The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1911-01-28

IL tHdl ~ SHOulu ne stopped. And the
occasion of this article is that there is
legislation pending in congress to-
that end.
So strongly was President Taft inn,
lpressed by DR.. Andrews investigation
| and the report of the government
labor bureau that in his message to.
congress, he said: to-. -.
Il invite. attention to the very in
jury caused to all those who are en-
tgaged@ ifa-s tn sn1anuf ufacture OF p1los-
phorous. matches. The diseases inf-
| dent to this ffrightful, and as matches
can be made from other sraateriais en-
tirely innieuous, L believe that the in
curious manufacture. could be dis
couraged, and ought to- be. discQu-
! ragged, by the imposition Of a heavy
federal tax. l recommend the adop-.
ton. of this method Of stamping out
very serious abuse .
In accordance with, the presidents
recommendation, a bill was prepared
by the American association for la
Dor legislation and has been introduced
| III the house of representatives by
Congressman Esch, of Wisconsin.
| There have been hearings on the bill
"O4oA NAAS NOLi"!1IlCC VII ways dHu
Means, although at last accounts; the
Dill had not been reported to- the
house by the committee.
OF course, the: bill is being opposed
by a few dollar-greedy manufact-
urers. They say that it will cost more
to make matches using non-poisonous
substitute for the deadly white pfos-
phorous. They say they have built
up a valuable trade in certain brands
of PHOSPHORUS matches. They say
that one company has monopoly of
the right to use the formula for the
manufacture in this country of the
non-pofsonous match, And they say
number of other trivial and imma-
ter1al things, none Of which is en-
titled to serious consideration in the
! lace of the facts as shown by the
government report. All of the argu-
! nents and excuses Of the manufact-
urers sound childish or worse, when
! confronted with the story of Mr.. H.,
| OR the story of Anna NJ, or of any
one of the, scores Of authenticated
cases of death and disease worse
! than death, which is the record down
to date of the manufacture of matches
with PHOSPHORUS in this country.
! Efforts at regulation to mitigate
the evil have failed abroad. Efforts
of the manufacturers in this coun-
try, and particularly the Diamond
Match company, which controls most
| of the larger American factories and
has done seemingly everything with
in it's power to- prevent and lessen
the ravages of phosphorous poison
ing, except to abolish the poison
! have apparently been in vain.
! The enforcement of regulations, the
expense of special construction Of
factories in an effort to prevent the
disease, the maintenance of company
dentist and company physicians at
company expense, provisions made at
great expense for sanitary protec-
| ton, special lavatories, sanitary lunch
and dining rooms for employees pro.
vided by the company;-all these
seem to be useless in combating the
! dread effects of the poison among
.emplcyees. 1t is in. the. air they
breathe. It is on their hands their
! clothing. Somehow, sometimes, it
finds its way to the mouth, the teeth,
| the jaws; the employee, ceases soon
to be- an employee of the match fac
, tory and becomes merely an addition
| to- the wreckage of industry,-a VIC
! tim of phosphorous necrosis. 1919
| What Other Countries Have Done
ny latest government reports, there
are about $500 persons employed in
match factories in the United States
or these, about 1900 are women and
children With the partial exception,
| OF two factories, the entire industry
! tCentipued on PaKe Eight.) &