MATCH FACTORY - Montgomery InGenWeb Project

Two hundred men, women and children are now employed at the Crawfordsville match factory and more women are wanted. The factory can by no manner of means keep up with the orders and has to turn away many demands for its products. The matches they turn out seem decidedly popular and largely because they are made by a company outside the match trust. There are over forty women and girls now employed assembling matches in their boxes and for their work they get 8 cents for a gross of boxes. Some of them at the start can only make 20 to 50 cents a day. One day last week a young colored girl who is unusually dexterous managed to earn $1.10 in ten hours of lightning-like work, but this is much higher than the highest. The average wages in this department are 50 cents a day and many of the girls become discouraged and quit before becoming expert. No visitors are allowed in this room or in any part of the building. While the factory is not in a trust it is opposed to letting the public or any eagle-eyed competitor discover how it makes its matches. The capacity of the factory is to be greatly enlarged soon. The agitation of the antitrust idea is helping sell the Crawfordsville matches all over the country and this shrewd form of advertising is being pushed for all it is worth.    --- transcribed by  kbz