Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1890-12-27
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MAKING TIN PLATE.

ing, which will be read with special in.
terest by local patrons Of the CHRONICLE.
When Colonel AbnerTaylor, Congress-
man from the First District Of Illinois,
moved TO take off the tariff on tin-plate
on the ground that their was movement
on foot to manufacture il in this country,
he was evidently ignorant of what was
going on in his own home and some
enterprises that couple of his own
people were up to.
For some months Messrs. Edwin and
o. w. Norton, manufacturers oftin cans,
with an Office at Nos. 36 to 46 River
street, have been quietly setting up at
haywood plant for the manufacture Of
tin-plate. Yesterday everything was
complete, the engines were started. and
the first tin-plate eyer made in America
for commercial purposes was rolled out.
1t come out bright and shining, as good
a quality of plate as was ever made in
Wales, and after they had duly inspect
ed it, the manufactures felt that they
had made a success of their new enter
prise.
NORTON BROTHERS ARE
business men and not politicians, but
they can give Congressman Taylor and
his freetrade friends great deal Of in
formation on the tin-plate question. As
manufacturers of tin cans, with factories
in Chicago, San Fransisco. and Hamil-
ton, Ontario, they are the largest users
and importers of tin. plate in this coun-
try. According to the ideas Of the free
trade doctrinaires, to whom Colonel Tay-
lor has recently lent his aid, they should
have been bitterly opposed to the tariff
on tin-plate, as il must, according to
their theories make their raw material
dearer
But they were just obstinate enough
to look at the matter with the eyes of
their long business experience, and
after surveying the field they concluded
that, with the help of the tariff, they
could manufacture tin plate in Chicago
as cheaply as they could buy it in Wales,
paying their workmen at the same time
American wages and being relieved of
the necessity Of depending on "a foreign
market for their supplies.
So, before the Mckinley bill was pass
ed, they set about building plant, and
yesterday, as stated, enough of il was
finished to turn out its first product.
Walls are also up at haywood for a
large factory, and before spring the firm
expects to be able TO manufacture here
in Chicago all the plate it needs for its
three immense tin can factories. When
this output is reached they will be able
the sell TO outside customers, but lust
now all that is intended is to produce
enough for their own consumption.
SPEAKING OF THEIR NEW ENTERPRISE
last evening Edwin Norton said: 1--WE
rn aatt tGGn hat q. at.
tin plate cheaper than we can import it,
and with much more satisfactory results
The plant by which this plate" holding
up a shining tin, was made we import
ed from Wales. Some of our workmen
also came from there, and VIC are pay
ing them two and three times as much
as they received over there. Still we
have already effected a great saving.
For instance, in Wales the cleaning Of
the plates after they are made is done
by hand, women being employed for
the work. We have already invented,
and have in working order, machine
that does this work and saves the labor
of fifty women. Again, the English
manufacture only two sizes of plate
which they call standard. In cutting
these plates for some purposes, especial
ly in making lard pals, Of which the
packers use so many, there is consider
able waste, yet if you order special
size from the English manufactures he
charges you just as much as he does for
the larger or standard size. by makirg
our own plate we can cut it in sizes to
suit the purposes for which we intend
using it, thus saving all that waste
which, when the number of cans or pals
you turn out runs into the tens of mill
ions, is matter of no inconsiderable ac-
count.
AGAIN, BY MAKING OUR PLATE
at the same place ut which We manu-
facture it into useful forms, we save all
expense Of boxing and packing; We also
save the cost Of transporting the street
steel Of which the plate is made from
England as it can be bought as cbsaply
here in Chicago, and above all we avoid
the annoyance as well as the extra ex-
pense Of doing business with people 1000
miles away from us. In this latter
point we have had but one experience.
OF the hundr eds of tin plate manu-
facturers in little valley in Wales,
there are but four of five with whom
We have been able to do business salts
factorily and not always with them.
We have had to deal through middle
men in New York and when we placed
an order for ten thousand cases of tin
plate We always knew that if any Of It
was inferior in quality, as it often was,
We had TO bear the loss as tho English
man would not. We had to make il up
out OF our customers. as the tailor forces
his cash customers to pay for the ones
which default. But making our own
plate, we are sure Of a good quality Of
plate. and this element Of loss is there
by eliminated"
ITO SHOW YOU"
said o. w. Norton; "the difference be-
tween English and American methods,
take our business. Ten years ago. II
was said that all cans used for ,acoked
meats must be made by haI1 The
meat Is cooked after II Ii sealea In thS
cans and they have TO be very \ong as
they are practically small boil6 The