The labor argus. [volume] (Charleston, W. Va.) 1906-1915, 1911-10-26
Labor Legislation
Effectng Women
and Children
1.


One ofthe most Important labor laws
that has been passed in behalf of
women and children in America came
this year in practically prohibiting
matches made from white phosphorus.
Labor has been working for many
years to secure this legislation, and
the United States was behind almost
every civilized country on earth in
the matter. In France. in order to
stamp out child and women labor I'M
der conditions hat practically meant
intense suffering and death the gov
eminent took hold and made the man
ufacture OF matches a state Monopoly.
Finland, as early as 1874, prohibited
the use of white phosphorus in the
use of matches; Denmark followed
this action in 1879. Continental Eu-
roupe in general took cognizance of
the terrible conditions tina attended
the match making trade, and prohibit
ted the use of this ingredient in
making matches. In every case the
legislative action showed good results,
yet America tarried in her work.
To show the extent which child and
labor is employed in the man
ufacture of matches, the following
figures are taken from the Bulletin
of Labor for January, 1910: In 1888
there were 4120 women and 231 chill
dreu under 16 years of age employed
in 81 match factories. These few
employees n rs many men. made a
product valued at S4,66S,466. The
number Of factories decreased While
n number of women employed in
creased; in 1905 there We're 90 match
factories, employing 124S women and
lT3 children under 16, turning out 4
product Of S~5,646,i71; this product
was practically the same as the total
capital invested in the business, the
capital being S5,343, 435. The same
report on page 4G shows that the num-
Der of female under L. employed was
10; under u was III, and under 16
WAS 1877.
To quote from the report: "A study
OF the records of the weekly earnings
of the employees of the fifteen factor
les lnow in existence in the United
States) indicates that the dangers
with the employment in match factor
les have not made it necessary to pay
the wages in order to secure an ade-
quate working force. For the 1878
female employees whose wages were
reported, 53.15 per cent We're earning
under Sc and only AIS per cent were
earning $1,000 and over
But the; worst feature about the
match business was not the employ
ment of women and children, although
much of it was in direct violation of
the law: neither was it the low wages
paid, taken j connection with the
large profits earned by the manufac-
turer. 1t was the terrible result of
the use of white phosphorus in making
matches. To quote from the report.
Peculiar in this industry is a disease.
phossy jaw, which. without n great
expense, without a long struggle
against poverty. Indifference. neglect,
and ignorance, may be absolutely elm
mated by the prohibition of the use of
white phosphorus. The investigation
OF 10 of our 16 match factories dur
ing the year 1909 proved c~onclusiveIy
that, III spite of modern methods and
precautions, phosphorus poisoning not
only occurs in this Country. but exists
in n form SO serious as to warrant
legislative action to eliminate the di-
lease. The record of more than a
hundred cases of the disease we're dis
covered by the writer of this report
within a very short time, though it
had been the claim of some of the
match manufacturers and there is a
popular impression that the trouble
has not existed in n serious form for
twenty years in this country. In one
small factory records were secured of
more than twenty serious cases during
the past thirty years. many of them
requiring the removal of the entire
jaw. In n of the most modern es-
adjustments owned by the same COM
pany since 1880, records of 40 cases
g phosphorus poisoning were Sc
cured. Of this number Is resulted in
permanent deformity through the loss
OF one or both jaws, and in several
cases resulted in death. Detailed
investigation in the 10 factories show
that 65 per cent were working under
OF PHOSPHORUS and the dangers of
phosphorus poisoning The women
and children are much more exposed
than the men. N~inety-fve per cent OF
the women and So per cent of the
children undr 1G years of age are cx-
posed. a dentist motions an old wo-
man who. as 4 result of phosphorus
poisoning for twcaty years, has had
no lower jaw. but masticates her food
by pressing it against her upper jaw
with her thumb. Employees now at
work in the factories frequently OK
press the greatest alarm, even when