Daily Republican. [volume] ([Wilmington, Del.]) 1874-1890, 1883-10-04

for $56. In 1877 American steel
mills furnished snpesiSs steel rails TO
$40 per ton, currency and now, not
wit hstanding the great demand fol
steel rails, the best In the market can
be obtained at 80 ton.
| This Is mere epitOme Of the history
Of all our manufactures which have
commanded the attention Of enlightened
9, atesmen. The writer can remen ber
when "India Cotton,''- fabric not
equal to our common Factory Cotton, -
retailed at 25 cents yer yard - now we
get better goods at 6 cents. To pro-
tective tariff are We indebted to this re.
duction and the superior quality for
goods.
1t In readily seen what immense pro-
portions this business amounts to In few
years, when you take into consideration
that in the last twelve years the i'm
ports of " tin plate" into this country
have reached the enormous sum Of
$l58, 9S7, ,3O1, and it will be safe to say
that in the next twelve years the total
amount will be three times the above
figure. We now need the equivalent of
5,0O0, 900 boxes af tin plates this year,
and the demand is increasing.
Although Great Britain is free
trade country, its tin plate industry is
wonderf ully well protected, and under
this protection it is growing rapidly; it
is protected by tho Congress of the
United States, which country, as we
have shown above, consumes more than
seven-eighths Of the British production
of tin plates.
The United States itself is not pro-
ducing one box of tin plates, although
ties for their production-except cheap
labor-that are possessed by Great
Britain, this monopoly of our supply
of tin plates the American Congress
secures to our British friends, through
its refusal to protect our American tin
plate industry. 1t deliberately chooses
to maintain British monopoly of the
manufacture of tin plates rather than to
encourage the establishment Of COM
peting manufacture which would EN-
ploy our own people, develop our own
resources, and save to us $lS, 900, 900 an
nually. II has adopted the same policy
with regard to our supply Of cotton ties
and wire rods, encouraging their manu-
facture abroad and discouraging
their manufacture in our own coun-
try.
When our own Congress does these
things we cannot condemn our foreign
trade rivals for profting by our dulness
and our recreancy to all our protection
st professions. If the British tin plate
manufacturers especially were as wise
as they might be, they would charge us
a great deal more for their tin plates
than they do, for we could not Lelp our
selves against their exactions.
Here is business that will give EN-
ployment and subsistence to 800, 900
people, consume SOC, 900 tons pig iron,
], 800, 900 tons coal, 5000, 900 bushels of
charcoal, 5000, 900 pounds of lead, &c.
100000 pounds of tin. 10000, 900 pounds
of tallOw, 100000 feet of lumber
for boxes, 80. 900, 900 pounds of sulphuric
acid, ST., ,O0O, 600 of labor, the interest
on $4,000, 600 of capital invested in
plates suitable for tin plate making.
81 600, 900 annually to keep machinery
in repair, 800, 900 for oils and lubri-
cants, 81, 600, 900 for insurance and tax
es.
We presume these figures will con-
vince you that not only the sheet-iron
Industry will be benefited, but great
many other industries rs well. If we
had an equitable import duty on tin
red sheet-iron and sheet-steel, the
question is, shall we feed, clothe and
pay all these people in Great Britain or
United States? Yours truly,
AMERICAN TIMED PLATE ASSO.