Evening journal., 1890-09-11
rAE CONSUMER PAYS IT.
What Senator A. IL. Richardson SAYS OF
the Duty ON Tin Plate


the Duty on Tin Plate
STAFF Correspondence Of EVENING JOURNAL.
DOVER, Sept. IL Perhaps no man has
been SO widely quoted in regard to the
proposed increase of duty on tin plate,
provided by the Mckinley bill, as Alden
B. Richardson. the well known Gamer
at Dover. This is not to be wondered at,
as no one is better qualified to know the
effect the proposed duty on tin will have
upon the canning industry OF the country
and the people at large. However, a
great many papers have misquoted him,
and to set himself right before the pub
lie In the matter he approached an
EVENING JOURNAL reporter at Dover
on Monday, and said:
II have been misrepresented by the
press in regard TO my statement concern
ing the increase of duty on tin plate, as
specified in the Mckinley bill, The New
York Times had a piece In it the other day
giving me the d--l because had made
the statement that the increased cost Of
cans under the Mckinley bill would only
be 2 cents on the dozen. never made
such statement to any man and the
criticism arose from garbled account of
my first statement made to a gentleman
while was at Saratoga. At the time |
made the statement | had no idea that IL
was going to be published and was sur
prised to see it so widely commented
upon.
Just at this time the porter Of the
senator's hotel came in from the post
Office andsthanded the senator several
letters, one OF which contained large
number of slips from newspaper clip
ping bureau. They came from all
sources, and each item was credited to
the paper from which it was clipped. He
looked at them for few seconds, and
failing to grasp the situation, said to
the reporter:
"Hello see here what some fellow has
sent me. | wonder who 1t can be?"
1t only took little urging to draw
the genial old gentleman out and he
said:
"Well, this Is how the matter stands
The Mckinley tariff bill will add $40
cents per pound upon all tin plate
brought into this country. OF course
there Is a difference in the weight of tin !.
The lightest tin used for general can
making weighs ninety five pounds per
box and the heaviest used weighs 108
pounds per box. We make great many
small cans and therefore we use great
deal of tin that weighs ninety-five
pounds per box. There are 112 sheets
OF tin in box and ii takes exactly FIVE
sheets Of this tin to make one dozen
three pound cans, or to make it better
understood, one dozen tomato cans The
duty on box of ninety-fve pound tin Is
SLID. That makes the duty one
cent sheet. and computing that 1t
takes FIVE sheets TO make one dozen cans,
the duty on a dozen three pound cans
made from ninety.five pound tin is
cents. Take the heaviest tin that is
ever used for that size can, and the duty
on the 1903 pounds In the box amounts to
$1.29 So That brings the extra cost on
dozen cans as near cents as it can
we'll be figured. Therefore you will see
that the duty ON each can is little less
than half a cent.
"Does that come out Of your pocket,
senator2"
mo, not at all. We estimate the cost
of fruit, tin, label, making can and
labor; then we add the profit. II the
tin costs us half cent more can under
the Mckinley bill we simply make tn,
cost one half cent more and the consumer
pays 1t. The law does not affect us Ii
the least. 1t Is simply this, 10 cen
tomatoes will sell for 1874 cents and th,
people who buy them will have the in
crease to pay. The only Gamers it viii
affect are those who buy their own cans
instead of making them.
Then you will really lose nothing By
the operation of the bill2
Not one penny, for the consumer pays
the one half cent duty"