The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1891-08-05
WAGES. FIFTEEN MILLIONS,

WAGES. FIFTEEN MILLIONS,
A. Least That Much Yearly to werkmsa
Directly Employed-Counting Those En-.
gagged In Allied Industries the Pay Roll
Would Have Resn Double That sum HAD
We Produced Last Year All the Tin Plate
We Purchased In Wales.
There were imported into the United
States in the twelve months ending
April 80 tin and terne plate to the
amount Of 422, as4 net tons, having
declared value Of S2S, S95, 295.
What would it mean to the United
States II :his tin plate were produced
in this country instead of being i'm.
ported?
In the discussion of this question I
shall use the best figures obtainable,
and while they may not be absolutely
accurate. they are approximately so,
and near enough for all practical pur-
poses.
To produce this amount Of tin plate
would require, roughly, $4,000 tons of
pig iron. But four states in the Union
Pennsylvania, Ohio, Alabama and Illi-
nois-produced as much pig iron in 1890
This is equal to the average production
of twenty modern blast furnaces work.
ing an average of three hundred days q
year. It has been estimated that it re-
quires, at blast furnace, on an aver
age, a days work of man to produce
a ton Of pig iron. 1t would require,
therefore, to produce this amount of
pig iron, $4,000 days work constantly
OF one man at furnace, or say, the
work Of 1883 employees working 800
days in year.
1t requires two tons of iron ore TO
produce q ton OF pig iron and for the
fettling necessary in reducing ton of
pig iron to sheet. To produce this $780,
600 tons of pig iron that will be con-
sumed in the production Of the 4s2,2S4
tons of tinplate would require, there
fore, 100000 tons of iron ore. This is
two and one-half times the product of
all the iron mines of New Jersey; it is
six times the product of the iron mines
OF Missouri Taking the census Of 1880
as q basis, it would seem that it re-
luires days work to produce ton Of
ore. Therefore, to produce the amount
Of ore necessary to make the amount Of
pig iron that would be used in the manu-
facture Of the tinplate referred to
would require 100000 days work of
one man, equivalent to the work Of
$500 men working 800 days in year.
Assuming that it requires LIZ tons
OF coke to make a ton Of pig
iron there would be demand
for 100000 tons of coke. This
is in excess Of the production Of every
state in the Union except Pennsylvania,
West Virginia and Alabama. To make
this coke would require over million
tons Of coal. To mine this coal and
make this coke would require at least
six hundred thousand days labor Of one
man, or the labor of 1000 men 800 days
In year.
In addition to this there would be re.
quired for fuel in the sheet and tin mills
over 1900, 900 tons Of coal, or its fuel
equivalent equal to 100000 days labor
Of one man or the labor of $500 men
800 days in q year.
This 492. 1884 tons Of tinFkte would
require say 400. 600 tons Of sheet iron o,
sheet steel. This is equal to nearly
half the total production Of sheet and
plate iron and steel in the United States
If 1890, and more than equal to the pro
duction Of sheet iron and sheet steel Of
The guages that form the bulk used in
the manufacture Of tinplate.
It is difficult to arrive at Just the
labor in a ton of sheets. but 1t would be
at least below the mark to assume thai
it requires four days labor to product
from the pig iron ton of sheet iron Of
sheet steel. This would be equivalent
then, to 100000 days labor in thu
sheet mill, or. the labor of 1888 men SO'
! days.
1t is also very difficult to state posi-
lively how many persons would be EN-
ployed in the actual timing department
Of these works, but $500 men working
800 days in the year would probably b.
a low estimate.
Now, taking no account Of the mer
engaged in the transportation ofmetal!
to their point of consumption, nor o
the men engaged in producing the lum
Der or making the boxes to box thi
amount of tinplate, Of which som'
eight million boxes would be required
we would have the following as thu
number of men working 800 days in tn
year that would be required to produces
the materials named above necessar.
to make 422, 2S4 net tons of tinplate:
Iron ore. Observation-Disclosures. $50
NOke...s, S.U
COal. ......s..'.. s.aN
Sneob mis-. ...s...'.... Do
| 11n MILL. ........ S,ol
This is equivalent to 5,649,600 day.
labor. This, at an average of $3.50 pc
day, would be equivalent to Sl4, 1s4, OF
paid out in wages. The fact that tn
declared value of the amount of tir
plate above named was Sas, Sa5, s95 wi