The law on child
labor
The law was
introduced 7
January 1873 , after the doctor Emil Horneman
had held a very moving speech on child labor
at the first Nordic industry conference in Copenhagen in 1872.
The law was discussed extensively in both the parliamentary and
county chamber and especially the country chamber member Schøler
went much right with the law, which he thought was a strange way
to show compassion for the otherwise powerful and strong
children and young people.
He believed that the law directly limited their
opportunities for work and that the law could make them
sleepyheads and loafers .
After 5 months of debate, the law was adopted the 23th of
May 1873 and
this was stated , among others :
Childrens under 10 may not work at a factory and for childrens
between 12 and 14 years , working time may be a maximum of 6 ½
hours a day. They must
not work before
6 in the morning and after 8
in the evening.
Childrens
should henceforth not work at night .
Childrens should not work in the national church Sundays and
public holidays , nor may they work in the school time.
Employers need to know the childrens age and keep separate
records of the employed children.
See the law here
(danish)
The match law ( Announcement of the law forbidding
certain matches etc.)
The match law was primarily adopted , as a result of a number of
cases of phosphornecrosis , which was caused by the use of white
and yellow phopspor in the match production.
Especially it was an anonymous letter, that had made the publics
attention to the many dangerous cases of phosphonecrosis in the
factory of A. Sørensen & Co at Frederiksberg.
This led to a longer study of conditions in the danish factories
and even though a lot of match producers ment, that they had
coped with the poisening, the law was adopted the 14th of
February 1874.
According to the legislative text
§ 1
it is prohibited
after 1 January 1875 to
fabricate matches containing
white phosphorus,
or other
matches than
those which are
intended to be striked
on a special
dedicated surfaces.
It shall be
prohibited to import and
after 1st of July
1875 to negotiate
matches produced in
accordance with the above.
At the same time it
is stated in §
2 that,
in the
matchstick factories,
which used
red (amorphous)
phosphorus and
chlorine acid
potash, the space in which
processing of the red
phosphorus takes
place, shall be well
secluded from
the premises where
work with chlorine
acid potash
takes place.
See the lawe
here (danish)
The anonymous letter that started the investigations of
phosphornecrosis.
Ii was, as mentioned, a 13 pages anonymous letter to the county
member Simony, about the misserable situation for the workers at A. Sørensens
match factory og the many cases of phosphornecrosis, that
resulted in the adoption of the "match law"
See the original letter here
See a transcription of the letter here
(danish)
Sweeden allready got theire "Match law" the 18th of
February 1870 -
see the law here
Fire-, health- and buildning legislations
Different fire-, health- og building legislations have during
the years regulated the condition of planning and operation of
match factories.
Law of Fire Department in the cities, 21.
marts 1873
The health commission for the capital of Copenhagen. Legislation
for planning and operation of friction match factories. 17the of
November 1866.
Copenhagen Fire Department, Regulations for planning and
operation of match factories. 16th of December 1876.
