their govern
ment by the matchmakers of France.
RUSSIAN manufacturers have been OPP
posed to the wholesale depletion of
their forests by foreign matchmakers
and have not been slow to appeal to
their government to stop the exporta-
tlon or aspen. Fortunately for our
matchmakers, the home supply of as
pen is very large and the wood is lit
tie used for other manufacturing pur-
poses.