The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1908-01-10
FORESTS FOR MATCHES
America Alone Uses Seven Hundred
Billion Of Tiny Sticks a Year.

|
The civilized nations of the world
| strike 100000 matches every minute
| of the tWenty-four hours. Nearly one
| half of these are ignited in this country
Americans use up the enormous total
| of 100000 100000 year, and have a
larger match bill than any other nation
| in the world
Hundreds of factories over the coun-
try are engaged in this industry, about
which the general public knows so lit
| tie. Some of the plants are very large,
one on the Pacific Coast covering 24O
| acres, with thirty-two miles of railroad
| which supply the match machines with
| 100000 feet of sugar pine and yellow
| pine logs a day.
| A statement Of the number of cubic
feet of wood which actually Is convert
| ed into matches each year would con-
vey only an inadequate idea of the
| number Of trees required for the indus
| try. For the manufacture of the match
| the best grade of wood is necessary
| SapWood, knotty or croSsgrained timber
will not do This makes it necessary
| to search the best forests and pick out
| the choice trees only, and nothing but
| the choice portions of the choice trees
| go to the match machines. It may be
seen that the lumberman sweeps over
| a wide area in search of suitable timber
to feed into the match machine.
with sulphur, or some other substance
to be ignited by friction, given even
scant mention in the consideration of
the depletion of the worlds finest for
ests, yet the manufacturers of these
little fire sticks are as much concerned
over the timber supply question as any
| other class of men engaged in an in
dustry whose welfare depends on the
use of forest products.
1t might be supposed that because
matches are small the makers of them
| would utilize scraps and leftovers. This
| Is never the case; matches are not by
products. The match machine takes
| the finest timber, and what it rejects
goes to the by-product yard. and the
| by-product Of the match business be-
| concerned. Among the by-products
| turned out by the large Pacific Coast
| factory just mentioned are 1000 doors
and 300 sashes daily.
AS a matter Of fact, it would be i'm
| possible to carry on the match business
at all, at present prices, If the rejected
/ lumber were not worked intol something
! else. The room where matches are made
| is frequently the smallest department
of match factory. The larger por-
lions contain the saw mills and plan
| ing mills, where doors. sash, shingles,
| lath, siding. posts, cordwood and many
] other salable commodities are made
| ready for market.
| This country, although it has the
most abundant material and the finest
machinery in the world for the pur-
pose, does not manufacture enough
| matches to supply the home market.
| Thousands of dollars worth are an
nually imported from Germany, Aus
| tria, France, Sweden and other coun-
tries. where they are made by cheap
| labor, and poorer machinery, and u.s.
ually from higher priced wood, though
it is not better than what is grown in
| the American forests. The imports are
largely safety matches, which can be
struck only on the box or other spec
tally prepared surface.
Wood for matches is a much, more
| serious problem in some of the Euro
pean countries than it yet is in the
United States. The most suitable match
timber In pine, linden. aspen, white ce-
dar, poplar, birch, and willow. Others,
however, are occasionally used. Ger
many imports willow and aspen from
Russia. Some time ago the German
| match manufacturers petitioned the
minister of agriculture to cause the
foresters to plant aspen in the state
forests to supply wood for matches
without importing it. A similar petit
| ton to their government was present
| ed by the French manufacturers of
| matches, who wanted a home supply.
At the same time the Russia manufac-
| turers of matches asked their govern
| ment to take measures to check the ex-
|
| tries, because the material was needed
| at home.
In the United States, as we'll as in
Canada, a diligent search for choice
| forests is maintained, and very large
tracts have been bought by companies
in the match business not only to
meet present demands, but to provide
for years to come. In a single year one
match company cut 225.000, 900 board
feet of pine in the lake region. The
cut, however in that region was excep-
tfonally large in order to save the tim
Der which was at that time threatened
by the ravages of a bark beetle There
are more than $50 match manufactur-
ers in the United States, and about
hal1 that number in Canada
Matches are manufactured in many
ways, and with numerous kinds of
machines, and for that reason a descrip-
ton OF an operation in one factory
would not apply to another. Nearly
every manufacturing company has ma
chinery made specially for its use and
covered by patents. and it also employs
processes discovered or devised by its
own chemists and mechanics, and kept
secret TO prevent rivals from obtaining
ana profting by them Some time ago
an American company sold the right to
! use its special machines in France, OBJ