The Globe-republican., 1891-08-12
EVEN DEMOCRATS FAVOR IT.

EVEN DEMOCRATS FAVOR IT.
Commou-Seuse View OF the Situation
from = Mig Business House Composed Of
Democrats-we should Not He ut the
Mercy Of = Foreign King.
OFFICE OF SOMERs Bros.
THIRD AVENUE AND THIRD STREET,
BROOKLYN. n, ", June So
We may say, at the very beginning.
that we are democrats. and as such not
in favor of protective tariffs. Conse-
quently there is no politics in our tin
plate business. We had long ago come
to the conclusion that the time had
come in the development of American
industrial conditions when our supply
of tinplate should be made here. We.
as people, have been gradually COM
ing to this condition. and we are bound.
in time, to make all the tinplate needed
here.
Why. Just look at the situation for a
moment. Here we are at the mercy of
foreign makers of tinplate. with all
that that means in the way of heavy
freights, expenses of Insurance., eX-
change and commissions Not only SO.
but we have been for years at the mer-
cy, also, of spectators who have kept
the price of tinplate constantly varying
to suit their own fancy and greed.
sqeezing the consumers and the import
ers as we'll. Now this aspect of the
case has been prominently before us
for some years past. and We have been
gathering information and making
plans to take a forward step along this
line in the advancement of our own
business. For. as is probably we'll
known. our firm are large consumers
of tinplate. In our factory are made
great quantities of decorated tinplate
packages for holding all sorts of mer-
chandise, and these packages are sold
all over the world. Now suppose, by
some means or other. our supply of for
eign tinplate should be cut off, where
should we be?
Such a contingency cannot be looked
upon with any degree of equanirnity.
and the result is that to-day we are
erecting, on a lot adjoining our Brook
Ign factory, a building to be sos feet
long and IS feet wide, to be constructed
of iron. brick, stone and glass, with
slate roofing The rolling mill part Of
the building will be two stories and IL
feet in extreme height. and the other
section SO feet high. This building alone
will cost 100000. and will be occupied
as tinplate works. In addition to the
building. there are now on the way to
our factory large quantities of heavy
machinery, such as COrliss 6OO-horse
power engine, to supply power; rollers
for producing steel sheets and much
other improved machinery.
Our plans embrace many new features
in the work of rolling sheets. and so
simplifying the process of timing as To
eliminate as far as possible the use of
manual labor We are thus, it will be
seen, aiming at important economies in
the production of tinplate, which will
be of advantage to us in supplying both
our own wants and lose of the general
market, for we confidently expect. when
our works are completed which viii be
some time within the year, to manu-
facture not only enough for our own
use. but in addition we shall turn out
about two thousand boxes a week for
sale.
We have already in our employ an
experienced man. who has been twelve
years in Wales as superintendent Of one
of their large tinplate works. This
will enable us to go directly to the bot
tom of this matter, and SO carry on the
whole industry of making plates on our
own premises under our own Suoervis-
ion, though we do not expect to max,
tinplate bars.
The chief advantage of doing this work
right here in the city of Brooklyn is that
our source of production will be very
close to the source of demand, and then
we shall save heavy charges in freight.
Just think of the difference of shipping
tinplate from Brooklyn to New York
and from Wales to the same place.
But ours is not the only large estab-
lishment for the purpose of prosecuting
this new industry. Norton Brothers,
| of Chicago, are erecting a large build
ing for the purpose. So also is Mr..
Neidringhaus in st. Louis, and there
will be others on the Pacific coast. at
Pittsburgh, Cleveland. o., and at addi-
| tional points. where large quantities OF
tinp ate will be in demand. We are
| VulS HUN
point of view, and are going into the
manufacture of tinplate to make
money, but it is one of those things
which can not be done in 4 hurry, as
some people seem to think. 1t requires
time, and there is one point which needs
to be emphasized.
This industry has been somewhat
affected by the political aspect of
affairs. If capitalists could be assured
that changes in administration or in
Congress would not affect this promis-
| ing industry, as we do not believe it
should, though we are democrats. they
would be even more ready to go into it
than they are now. We believe this
subject is one which ought to be con-
sidered entirely apart from politics
1t is an industry which has evidently
come to stay, and our own firm would
attempt to manufacture tinplates even
| without the increase in duty.
But the questions which are now in
the minds and thoughts of those inter-
ested in the subject as brought out at
the May convention of the Tin Plate
| Manufacturers Association are those