New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1890-03-14
THE TTN-PLfTF TEST.

There has not been in many years better
test of the mental attitude of parties, legs
lators or newspapers toward the development
of American industry than the tin plate quc'-
,ion presents Hence II comes often 10 the
front. always unmasI1ing the pretended tariff
reformcr. and exhibiting him as in real purpose
the Free Trader that he is. \ sample OF highly
refined American tin having reached Pittshurg
from mines in south Dakota. II was asserted
that this tin. could actually be produced at
s2l5 per ton. whereas II cost - I ! per ton 10
produce similar tin from the mines IN Corn
wall Whether this claim j. accurate or not i
here Of no Importance in discussion, since Jess
than per cent Of the tin plates OF commerce
is tin. and the res, j. either iron IN carefully
rolled and prepared sheets, or labor IN perfect
" coating the sheets with the tin. Hence III"
remark was made by journal favorable I"
protection that there was no reason why IN"
duty on tin plates should not hc increased. and
the manufacture Of tin plates. for which the
country paid in the calendar year 1889 no less
than S2l.700, 900 TO foreigners. permanently
established.
TbcrcupOn the frcc-tr;ldc organs Affirm that
the iron plates are the product OF a highly
developed industry already existing here and
ask whether il is for further gifts to this
already highly developed industry thai the duty
must be increased. or for the benefit oi TN mines
which can undcrscll the world Presumably
these organs arc wei aware OF the dlsing"nu-
business Of this inquiry, but hope that 1t may
deceive some who know little or nothing Of tho
facts
The duties on products Of iron and steel arc
very uncqual ample on some, and on others
entirely inadequate. Hence some OF these prod
ucts are scarcely imported at all. because the
manufacture here has been 50 developed that
they are produced in quantities sufficient to
supply the entire consumption. and very cheap
". But other products are still imported IN
enormous quantities. because the manufacture
of these has meyer been 50 far encouraged ~ to
enable il 10 resist foreign competitions The
most conspicuous Of these mistakes i IN the
case Of tin plates, which originally occurred by
accidental miscOnstructlon OF a law passed moro
than twenty years ago. Sheets of iron or steel
except what are commonly known as tin plates
if coated with zinc. spclter, or any other metal
bear duty Of 80 cents per pound for the
lowest grade, which practically excludes all
imports. But sheets Of iron or steel if coated
with tin bear a duty of only | cent per pound,
which is less than the duty on ordinary boiler
or plate iron, or on other far coarNcr products,
and which permitted the importation OF a.
1876. GS4 pounds within the last calendar year.
This blundcr in the tariff throws ont OF en-
ploymcnt more than 100. 900 American work
ers who might be and ought TO be employed in
tho production of these $1,000 tons Of iron,
rolled. carefully prepared, and coated with tin.
The sole cause is the error Of fixing the duty
so low that it does no good being lower than
the duties on any OF the less finished products
from which the tin plate is step BY step ad-
yanccd The true American would like TO see
American aborcrs set at work. SO that there
may be more comfortable homes in this cOun-
try, more demand for all labor fewer people
out of work and more wcll-paid consumers
here to buy the products of the farms and the
shops But the attorneys for foreign manulact-
urcrs want TO have the American workers kept
idle, so that the tin-platc coml ination or trust
in Great Britain can continue 10 reap enormous
profits by fixing the price for American con-
sumers at It's pleasure