The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1888-02-23
Tin-Plates.
A GREAT INDUSTRY THAT SHOULD BE
ESTABLISHED IN THIS COUNTRY.

| The expectation of tin-plates from Great
| Britain in 1887 was 354 ,773 tons; the
| United States imported OF that amount
26S, 1854 tons, and all the world besides used
5000 tons. By this it will be seen that
! the United States uses over rs per cent,
and that all other countries use less than
25 per cent, of the total expectation. In
the production of this 1854 tons of tin
plate there is consumed 705, 092 tons of
iron ore, 536.72S tons limestone, 1856, 230
tons of coal for coking, from which is pro
duced 1856, 445 tons of pig metal This
metal is then converted into soft steel by
the basic process, thus producing 32S, 476
tons of basic ingots. These ingots are
then rolled into blooms, bars and sheets,
which with the tin and lead used. make
the 26S, 1854 tons OF tin-plates imported into
| the United States in 1887. So that by i'm
porting the tin-plate instead of making it
mere our mines OF ore, coal and limestone
have lost trade amounting to 1885
tons in 1887. The manufacturers of pig
| iron have lost trade of 1856. 445. tons.
while 32S 476 tons Of basic ingots have
been made in Europe instead Of in this
country And the railroads have lost the
freight On 1854, 495 tons of material which
is required for the production of that
average price of { per box ou ship at New
York, exclusive of duty, cost the people OF
the United States in 1887 $26 $50, 400; and
allowing Is per cent, for profits and taxes,
| 81 OPS. AGO, we have balance OF $50, Sl0,-
$40 which the railroads and workingmen
of this country have lost by the importa-
tion of tin plate in 1887.
The South wants the tin-plate trace
The Southern iron ores are too high i'll
phosphorus to make steel by the old Besse
mer process, but their ores are especially
adapted to making steel by the basic
process, and, as all the tin-plate made in
the world is now made from mild basic
ste Ell, the South would much rather make
basic ingot iron for tin plates than run in
competition with the steel-works of the
North for the steel rail trade. ifC0ngresS
would only put tariff on tin plates to
Justify their manufacture, it would boom
the South without hurting the North, and
I think that there is not Southern Demo
crat in the House but would be willing to
vote for such policy. 1t would energize
the whole South from Virginia to Texas.
1t would give her new market for $780,
100000 Of her products, and at the same
time the phosphorus which would thus be
eliminated from the metal would he put
into lime and produce 92.345 tons OF basic
05l A.
The Southern lands are growing poorer
and poorer every year because the cotton
| is shipped away and carries with it the
elements of plant food. But if the basic
process could be started in the South. for
making tin plates. the resulting phosphate
would fertiliZe the land so as to double the
cotton crop in a few years. Great as this
| tin plate importation is, we are importing
a great deal of other stuff that ought to be
made in this country. Our importations
from England alone in 1887 were:-Pig
metal, 404 $50 tons; bars and angles, 4.273
tons; rails, 1872, go tons. hoop and sheets,
80 All tons; tin-plates. 268,364 tons; cast
and wrought manufactures, 1925 tons:
old material, 1926 tons; steel blooms
and slabs. 215, 656 tons. a total of l ,2S2, AS
| tons. To this must be added large
amount of basic steel wire rods, slabs,
| blooms and billets coming from Germany,
the whole of which amount to over $50.
600 900. all of which could be made in the
South without interfering with the trade
of the North in the least Will not the
Northern Republicans unite with tie
| Southern Democrats and pass such a tariff
on tin-plate as to enable US TO make it
down South. | will guarantee o make the
entire demand inside of two years. and in
five years be ready to place tin-plate on the
| free list, and commence to export it.
! If we could secure this tinplate indus
try for the South it would boom her indus
tries from the James to the Rio Grande:
her fields would glow with heavy crops.
while her hills and wales would glisten with
phosphorescent beauty as the converters
would pour out their motion streams Of
pure metal. 1t would break down sec
tional barriers and fuse the whole country
into one common brotherhood. which
would be thing of beauty and JOY
| forever. JACOB REESE.