Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-12-21
TIN PLATE PLANTS
To be Erected in America as Soon
as Machinery Can be Built.
BIG ORDERS PLACED IN THIS CITY.
A Welsh Manufacturers Opinions Of the
Mckinley Measure.,
PIrTsBuRG HELPED BY CHEAP FUEL

Tinplate manufacture is to become an
established industry In this country.
Somers Brothers, of Brooklyn; the Nor |
tons, and the Chicago Tin Plate Company, of |
Chicago, and the st. Louis Stamping Com
pany, have all contracted for tinplate-mak-
ing machinery. James E. Ingram and G.
w. Knapp, of Mathai, Ingram & Co., of
Baltimore, were in town yesterday, and de-
cIared their intention of making their own
tin plate. This firm is the largest maker of
tinplate goods in the United States, if not
in the world. 1t uses 100000 boxes of tin
plate annually, which, at Sc per box, repre-
sents sum of 81, ,400, 900 which will be ex-
pended in Baltimore instead of passing into
English hands. The firm proposes to make
its own steel, black and tin plate, and is con-
vinced that tin plate can be made here
cheaper than it can be imported.
J. H. Rogers, of Llanelly, South Wales,
| who is recognized as a leader in the tin
plate trade, in recent address in Swansea
discussed the probabilities of the article be-
ing made in this country. The report Of his
speech, as published in Welsh newspaper,
is as follows:
Effect of Democratic Victory.
Mr.. Rogers said the tariff bill. which they
| so long dreaded, had now become law, but
shortly after it was on the statute book an cleo
tion took place, and the party which had op-
posed this very bill obtained an enormous ma
| jority. [Cheers.l This turn Of events had
| frightened the manufacturers on the other side
| of the Atlantic from proceeding to carry out
| bair axfapeiva schemea of tiu Dlata making
| Now some of these schemes included the erec-
| tion of works containing 20, 80, and even 40
| mills, but, so far as he understood these very
schemes were given up as soon as it was
| seen that the people were not in favor OF the
| Mckinley bill. [Applause.1 He had very lit
| tie doubt that If that election had not resulted
in such an overwhelming Democratic majority
| they would soon be sending very few tin plates
| from their country to America.
| The Americans had other advantages over
| the Welsh manufacturer besides the tariff; the
from there to New York. and to the various
| towns in America where tin plates were used.
| the expense averaging Is Cd per box. Coal was
| cheap too in America. Notwithstanding the
higher rate of wages, coal in the Eastern States
| could be bought at half the price that was paid
| here. He saw a coalpit at st. Louis where they
| had only to go down 6U feet to get to q seam of
beautiful bitumnous coal, seven feet in thick
| ness. and above it there was again q hard bed
| Of limestone, SO that pillars could be almost
dispensed with. At Chicago coal of an excel
| lent biruminous nature could be purchased at
| 6s per ton, and steam coal at 5s At St. Louis
| gas coal was delivered at 6s and steam coal at
Is. At Pittsburg, again. small steam coal could
mouth, and bituminous coal for gas producers
at 3s per ton.
An Industry Which VIII Gro-.
OF course. all this gave the Americans great
advantages, but there were also disadvantages
In raising the duty on tin plates they had also
raised that on tin, SO that what was given with
one hand, was taken away with the other.
There were other disadvantages which tended
to balance the advantages he had enumerated.
He had studied the rise of industries in the
States, and had found that they were always
gradual, viz: Button making, sheetiron, steel
rails, and pig iron. In no case had an industry
taken root and rapidly expanded. Each COM
menced in a small way, and grew rapidly, and
Mr.. Rogers gave expression to the belief that it
would be the same with tin plates. Two works
of four mills each, one at Pittsburg and the
other at st. Louis, were now being erected, and
that in few months hence these would be
making tin plates. The trade would, however,
grow but slowly, and it would probably
be TO- 20 or even so years before the Americans
could make all they would need. [Cheersl.
America made almost everything else she
needed. Looking at the list OF articles i'm
ported, they would find that tin plates were
out and out the largest item. 1t would. how
ever take time before America would manu-
facture her own and during that period they
in this country would be able to open up new
markets-[applause1-supposing period of 80
years was taken. Now it is found that the con-
sumption of tin plates by the world increased
at the rate of 10 per cent per annum, not only
in America, but In the whole world: and it took
America ten years before she could make her
own tin plates. Welsh manufacturers ought to
be able to induce the remaining part Of the
world to take the plates that now went to
America. If the means of production were not
Increased, he sincerely hoped that they would
be able to accomplish this. [Hear, hear.1 They
had now, therefore, nothing whatever to be
fr;- /
would be if Welsh capitalists and Welsh work
men went out to America with their experience
to help on the industry there. If they would
only have to face American capital and Ameri-
can skill, the process would be a slow one.
Three Reasons for Tin-Plate Tariff.
While in America he received an introduc-
ton to President Harrison, who received him
most cordially, and introduced him to several
of his ministers. He visited Senator Sherman
at his house, and he was given three reasons
why the increased duty was placed on tin
plates and he considered them the three best
ones he had heard. The first one was-Sup-
posing there was European war, and suppos-
ing Russia and France joined together against
Germany and England and that Russia and
France got command of the sea, and thus pre-
vented England from shipping tin plates to
America; such a condition of things would
mean the absolute ruin of the canneries, and
almost ruin of the farmers who raised fruit and
those who reared cattle. Those industries
would be at standstill until the war would be
over. Again, supposing there was general
strike or lockout in the trade here, or if the
colliers struck or were locked out, the Ameri-
| can canneries would come to a standstill.
"These were the reasons" said Senator Sher-
man, (which made us decide through thick or
| thin to give our country an opportunity to
make her own tin plates"
Mr.. Rogers added that he did not think
| that America had much to fear from either of
| these contingencies. but he felt bound to say
| that they were better and moIe statesmanlike
| reasons than any he had seen given in the news.
papers last autumn. [Cheers.l Continuing
| Mr. Rogers said he had pressed the leaders Of
| the Republicans to tell him whether they
| thought the duty would be taken of tin plates,
| and they replied that they would never do SO.
| but they conduit answer for the Democratic
party. Perhaps the latter would adopt a sys-
| tenn of reducing the duty every five years, as
| the industry got better established. Conclud-
| ing Mr.. Rogers said he had given them, in a
cursory manner, the opinions he held on the
| Mckinley bill.
The dissemination of Mathai, Ingram &
| Co. to make tin plate is strong comment on
Mr.. Rogers views, since this firm was fore
most in petitioning Congress against the
| inspiration of the increased duty.
PIANOS, S1o5. ORGANS, $50.