The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1892-06-03
A MOST ABSURD PLEA.
The Claim That Americans Cannot Make
Tin Plate.

The Claim That Americans Cannot Make
Tin Plate.
The long continued effort Of the free
trade Press to bring the American peo-
pie to the belief that, while they can
equal If not excel every other nation in
nearly all other lines Of manufacture,
they cannot hope to master the compar-
atively simple process of tin plate max
ing rjs now steadily narrowing down to
a few hysterical gasps at whatever
minor points of weakness they can hit
upon in the lines of homo defenses.
year or so ago, before the new tariff
went into effect, the idea that American
manufacturers could turn out tin plate
was ridiculed and poohpoohed by the
very papers that today concede in half
hearted way that q limited number Of
factories are in successful operation.
The recent report of the treasury depart
ment on the development of the industry
here, showing condition of things
equal to every anticipation, has acted
like stick thrust into this hornets nest
of foreign tin plate worshipers and has
brought them out, buzzing and wheez-
Ing around with good deal Of noise and
precious little else. Mr.. Charles S.
Trench, Of G. s. Trench 81 Co., "a Cliff
street, importers of tin plates, has super
seded The Evening Post as the loudest
champion Of the cause. The change is
proper one, inasmuch as Mr.. Trench is
an Englishman, is at the head of an
English firm and sells in this country
only the product of English factories.
The success Of the American industry
means, therefore, to Trench, not only a
heavy loss to one of the leading indus
tries in her najesty's dominions, but an
equally severe one to G. s. Trench q
Co. personally, inasmuch as their occu-
patton would be limited if not entirely
gone. Mr.. Trench therefore has his
English prejudices and preferments by
the right of birth, as well as of fpecuniary
profit, while The Posts editor comes to
his Anglomania merely by adoption.
The Welsh and English tin plate
makers thus pursued natural course
when they changed from The Posts
editor to Mr.. Trench as their medium Of
attack on American tin plate makers,
and proved their faith in Trench by
making him treasurer of their Tin Plate
Consumers association, first placing a
good sum in the treasury for him to take
care of. This contribution Treasurer
Trench is spending in the dissemination
of free tin plate literature, his latest
publication being an effort to explain
away the facts presented in the treasury
departments report on domestic tin
plate making.
This he cannot do. The figures are
beyond dispute. They show that from
July to Sept. 30 last we made S26, ,922
pounds Of tin plate; from Oct / to Dec
81, ,409, ,821 pounds, and 1904, ,0S7 ponds
from Jan. /, 1892, to March 31-a total
in the nine months of tariff protection
Of 5,240, $50 pounds. Nineteen firms,
scattered from Baltimore to st. Louis,
participated in this production. the ex-
perimental output of as many more fac
tories not being included in the totals.
Not single factory was at work on tin
plate before the tariff was increased.
Each of these quarterly reports shows a
production twice as large as the preced-
ing quarter, and reliable reports indicate
that the quarter ending July /, which
completes an exact year Of the tin plate
tariff, will show production twice as
large as the entire preceding nine
months, or about 10000, 900 pounds.
This steady and remarkable ratio of
increase is made light of in the latest
circular from Treasurer Trench, the
claim being made that it represents but
/ per cent. of our total consumption,
and would mean but a three days sup
ply for the country. Well, what of
that? Is not three days supply better
than none at all? Is there not something
for American workingmen to be thankful
for in the fact that the tin plate tariff
has, in nine months time and despite
market loaded down with foreign goods,
brought several millions of idle capital
into activity, afforded employment to
thousands Of men and permanently es-
tablished in this country an industry
which hitherto has been monopolized by
Wales?
1t can be demonstrated, too, by cur
rent price quotations in wholesale and
retail houses that all this has been accom-
plished with no increase in price, either
for the poor mans dinner pail or his
fruit can, both Of which are as cheap if
not cheaper today than ever before
New York Mail and Express.