MANUFACTURE OF MATCHES. 



243 



Thus, the government of Perm is the principal centre of tlie phosphorous works 

 with the largest output of red and white phosphorus, their number being 6, with an 

 average yield of 10,450 pouds, forming 91.8 per cent of the whole product of Eussia. 



Phosphorus is sold in Russia either by wholesale, or in apothecary shops by 

 retail. The principal stores for phosphorus are in the governments of Moscow, Nizhni- 

 Novgorod, Viatka, Perm, St. Petersburg, Livonia, Vilna, Kherson, Kharkov, Cher- 

 nigov, and Warsaw. The prices for the material are not high, namely, from 28 

 to 41 roubles for white, and from 40 to 62 roubles for red phosphorus per poud. 

 The quantity produced in Eussia not only supplies the home requirements, but a 

 considerable amount is exported. Thus, the export was as follows: 



The import of phosphorus into Eussia is subject to many fluctuations, but on 

 the whole it is decreasing, as seen from the following figures: 



The match sticks are either made at the factories themselves or given out to 

 be worked b}^ konstars, who very often make the packing boxes also. For this pur- 

 pose aspen wood is chiefly employed, it being very porous, and unsuitable for more 

 expensive uses. Lately some of the works situated in the i)orts prepare considerable 

 quantities of sticks for export. 



The temporary decrease in the manufacture of matches, due to the instalment 

 in 1888 of the excise thereon, was followed by a new development of the industry. 

 In 1889 the number of factories reached 312, and the average output increased also, 

 which in 1888 owing to the closing of some of the works and the delay in the open- 

 ing of those that survived, as well as to the large stock of matches on hand before 

 the introduction of the excise, had somewhat decreased. However, in 1890 and 1891, 

 the number of the factories again decreased, but the dimensions of the output grew 

 considerably, especially the making of matches without phosphorus, for which special 

 works were organized. The following data give an idea of the comparative number 

 of match factories and their output for the years from 1888 to 1891. 



16* 



