In Great Britain, Norway, Sweden, and Ger many the match-making industry has assumed enormous proportions. In France the making of matches is a Government monopoly. In the United States the match industry is practi cally controlled by a single corporation, the Diamond Match Company, and much ingenious and automatic machinery is used in its factories. The first step in the manufacture is to prepare the splints from blocks of pine from which all knots and cross-grained portions have been re moved. This wood comes in the form of planks two inches thick and is thoroughly dried. It is then sawed into lengths of from to 21/2 inches, or the length of an ordinary match. A machine now receives these blocks and they are cut by knives or dies into thin strips, each one containing splints for 44 matches. Each set of splints as they are cut from the block are placed in east iron plates which are formed into an endless chain. The machine makes from 175 to 250 revolutions a minute, and, as has been said, at each revolution 44 matches are cut and set. After the splints have been cut and set in the plates they are carried over a drying or heating block, where they are heated in order that the melted paraffin will not become cold on the exterior of the stick. but will saturate the end thoroughly. The paraffin and the com position which forms the head of the match arc placed in proper receptacles, which are automatically replenished without stopping the machine. Through these the splints pass and at the composition rollers the head of the match is received. As the chain carries the hunches of paraffin along the matches are cooled and dried by blasts of air, and finally they are auto matically removed and pa eked in appropriate boxes. The boxes, too, are fed into the machine automatically, and after receiving their contents are discharged on a rotating table where they re ceive their covers at the hands of girls, two to fonr being employed at each table. After the chain has discharged its matches into boxes it is ready fora fresh set of splints, and the operation proceeds emitinuously.
In England and parts of Continental Europe match-boxes are made by hand by laborers as a household industry. in America the making of boxes is effected by machinery and is a part of time match-making establishment. It is esti mated that 2,000.000 matell-boxes are used per day in the United States, and that five matches per capita are consumed daily in this country.
The following figures show the value of matches exported from and imported into the United States for ten years: MATE (ODuteh Dutch (icr. Mau I, companion). A naval officer who is classed with warrant otlieers, but junior to them, and who holds an appointment instead of a warrant. When serving on a seagoing ship mates mess with the junior officers. There are but six mates now on the active list of the navy, four of whom have been appointed since 1870. In the merchant ser vice mates are the officers of a ship subordinate to the matter. Large vessels have a first, second, third, and sometimes a fourth mate; smaller ships hare one or two less. The first or chief mate performs the duties of executive for the master. In port he superintends and directs the stowage and discharge of cargo and has gen eral care of the ship. At sea lie assists the master in navigating, and keeps the log; in most ships he has command of the port watch. llis qualifications are superior to those required of Ilhi• other mates, and he is umnally, like tlu• mas ter, appointed by the owners and may be dis charged by them only, except in unusual cir cumstances. In ease of the death or disability of the master he succeeds to the command. The second mate eommands the starboard wateh at sea. Ile is not usually required to have a thor ough knowledge of navigation, but should lie a thorough seaman capable of directing the men in any kind of seamen's work. The third and fourth mates (when there arc such) have duties similar to those of a second mate. Very large steamers, such as the great transatlantic liners, have more than four mates or officers of this status.