The Forrest City times., 1891-07-03
SHEET-IRON PROTECTED
TRUE INWARDNEsS OF THE
 TEMPLATE DUTY.

It Was Put On to Help the Galvanized
 Iron Meu-What Senator Altrich Said
 Roofing Iron and Tin Plate Prices
 Comparsd-Our Tin Plstc Experiment.
 Too Costly.
 One of the main reasons why tho Mo Kinleyites put high tariff on tin plate was to protect the American makers of galvanized iron for roofing purposes h. deed, this purpose was boldly proclaimed by Senator Aldrich in his report on the Senate tariff bill in 1888. The Rhode Island Senator said in that report: "The free admission of iron and steel sheets of all thicknesses and widths coated with tin or lead, would cause substitution of imported tin or terne plates in most cases for roofing and other building pur poses, and for domestic uses, where gal vanzed or other sheet iron or steel is now used The duty which Senator Aldrich was then defending by such frank humbug, amounted to 20 cents per pound, the duty which was finally put into effect in the Mckinley law.
 The purpose of the McKineyites being to encourage the use of sheet iron for roofing instead Of tin. which is better and cheaper, the higher duty and conse- quent higher price of tin has al- ready begun to boom the sheet iron business. It is announced in the trade papers that the Garry Iron and Steel RooIng Company of Cleve- land, Ohio, has "an exceedingly fine trade for this time of the year They are said to have "a large number orders ahead," and they are exporting their goods to Mexico. South America and nfhpr fpypfUn Ibfg 1affnr fact ma ,cs 1t pertinent to ask why was it necessary to tax tin D ates in order to help the roofing men when they abe to export their products? If they were not ab to hold the home market against foreign roofing tin, already taxed cent a pound, or equal to B per cent or it's value, how can they export their roofing metal and sell 1t in foreign markets in competition with the same tin plates? Do they sell their products abroad at lower prices than 10 American consum- ers as other American manufacturers generally do?
 The demand of the sheet iron men to be protected from tin plates has flood of light thrown upon it by comparing the prices Of their product with those of tin plates for the past five years The average wholesale price of galvanized sheet iron of the thickness known as "No. 2f wire gauge" since 1886 has been 5.S7 cents per pound; while the average import price of roofing tin, No 2s wire gauge, for the same time has been only 3.19 cents. Thls is a difference of 2. 6s cents pound. while the Mckinley duty on all kinds of tin plates is 2.2o cents pound.
 These figures suggest the very perti- nent question, How are our manufactur- CTS going to make tin plates and sell them at lower than present foreign prices, according to the confident boast of the protectionists, when our home made galvanized iron itself has been selling at prices so far above foreign prices? From these figures, too, it is clear that MT Nedringhaus' partner in his St Louis concern was about right when he saw that Mckinley's duty of ?. 20 cents was not high enough. and that a duty of at least cents was needed to establish domestic tin plate industry
 American consumers have already paid at least S5, Oo0, ,0JO extra for their tin plates since last fall by reason of tho rise in prices caused by the Mckin ey duty. This was the expensive result of the n-piate duty during the six or eight months before it took effect. What will the consumers think of the added cost beginning with the application of the new duty itself on July |? Are we not paying rather dearly to protect our roof ing iron industry?