Los Angeles daily herald., 1874-03-20

to learn that there are a great many
people of more than average intelli.
gence who suppose it to be tin rolled
into sheets. A short time ago the SUI
perintendendent of a large machine
shop connected with one of our princi-
pal railroads undertook to prove to q
well-known metal merchant of this
city that tin plates are made wholly Of
tin. He attempted to demonstrate the
truth of his assertion by cutting a plate
with shears and showing that the
edges were ,of the same color as the
sides of the plate. The effort to estab-
lish the truth of such proposition by
such an experiment can only be paraI-
leled by the elaborate calculation OF
the young engineer who undertook to
prove that it was impossible to get
horse power out of donkey-engine.
We do not suppose that any OF our
readers in the Woodworking trade
need to be told what tin plate is.
How it is made was described in
an interesting article published in
our issue of January oath. There
are however many facts connected
with the tin plate trade not generally
known, and we believe they will be
found of interest to very many of our
readers.
The manufacture of tin plate is
wholly confined to England and Wales
but the market is very largely infiu-
enced if not absolutely controlled by
American dealers. This is not to be
wondered at when we remember that
over three-fifths of the whole annual
product is shipped to the United States.
The importatiOns in New York from
Liverpool in 1873 amounted to 9S3, 209
boxes; and when we add to this ship
ments from the WEIGH ports, the Off
cial records of which are not now at
hand but which are estimated to be
about 5000 boxes, we find total OF
nearly 1900, 600 boxes for the year.
The uses to which tin plate is put
ARE numerous. 1t is generally be-
lieved that the larger part OF the total
quantity imported is used for roofing
purposes. This however is a mistaken
idea. Only about one-quarter the
quantity imported is applied to this
use; the rest is variously consumed in
the manufacture of cans for petroleum
and other oils; cans and boxes for the
package Of paint, spices, tlacking,
fruits, vegetables, meats, etc., Kitchen
and household utensils and innumer-
able other articles composed wholly or
chiefly of tin plate. The quantity EN-
ployed for roofing, known to the trade
as terne plate, is the cheapest tin plate
made. 1t is coated with an alloy of
tin and lead in proportions ranging
from one part tin and two of lead to
two of tin and one of lead. The iron
used in terne plate is usually of ordi-
nary quality and is rolled from either
coke or charcoal bars. For all the
finer qualities of tin work charcoal
plate is preferable, the iron being of
better quality, more ductile, and less
liable to fracture.
The course Of the market is regulated
by the same influences which govern
almost every department of trade. The
supply is usually in proportion to the
demand, and although in certain states
of the market a speculative disposition
is developed it is not usually accom-
panied by any violent fluctuations in
prices. Any changes in the price of
iron are liable to affect it and OF course
are seized upon by the dealers. The
general advance in the price of labor
in England which has taken place
during the last two years has
increased the price of tin plate at an
average of about 81 25 per box, and
there is not at present much prospect
of the rates again receding to those
ruling in 1871 and 1872. After the
United States, the largest consumers
are Canada, Australia and New Zea-
land.
There have been several efforts made
to introduce the manufacture of tin
plate into the United States, but their
success SO far has not been encourag-
ing, and at present we are not aware of
the existence of any establishment
that produces plates which can be put
into competition with the imported
article. Tin plate is manufactured to
some extent in France and Belgium,
but not in sufficient quantity to sup
ply the local demand, although the
consumption is smaller in proportion
to the population-and indeed through
all Continental Europe-than in Eng
land and America. For roofing on the
continent when metal is used at all,
which is not often, zinc is more gener-
ally employed than tin, on account of
its being cheaper,
During the year 1873 the total ex-
port from England of tin plate
amounted, according to the official re-
turns of the Board Of Trade to, l20, 46S
tons. Of this quantity the United
States received 81, 53l tons-or seventy
one per cent of the whole export-a
fact which goes to show that tin plates
are used in larger quantity and for
greater variety of purposes in this
country than in any other. For many
articles of household use the manufac-
lures of copper and earthen ware have
been superseded by those made from
tin, and the consumption is steadily
increasing.-IMetal Worker.
A gentleman in Westminster is
reported by London paper to have
recently received q hand at whist con-