The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1891-07-07

Joseph Mcdaniel, president OF
Tie Mccullough Iron Company of
this city, and Henry Whiteley, son OF
the late Judge Whiteley and treasurer
OF the same company, prominent
Philadelphia and New York gentle
men are about TO build four complete
mills on the outskirts OF Philadelphia
for the manufacture OF tin plate. The
contracts are given out and the stipu-
latfons are such that the mills will be
finished In time to put on the market by
January /, 1892. The company will
be known as the Welsh-Ameriean Tin
plate Company, and 1t will have a
nominal capital Of $l,0o0,000. The
four mills will have a capacity Of
2, 500 boxes week, and other mills
will be added as the business increases.
Mr.. Whitley recently wrote as fol.
lows to the New York Mail and Ex-
press:
OFFICE or THE McCuLLorGH IRON
WoRKs, PHILADELpaIA, June SO
There is one thing upon which !
would lay great stress, and that is the
utter folly of such newspapers as the
Evening Post and others of that class
belittling the beginnings OF the tin
plate industry in this country. They
must not expect to see mill like Car
negin's or that OF the Cambria or the
Pennsylvania Steel Company making
great rolls and beams.
Tin plates are made in small sizes
and dipped by hand or by machinery,
and there isan opportunity to employ
boys and women, as Is done in Wales.
1t may seem like picayune sort OF
business to look at one single timing
plant ut work, but the aggregate out
la h.Nr.
will have for come time to come will
be copy of what they are doing in
Wales at the present time.
Our superintendent was recently in
one OF the large iron works where a
man and two boys were turning out
tin plates In small quantities, but
the proprietor showed hin a large
building almost finished, and in which
would be placed machinery for MAX
ing tin plate on a large scale. which
would cost IL the aggregate more than
500, 600.
There is no reason why tho consump-
ton OF the country in tln-plate should
not be supplied from tin-plate manu-
featured right here in this country,
and there is no better place than in this
eastern end. Labor is cheaper here
than in the West. We have steel works
In the Enst capable OF supplying steel
bars sufficiently good in quality to
compare with any plates Imported.
Having watched this thing for the
that the best way to engage In the in
dustry is to take 1t up at the exact
point at which the Welsh have brought
1t at the present time, and, in short,
to transplant the Welsh method to this
country. We will have to pay 100 per
cent. more here for labor than is paid
now In Wales. OF course we could
not do that without this extra duty,
but eventually, l believe, we will SO
cheaper the cost In various directions
that the price Of plates will be less to
the co ls1mer withoutat all depreciat-
ing tine quality.
This industry seems to me to offer
the lest field for Investment OF capital
OF anything that know of in the iron
or steel industry at the present time.
With mill Of proper size, large
enough to turn out plates, with econ
omy in all branches and built on the
best models, with experienced mana
gera, sufficient profit seems assured
to make it very profitable industry,
even in spite OF the large increase In
wae es that must be paid over that for
Welsh labor. However, 1t is only
question of time when this. too. will
be offset by the invention by Ameri-
cans OF such machinery as will reduce
the manual part OF the work to min
imum. Then there Is little or no dam
ger of Welsh makers being able to re-
tiuce their prices low enough to inter
fere with US for any length of time.
The English manufacturers will,
nevertheless. undoubtedly exhaust
every means in their power TO retain
their business. II the next Congress
should not reduce the duty-and 1t
seems impossible that it should DO SO
in the face of the present Senate and
President Harrison's firm attitude-I
do not see any reason why the English
people should not come over here
themselves and establish new plants
those who are in the condition to do
so, as many OF them arc. The only
effect of that would be that 1t would
insure the establishment of the in
tlustry in this country, because we
would then beyond doubt make the
quantity stipulated in the tariff bill as
necessary to hold tho duty, and they
would net be able to produce il any
aheaDer than we, nor of any better
quality. HENRY WHIrELEY.