The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1891-08-21
TIN PLATE AND FOREIGN WORK
MEN

MEN.
The New York Nail and Express
finds it amusing to note the different
stages of wrath and indignation into
which the free trade papers have
worked themselves as each successive
and successful step has been made
toward keeping in this country the
twenty odd millions that we now
spend yearly in Wales for tin plate.
And the Express is not alone in the
merriment it gets out of the perplex-
ing dilemma of the free-traders on
this point. A year or so ago they har-
rangued their readers on the folly Of
attempting the manufacture of tin
plate here, because we had never
made any, and didn't know how; next
when Republican congress increased
the tariff duties as to barely cover the
difference between the foreign wage
scale and the American, the free-trad-
ers gave up the contention that Amer
leans couldn't make tin plate, but as
serted that it couldn't be successfully
made with such low duties. This
change of base on their part carried
with it the surrender of their great
cry that there is really very little diff
ference between foreign and Ameri-
can wages anyhow.
Next when American manufactur-
erS began aSSociating together and
forming companies to erect mills, and
finally did put several in operation,
they were declared to be myths, and
every report of the organization of a
tin plate company was paraded in
their columns as tariff falsehoods be-
cause tin plate factory did not rise
up over night and begin turning out
a thousand boxes daily in less time
than the foundation stones could laid
for a building. Yet several began
making one hundred boxes daily be-
fore the tariff went into effect, and
now when it is only forty days old
American tin plate is in the open
market for purchase in small ouanti-
ties.
The result of this steady progress in
the development of this industry here
has been to sharpen the tempers and
intensity the wrath of the Scoffers, for
nothing is left them now but to rail
at American manufacturers for bring
ing over to this country the skilled
and experienced labor necessary, and
all of which is not to be had here: in
asmuch as there has been no demand
for it. Just why it should awaken
such deep resentment among free
traders is not quite clear, for under
their policy this country would con-
tinue to support in Wales the thou
sands of workmen from among whom
it is now proposed to take a few hun
dred. If Americans are to pay them
their wages, isn't it far better that
those wages should be paid here
where they must also be spent? Be-
ULldU SliCu w ClSu I'LL pldUC
ers as may come here will take no
American workingman's place, for
until now there have been no tin plate
factories to give work either to our
own people or foreigners.
Experienced manufacturers esti-
mate that not over 10 per cent. of the
labor will need to come from abroad.
In other words they will need that
number who have been drilled for five
or eight years in the trade. They
must, of course come from Wales. Mr..
Neidringhaus, of ST. Louis, will en-
ploy 600 hands, and wants 60 of them
to be experienced Welshmen. There
can be no injustice to any one in this,
and American workmen can well af-
ford to welcome their foreign breth-
rem to these shores if for every one
that comes here under steady employ
ment nine of those now living in this
country are given work side by side
with him.