The free press. (Poplarville, Miss.) 1890-19??, 1892-09-15

Not only is the infant as yet very
small, but it is feeble. At present We
are manufacturing only about Eve per
cent. of our total consumption, and the
New York Daily Commercial Bulletin,
which has made an analysis of the estab-
lishments making tin plate, comes to
the conclusion that ''as long as prices
remain high such works as do the tin
ming, merely buying the black plates
ready for this process, they may get
along, but the industry can never bs
firmly established here on this basis.
The large manufacturers of sheet iron
and steel whose works are we'll situated,
and who are in the best position to make
the tin plate industry success, have not
yet shown any inclination to take up the
new industry. The tin plate industry
can be established only when works
shall be established on a large scale,
which will make speciality of tin plates
and carry on the production from the
steel and iron in the form of billets or
bars. AS yet but few such works are In
operation or are projected"
Grant that in few years we shall be
maklr all of our own tin and tsrne
plates, what then9 The industry would
probably be more OF curse than bless
ing to us. Saying nothing about expect
ing or hoping to get back the $50, ,O00,-
900 during the last three years, or the
more than 800, 600, 600 during the last
twenty years, which the attempt to es-
tablish this industry has cost US, this
artifcially supported industry, like that
of the manufacture of rails, of refined
sugar, and of hundreds of others, would
continue in its old age to take dollars
from consumers that it might restore
cents to wage earners. If prices OF tin
,, should remain about two cents per pound
above the foreign prices, as it undoubt-
edly will, as long as the manufacturers
of steel sheets, of galvanized iron and
steel and of tin plate maintain their com.
bine and are protected by duty OF two
and two-ffths cents per pound, this in
dustry will take $40 from the consumer.
not s. of which will be paid to the wage
earners and not fifty cents of which will
represent gain to wage earners over
what they could have earned in other
industries. By virtue of the duty, which
the American Economist says should be
retained "forever," the tin plate trust
would continue to rob us of $12, 600, 900
or $15, 900, 600 year that rs, 900
or 81, 900, 900 might go as wages to
1o,o00 Or ot,osmeA, No @cnnld dsasn
almost as much in self.supporting in
dustry. This is on the supposition that
American laborers will get the benefit OF
wages paid in this industry. As mat
ter of fact, a large proportion OF the
workmen in this, as in most other indus
tries brought here by protection, are
foreign born-brought here to reduce
wages by competing with American
workmen.
So long as this infant must have pro-
lection pap to keep it alive here SO long
will it be curse to us-yes, and II 1t
should ever become so hardy that "
could live without this pap and it should
not be weaned by radical free traders, It
would still curse us as does the 6fty-year-
old and still unweaned industries Of
making steel rails and sugar, which take
millions from us every year, though We
could make as many tons of steel rails
and pounds Of sugar, and pay just as
high wages, as if there were no duty at
all.