Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1891-10-22
Tin Plate Manufacture
-AnleTlcan Mannfacturer.

Amerlcan Manufacturer.
The United States Iron and Tin Plate
Manufacturing Company. of Demmler
Pa, recently sent a box OF tin plate tc
Gov. Campbell, Of Ohio. Accompany
ing the presen: was an open letter tc
Gov. Campbell. by President ". c.
Cronemyer. Of the company mentioned,
from which the following is taken.
There are DO technical obstacles in
the way of manufacturing tin and terne
plates in the United States, and the best
proof Of our assertions is that we are
doing it. and thai we have done So
twelve or fifteen years ago-when the
price Of imported plate was high
enough that we could make them here
at living profits and pay the ruling rates
of wages to our workmen; we could not
continue the business steady, because
whenever we would succeed to establish
a good trade in one or the other branch
es of the industry, the foreign manu-
factureTs would temporarily put down
the price in that particular branch until
we, with our small means, could not
withstand the pressure of the combined
millions of foreign capital, but had to
give it up and devote our time and at
tention to other products which were in
the line of the protective Industries.
The only obstacle in the way of our
progress with the tinplating industry
was an inequality in the tariff laws of
the country; for while the black iron or
steel plates which form the foundation
of tin plates were protected by duty of
II cents per pound. the duty on coated
plates was only cent per pound. or
of cent per pound less than the article
from which they are made, while in or
der to equalize the wages paid to the
Welsh workmen, and the workmen of
the United States it should have been
of cent more, or p cents per 10.
For the last fifteen years we have en-
deavored to obtain from congress "A
change of this abnormal condition. but
although number of farseeing MEM
bers. amongst whom we may mention
the late lamented Hon. Samuel j. Ran
dali and Hon. Judge Kelley, advocated
the change, the influence of those who
had by that time possession Of the al
ready immense trade was more power
ful than the counsel Of those wise and
good men, and all our efforts to obtain
an equitable protective rate of duty for
our products were IN vain until a num-
Der of other anomalies had made gem
eral revision necessary, the result of
which was the passage of the tariff bill
Of 1890. in which pilates or sheets of
iron or steel coated with TIM" etc, are
treated the same as other branches of
iron and steel industries
With this law the government If the
United States has giving us the assur-
anee that we shall be protected against
sever foreign competition until we and
other manufacturers can demonstrate
that the feasibility Of developing is an
undoubted fact. and induced by this as
surance we are again remodeling and
charging oar works. We have invest.
ed our money fol- this purpose and have
induced our friends TO invest with us.
and we know it to be fact that several
million dollars worth of machinery
has been ordered by other people in
Pennsylvania. Ohio, New York. Hi
nois. Indiana and other states for the
purpose Of engaging in this industry