Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1891-06-10
Wednesday. June 10, 1891.
The Tin Tax.


plate situation is from the address OF
Mr.. T. l.. Bunting before the National
Canned Goods Packers Association
in Chicago:
The tariff cost in a dozen two-pound
cans is 81 cents, in three pound 1Os
cents, in gallons ~ cents, which on a
basis of retail practically advances
canned goods l per cent. per can to
consumers. AS the great bulk of
gauge their purchases OF
food supply in self.denial the result
is restriction in consumption. The
pauper labor in London can buy our
canned tomatoes 6 cents dozen
cheaper than can his American COM
petitor, which doubtless is an over
shot in the aim of high protection.
Another strange incongruity in the
system offers a premium to the wealthy
of tin-plate. The export
ers of mineral oil, the Standard Oil
the exporters Of meats, the
Armours, Cudhahys, Hammonds,
Fairbanks, ETC., and the exporters Of
the wealthy packers on the
Western Coast, through the rebate
system, which refunds on exports SO
per cent, of the tariff on imported tin.
plate used. practically prevents them
from becoming patrons of the Ameri'
can in.plate. The sop does not
reach over our weak, struggling in
1ustry, for out of a total of canned
goods exports last season of $56,000,-
300. S44.651 900 was for mineral oil,
s6. 6s7 100 for canned meats, $3,259,
344 for canned salmon and only
81 ,073,1S5 for canned fruits and
vegetables.
There are 1000 canning concerns
n the United States to-day consum.
ng the products from 100000 acres,
" $4,000 farms of 40 acres each.
These canneries are paying over $780,
100000 for produce, and are giving
employment to over | 100000 employ
IS. II is safe to compute that these
pack an average of 100000
,ans yearly, which would make the
aggregate output over 81 900, 100000.
Ealing the duty of 2.37 per box on
,lates only J cent per can (and it
igures to be accurate, just ! cents)
We find the tariff assessments against
'ur industry to be 100000 yearly.
Five million dollars has been paid
nto the Government yearly by
! young, deserving, popular industry
in order that iron barons may expert
nent with safety in the manufacture
# tin plates. This exaction is no
more mellow in its application than
IN out and out license to that effect
or doing a canning business. 1t is
stimated that farmers receive Oh an
lverage of 2 cents for the produce
contained in the can. In the absence
If the duty on tin-plate the packer
could afford to pay the farmer "a
,ents for the produce, or % per cent
more than he now pays him. and still
De able to sell the canned produce at
he same price. or on the other hand
n the absence of the duty the packer
could afford to throw in $4,000. 900
# canned goods without charge; in
other words, the consumer could buy
10 per cent. more of canned goods for
the same money, and this surplus be.
ing thrown in the consumer would
certainly receive it and consume it.
This would necessitate the packers
putting up 100000 more of prod
ucts, which means buying of the farm
er more produce. 1t is equal to the
product of 10000 acres of land, while
the growing of this extra produce, to.
gether with the work implied in pack
ing, labelling and boxing ready for
would give more employ
ment than the widest dreams of a
prospective tin-plate industry large
enough to supply the whole American
trade. We economic in the labor
cost on making cans, yet the duty on
plates is equal to double the amour,
paid for the labor cost in cans.
All will agree that a low range Of
cost in American plate can only come
about by a lower cost Of the steel
bodies which form so large a proper
ton of cost of the finished plate
With those plates selling at 4 cents
per pound, while the finished timed
plate can be afforded at 8 cents free
on board Swansea, Wales, it does moi
show quite plainly how the thing
is to be done, nor is it the province o.
packers to inquire, unless it is propos
ed to do it at our expense. The ole
duty of one cent covers twice thu
labor cost of converting the stee
plate into timed plate, and / take TIT
position formulated by our Mr.. Seagel
in his address at Indianapolis, tina
when we have thus protected labol
the tax should cease.
Ever since 1913 we have been pro
tecting the unborn tin-plate industry