Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1892-08-27
TIE TEMPLATE FAKE.

The esteemed IHteUigeRcer with a
flourish Of trumpets that would put a
circus parade TO shame quotes Special
Treasury Agent AYERS report on the
production of American" tin plate.
1t quotes this table:
Total number o, companies August r., 1892. -
Number OF companies manufacturing Au-
gust Is, lN.- -
Number or companies building Angus, 40
1892 .....-..-....-.. ........-... ~
Nuub'r % companies production suspended .
August i, l>.S. ........ .---...- :
Number OF companies eplargiug wocSs Au-
Number OF companies making or preparing
POUNDS.
Production OF tin aud teroe plates
fiscal year enling June 20. ls93.... 1SG.6,7l9
Total production dsca, yesr ending
June sO. Is32, including m4uutac-
lures rom American sheet iron or --
steel. timed or terne coated, about. 2QOO0COO
Estimated production tin and teIue
plates fiscal ear ending June 50, ......
1913 ... ..-- ..-. ..... &c. LJUOJJoOO
Estimated annual rate OF production
close 0f fiscal year ending June 3D.
l~s3 .......... ~ Jol'vJJ
Estimated Investment. buildings and
plant close OF fiscal year ending
June 80 ISIS ........................S 5,OyJUO
Mr.. HABRIsoN's Secretary Of the
Treasury has decided that imported
black sheets dipped in imported tin are
American tin plate if the dipping is
done in this country. From this stand
poinU Mp. AYERS figures are correct,
but will any one but hide-bOund Har-
risonian accept that product as Ameri-
can? ~
In tho Fifty-frst Congress the prom
ise was made that there would be pro-
duced in the United States the guam
tity Of tinplate consumed in this couu-
try by July l, 1S9l-more than one year
ago. The price of American steel plates
is about Sc per hundred, while even
under the increased duty imported tin
plates are only S4.95 per hundred, so
that If the 70 establishments in the
United States making sheet steel sold
their product in the form Of tinplate,
they would suffer a loss Of S3OS,OO an
nually. As a matter of fact only very
small proportion Of the 20 have given
attention TO tinplate.
The entire amount Of tinplate and
terueplate produced in the United States
the past year, according to the Govern
meut's figures, would last American
just about one day aud this
includes black sheets used for stamping
and imported sheets dipped in America
IN imported tin, while in some cases the
same sheets we're counted twice, once
as black sheets returned by the manu-
facturer as sold for stamping, and again
as tinplates returned By the establish
ment that coated them with tin.
From 1885 20 1859 inclusive the price
of tinplate Of the size and quality
chiefly used did not vary Il cents per
box, the average price being SASS. For
the nine months following the passage
OF the Din tue price averaged S5.45, and
as 5, ESQ, 4e3 boxes were imported during
this period, the people Of the United
States in nine months paid So, l0l, Artist
more than they would have had to pay
but for the Increased duty. Moreover,
the national Treasury received no ben
eft, as tine new duty was not actually
imposed until the close Of this period.
The labor cost of manufacturing tin
plate used in the United States, is es-
timatsd TO be $4,000 OO. At $500 per
year, paid for labor, this would furnish
employment to oaly 1880 people,
even on the wild hypothesis that the
whole process was conducted in this
country.
1t would be more economical TO
pension three times that number Of
people ana to buy our tinplate in
the cheapest market. But If We con-
tinue to Guy our black sheets abroad
and condne our manufacture" OF tim
plates to timing, washing, greaslng,
rubbing anu busting them, the entire