The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1928-07-09
SINGLE COMBINE
CONTROLS WORLD
MATCHES OUTPUT
Lends Nations Millions
to Increase Sales

CT commerce.
Every third person in the world
who lights match, lights one man.
ufactured by the greatest monopoly
In history-the International Match
Company of New York, and the
Swedish Match Company of Stock
holm.
The story of the little safety
match is one of the most amazing
IN modern commerce. It's output is
practically controlled by the two
companies, which are interlocked by
joint stock holdings.
$4,000 Workers.
This mammoth organization with
10000 employees and 80 plants in 81
Countries of the world, capitalized
or only 100000, has been able
TO loan and pay outright millions Of
dollars to foreign governments in
the last few years--in exchange fol
monopoly rights on the sale OF
matches.
There is not nation in the
world, according to commerce de-
partment reports, that is not con.
nected in some way or another with
the Swedish company in the use Of
matches.
Even the United States, at one
time regarded as the greatest manu-
facturer of matches, has fallen un.
der the influence of the Swedish
company. Safety box matches
which previously bore the marking
made in the U. S. A." now are
stamped made in Sweden"
Commerce department reports
give few of the foreign loans made
by the Swedish company in ex-
change for monopoly rights as fol.
lows:
Enormous Loans.
s75,000,000, in 1927, to France fol
20 year monopoly on sale of raw
materials and match machinery
This loan. the reports show, was
used by France to apply on its deb
to TIE United States.
s5,00a,000 to Greece for 28-yeal
monopoly.
S1,500,000 to Ecuador, January
1928, for 25-year monopoly.
$1,000,000 year for 20 years tt
Peru.
100000 to Latvia, July, 1928
fer 30-year monopoly.
100000 to Esthonia, 1927.
The Swedish company offered {
fe'v weeks ago to loan Hungary
$Sj,O00,000 for 30-year monopoly
the reports show, and has asked fol
or agreement to be signed by July
i5
Negotiations are reported to BIZ
going on between the Swedish com.
rany and Turkey for a substantial
loan and the match company recent
ly advised its stockholders that il
was about to take over Italian pro.
duction.
Nonopolize South America.
The Swedish company now holds
a monopoly on the sale of matches
in Bolivia, which expires in 1929
1t is reported to the commerce de-
partE,ent that a loan, running into
the millions of dollars, has beer
offered for a renewal of the mono
Poly
Twenty companies in Argentine
now are controlled by the Swedish
Match Company, the reports show
and the Compania Chilena De Eos.
foros, the largest match factory in
Chile, recently disposed If SO pei
cent of its stock to the Swedish COM
pany and gave it an option on sc
per cent of the stock.
An agreement has been reached
with Germany to limit German
match production to 35 per cent anc
permit the Swedish company tc
monopolize 65 per cent of all match
sales.
In 1927, the Swedish company
gained control of the Eddy Match
Company of Canada, which domi.
mates the Canadian market. 1t al.
ready has control of British mar.
kets.
The Manila Match Company, the
cnly one Of its kind in the Philip.
pine Islands, is owned by the Swe.
dish compsny.
+, IN a recent annual report, the
Swedish company said:
"The Swedish Match Company
now produces one match a day fol
every person in the world. If the
eight-months production of match
BOXES were laid end to end the,
would reach from the earth to the
moon.
Forces Out Japan.
Slowly but surely the Japanese
match industry has been driven from
one market after another. The Jap
anese are lsoing all of the markets
they gained during the war"
Since this report was issued, U. S
commercial attaches advised the de
paltment that the Swedish company
has acquired majority of stock il
the Japanese companies.
T. O. Klath, U. s. commercial at
tache at Stockholm, recently advised
the commerce department that "ab
solute control Of this worldwide or
ganization is conferred in Stockholm
and almost antiralr In, nra ,aaax