THE DEADLY MATCH.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXV, Issue 8, 4 January 1913, Page 4

THE DEADLY MATCH.

The closing of the old year ’ha? brought to an end New Zealand’s con nection with a horrible trade, the manufacture of matches from whitphosphorus. An Act which was pass ed in 1910, and ordered to come into force at the beginning of the year provides penalties for the importation manufacture and sale of matches containing this material, and in future the people of the Dominion will have to be content with “lights” that arc a little less convenient in use, but du not inflict the terrible disease known as “phossy jaw” upon the workers, usually women, who are engaged in the match factories. The Dominion has been importing increasing quantities of “strike anywhere” matches which do not contain white phosphor us, so that the change may not be no ticed by many persons, but in any no one will be sorry that New Zea land has joined the countries that have given play to their humanitarian instincts in this matter. The ‘Lyttelton Times’ expresses the desire to se; the Phosphorus Matches Act used as i precedent for some more legislation of a similar kind. A beginning might be made by prohibiting the importation of crockery which has been produced at an awful cost in suffering and death, owing to the use of lead in the glazing process. The only excuse for the continuance of this method of manufacture is the one offered for the production of white phosphorus matches—that the initial cost of the articles would be slightly increased if the health of the workers were protected. That is a consideration which should not count with any civilised community against human life.