Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1892-06-02
A MOST ABSURD PLEA.
THE CLAIM THAT AMERICANS CAM
NOT MAKE TIN PLATE.

Facts and Figures which demonstrate
the Remarkable Growth of the In
dustry in This Country, and That, Too.
without Increasing the Cost.
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 milton in
nearly all other lines of manufacture,
they cannot hope to master the compar-
atively simple process of tin plate max
ing. is now steadily narrowing down to
few hysterical gasps at whatever
minor points of weakness they can hit
upon in the lines of home defenses.
A year or so ago, before the new tariff
went into effect. the idea that American
manufacturers could turn ont tin plate
was ridiculed and poohpoohed by the
very papers that today concede in 4 half
hearted way that limited number of
factories are in successful operation.
The recent report of the treasury depart
ment on the development of the inc ustrv
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 Wheel
ing around with a good deal of noise and
precions little else. Mr. Charles S.
Trench, of q. S. Trench & Co., "a Cliff
street, imp )rters of tin plates, has super
seeded 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 majesty's dominions. but an |
equally severe one to {. S. Trench d !
60. personally, inasnluch 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 pecuniary
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, 929
pounds of tin plate; from Oct to Dec.
81, l,4Og.S2l pounds, and 3,004, 0S7 pounds
from Jan. /. 1899. to March 3l--a total
IN the nine months of tariff protection
Of 5,240.S30 pounds. Nineteen firms,
scattered from Baltimore to st. Louis.
in this production, the ex-
perimental output of as many more fac
tories not being included in the totals
Not u single factory was at work on tin
u.
Each of these quarterly reports shows
production twice as large as the proceed
ing quarter. and reliable reports indicate
that the quarter ending July |, which
an exact year of the tin plate
tariff, will show a production twice as
large as the entire preceding nine
or about 10000, 900 pounds.
This steady and remarkable ratio of I
Increase is made light Of in the latest Q
circular from Treasurer Trench. the
claim being made that it represents but q :
per cent. of our total consumption. !.
md would mean but three days sup
ply for the country. Well. what of :
hiatt is not three days supply better
han none at all? Is there not something
or American workingmen to be thankful
or in the fact that the tin plate tariff
las, in nine months time and despite :
market loaded down with foreign goods 7
brought several millions of idle capital =
nto activity. afforded employment to :
thousands of men and permanently es- =
ablished in this country an industry :
which hitherto has been monopolized by =
Y ales:
1t can be demonstrated. too. by cur !; =
ent price quotations in wholesale and -
etail houses that all this has been accom-
lished with no increase in price. either
or the poor mans dinner pail or his
ruit can. both of which are as cheap if =
ot cheaper today than ever before -
lau Work Mail aud Ewpraos u