The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1891-01-08

Tin and Tinpiates.
More has already been said against |
the Mckinley tariff on tin and tinplates |
than will ever be said again. The |
tariff on tin does not go into effect |
until July next, and by that time the
country will be overstocked with i'm
ported tin-enough TO last another
year. By that time also there will be
several tin and tinplate manufactures
in operation in this country, and tin is
promised from these factories cheaper
than is now paid for imported tin. 1t
is a good time TO look ut this tin In
dustry In a rational light, now that the
election excitement is over and the
free trade stump speakers voice is no
more heard in the land, warning
the men with dinner kettles against
impending ruin. Look around
amongst the articles OF daily con
sumption in this country and see how
prices have lowered on all except tin.
Clothing Is cheaper. nails are cheap
CT, shoes are cheaper, giughams and
prints are cheaper, silk is cheaper,
plows are cheaper, buggies and car
riagcs are cheaper, even coal and coal
oil are cheaper though they are con-
trolled by the most Objectionable
trusts in the country Can the same
be said of tinware? Is it not the same
price now that it has been for the last
ten yearsH Those who buy tin know
it, Why has tho price of tin articles
not fallen like other articles of daily
eonsumptionY Simply because tin has
been manufactured in England instead
OF America and the English monopo-
lists have not suffered tin to drop in
p-ce. ....s. .....
Mr.. Cronemyer, Of the United States
Iron and Iin-plate Company, in an in
terview with a reporter of the Hard
ware a non-partisan paper, tells some
thing about how the tin-plate indus
try was crushed out in this country.
He says:
when this company was engaged
In the manufacture Of tin and terne-
plates some twelve or fifteen years ago
the travelling agent of q certain I'm
porting house in the East would hunt
up the customers that We had gained
for our product and assure them that
II they would state to him The price
we charged for our plates, he would
discount il twenty-five per cent. per
box, no matter what our price might
be. And do not hesitate to repeat
that these and similar methods on tho
part of importing houses had as much
to do with crushing the tin-platc in
dustry In this country, which at that
time had gained good foothOld ON
recount OF the superior quality Of
plates that were turned out then by
manufacturers on this side OF the
water, as the low rata Of tariff duty
that was imposed on imported plates.
Therefore, a higher rate of duty il
needed to protect the manufacturers
on this side OF the water against such
monOpolistie and like
methods"
In substance, the tariff was simply
enough to protect British uonopolsts
who could always cut under American
prices, on account of the lower price
paid for wages, sufficient to make the
business Improbable, and American
manufacturers We're gradually driven
out of the business, But n brighte,
day is coming for the American manu-
facturers and American consumers
Americans will soon manufacture
their own tin and tinplate, and litt
every other article of American pro
duction it will become open to compe,
tition, and the prices %ill drop, as We
have shown, as in other articles. Oh
this line it is encouraging to read VIVA
MIR. Brown, the New York manager oil
the st. Louis Stamping Company
which is about to engage IN the manu-
facture Of tinplate under the protee
ton OF the new tariff, gives to the edi
tor of the Hardware. lie says;
in the making of our own tin-plat
we shall have decided advantage
Tin-plate is now Imported in squar
sheets, and in cutting ont the mHteria
required, for instance, in making III
bottom OF pail there is a waste o
the corners equal To one-fonrth OF tn
whole sheet The only use we hav
+ been able to make or this waste ma
telial has been TO sell il 10 si4h-weigh
manufacturers. who melt it, giving II
only "a small traction Of the cost. 80,
y, we propose TO make our wares out q
the plain black sheet metal, platiui
the metal attcrward. The waste, i
this case will be only sheet iron, Mhie
can he put ia our furnaces and mcltc
again. SO practically nothing
wasted, and our tin-plate vail cost u
twenty-five per cent. less thnn il III
wares were cut out OF timed plate