Los Angeles herald., 1892-09-11
THE TIN PLATE HUMBUG.

Perhaps in no respect has Republican
faulty in discussions been shown more
conspicuously than in the matter OF the
tin plate industry, God save the mark
If one were to credit the jargon uttered
by the newspaper and oratorical advo-
Gates of Harrison's reelection, the max
ing OF tin plate has already become
great industry. And SO it has become
in horn. The whole measure was de-
signed by it's author, Ohio's "Sweet
William" or Mckinley OF that ilk, to
give certain Republican coterie enor-
nous profits on importations hurried
forward to anticipate the passage of
that law. The importations were
simply prodigious by the favored few
who knew of the purpose OF Mckinley
and his associates to impose the new
duty. 1t looks incredible, but it is
really fact, that these profits amounted
to the enormous sum of twenty million
dollars, more or less-we use the elasti"
language of the law because such mat
ters cannot be figured up to fraction.
A trade journal in San Francisco, at the
time, made careful estimate OF the
amount of money which went into the
pockets Of the coterie in California, and
the figures footed up the respectable
total Of 100000. This, for one state,
was doing pretty we'll.
1t 10 really impossible to put limit
to the nonsense which has been written
about tin industry that really does not
exist. In their wild efforts to clutch at
something tangible. these people even
swooped into Southern California, and
claimed the output of the Temescal tin
mines as the result of the Mckinley
bill, although that measure does not
bestow cent of bounty on the tin pro-
ducer or impose p cent of duty at the
ports of entry, and although the mines
were developed to their present stage of
producliveness before the Mckinley bill
was ever heard OF. This is one of the
absurdities that make an intelligent
man tired. Senator Carliale furnished
the Iron Age with table showing the
cost OF production and the selling price
of tin plates in Wales during the years
1S67-lS9l inclusive. 1t appears that the
cost OF production ranged from lis. 10d.
to 13s. 4d. per box, showing an extreme
variation OF Is. 3D., but the selling price
ranged from 12s. Cd. to U.s., variation
of 4s. Cd. The great rise in prices took
place ir the latter part Of 1890 and
the beginning of 1891, when the
maximum figure of 17s. per box
was reached. This was caused by the
rush of American buyers to get stocks
accumulated before the Mckinley tariff
should take effect. During The twelve
months ending June 80, 1891, there were
shipped to the United States 9,259, 400
boxes at the advanced prices. The
average advance above the normal quo
tation could not have been lees than
fifty cents per box during that year.
In other words, the Mckinley bill
turned an extra profit of at least
$4,000, 900 into the pockets of the Welsh
manufacturers in one years time at our
expense. These manufacturers showed
no more inclination to divide the profit
with their workingmen than ours do.
The rate Of wages remained unchanged
till the middle of 1891, when there was
an advance of about 10 per cent.
A correspondent of the New York
Evening Post inquired what proportion
of the tin plate used in this country is
made here at the present time, and that
journal truthfully answered "none."
About per cent is the figure, if we
count as American tin plates the British
black plates imported and timed here.
The i'm mportation of these plates in the
whole year ending June 30, 1890, before
the Mckinley bill went into operation,
was only 229S pounds. 1t shot up to
5,4ls,52 pounds in the nine months
ending March 81, 1892, and during
this time the treasury department
reported a manufacture of 5,24O,S3O