Daily Republican., 1883-08-14

The Wilmington Every Evening, de-
voted to the interests of free trade, has
been spending considerable time in an
attempt to create feeling amongst the
Gamers of fruits and meats against the
tariff, on account of the tax on tin, an
article not produced in this country
We do not advocate tax on tin nor
any other article not produced in this
country, and the tax on tin plates as
tin, is one that cannot be supported by
sound argument 1t was mistake
hat fixed duty on tin which we pre-
sumo will be rectified Ivy Congress
when 1t meets, or it might be more cas-
lily rectitied by more intelligent ruling
of the Treasury Department. The New
York Tribune, which has been looking
into this subject, while not supporting
the tax on tin, shows that these tin
plates are composed Of ninety-fve per
cent. of sheet iron or steel, leaving but
five per cent. of thin coating of tin.
When the tariff schedule in 1864 was
prepared it provided that tin plates and
iron coated with other metals should
pay duty of two and a half cents per
pound being really nothing more than
manufactured hon, under the SUPPOSE
ton that these plates were really n as
they purported to be. Mr.. Fessenden,
who was thenSecretary of the Treasury,
decided that the so-called tin plates
should be cl Used as tin rolled into
sheets and should only pay a day of
fifteen per cent. In consequence of this
decision, Great Britain has been ELI
abled to build up an enormous trad.
in this country. No less than 24o, 900
tons of tin and terne plate, which were
In reality nothing more than sheet iron
and steel, were imported for which over
$40, 100000 in gold was paid and this
country takes over two-thirds of the
British product. If this particular pro-
duct Of iron were subject to the same
duties AZ other similar products, the
manufacture would be developed here
as that of iron has been and the $50, OOO,- |
900 now paid to Great Britain would be
kept at home
Tie importation of terne plates to this
country would require the consumption |
Of $50, 900 tons of iron are, 30O,0 900 tons
Of limestone, l,50O,00O tons of coal, $780,
900 tons of pig iron, 100000 pounds of
lead, $4,000, 900 pounds Of tin, 10 900, 900
pounds Of tallow and an outlay of ST., !
900, 900 for labor. This is very large
item of manufactures to be in the hands
Of Great Britain at the expense of this
country simply because she has none of
.hese articles that this country has not
except tin. Certainly some change is
needed to enable this country to reap
5he benefits of her production. If tin
plates were nothing but tin plates the
difficulty could be easily remedied but
while they are blocks and plates of iron
and STEEL merely covered with tin the
difficulty is not so easily met.
The recent increase Of tariff duties
on these imported articles is what has
given rise to such an exhibition of free
trade serviity as has lately been
shown by our Wilmington contempo-
rary. The New York Tribune gener-
ally sound on tariff matters and an
avowed friend of protection, advocate,
an increase OF tariff duties uuon tin and
terne plates tie same as is now collect
ed on similar forms OF manufactured
iron and steel. That paper admits that
at the first there would be an increase
in the price Of tin plates, tin utensils
and fruit cans, but these prices would
De reduced IA snail as competition in
was established, and in
the otri the benefit to American indus
tr, in the larger demand for ore, coal,
IRON, ami other mater ialS would be al
most iuCalculable.