The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1907-11-24
USE MORE MATCHES n
THAN ANY PEOPLE
Americans Strike Seven Hundred
Billion a Ncar-Morc Than
Any Other Nation.
Times-Dispatch Bureau,
Munsey Building.
washington, d. c., Now

washington, d. c.. Now. 80
Tile civilized nations Of tha world
strike 100000 matches every MN
ute OF tho twenty -four hours Nearly
half Of these are struck In this coun-
try. Americans strike the enormous.
almost Uncomfortable tia. of 100000
600. 900 a year.. Our match bill Is larger
than that OF any otner nation In the
world. sf
The general public knows but little,
probably, of the match industry. hun
drcds OF factories in different secuohs
Of the country are engaged. In making
the little ilre-ssicks which have come
to be alhecesslty our modern arc.
Some of.these plants are very lar sc, one
on tho Pacific Coast covering 24O acres
while thirty miles of railroad are OPP
Grated solely for the purpose Of sup
plying the match machines with 2o0,OOu
feet OF sugar pine and yellow Pine logs
a day.
1t is rarely. perhaps. that one thinks
that tho manufacture of matches Is 10
any great degree responsible for the
rapid disappearance of our forests, yet
such is the fact. Only the choicest
bits OF the choicest woods may DE used
in match manufacture. SapWood.
knotty or cross-grained timber VIII
not answer. Therefore the best for
and nothing but the choice pieces OF
these are used. Therefore, the lumber
man has to cover wide area In search
Of suitable feed for the match ma
chimes.
Large By-PrOlucts.
Matches are not by-products, since
the best of the timber has to be usee
lin their manufacture. 1t Is the tlmpel
which tho match-makers reject ina
goes to the by-product yard, and thf
y-product end OF the match business
becomes the largest end. SO far as bull
is concerned. -mong the by-product
turned out by the big concern on tn
I, Pacific Coast just mentioned, arc 1.Oo'
doors and 500 sashes daily.
4 AS a matter of fact, it would be I'm
tposslhle to manufacture matches q
.Ianything like present prices were
sInot that the rejected lumber Is WORKED
Into othor products, The room Wher
!. matches are made Is frequently tn
Islnallest department Of match rae
tory. The larger portions contain TIL
sawmills and planning mills, whcr
doors, sash, shingles, latl, sidtne
posts, cord-wood. and many other sala
BILE forms Of lumber, or manufacture
!. articles are turned out ready for mar
|kct.
Use More Than we Make.
America, despite the fact that II la
. the most abundant material anu IN
!, finest machinery III the world FOR IN
I purpose. does not manufacture enous
I matches to supply the home marke
!, Sweden. Austria, Germany, France an
! other countries send thousands of dol
= lars worth to America every yea
!. These foreign matches are made b
:. cheaper labor and poorer machtner
Ethan our matches are manufacture
! from, but usually from higher price
= wood, though not better than 9tns
= (which grows In American forests. TIL
= imports are chiefly safety matche
: which can be struck only on the ooXf
in which they come or other prepare
surface. Wood for matches is becoT
3 a much more serious problem In Eurf
a pean countries than It Is In America
: The most suitable match timber
6 pine, linden, white cedar. aspen, blrc
r poplar and willow. Germany inpor
willow and aspen from Russia Son
r. time ago the German match manura
i turers petitioned the minister OF ayr
Il culture to direct the government fores
l. ers to plant aspen In the state torres
% In order that the necessity OF lmportlr
j. wood for match n1anuf acture Inl 81
n pass, French manufacturers also Pr
n scented similar petition to their go
.e eminent. at the same time the RN
a sian manufacturers Of matches q
., asking their home government to chez
q the export Of match wood to 9th
" countries. as the match wood W
needed at home.
n. Sharp Lookout for Timber.
10 Meanwhile, the match manufacture
rs of this country are keeping sha
q lookout for match timber, and We
Is large tracts have been bought bycol
as ranics In tho match business, not on
to meet present needs, but In anti
or patton OF the demands Of years to, con
r. In a single year one match compa
ae cut o25 million Of board feet Of pine
& ono OF the Northwestern States.T
is cut. however. was eScept lonally larl
n In order to save the timber from /, 7
n. rayages of bark beetle. There =
more than 1850 match uaanufac tuyers