The sun., 1893-10-05
In Its Trne LIGHT.

1
| ing with pride to "forty-two tin plate
factories employing thousands of men,
not one of which (he probably means
iEdustries) was In existence before the
| tariff of 1890" After stating that the
product OF his pet industry was nearly
| 100000 pounds for the three months
ending June 80, 1893, and that 45 per
cent. of that was made from American
| black plates, he said:
assume that tin plate is to be made free
because the last House of Representatives.
which was Democratic, made 1t free by q party
vote, These splendid industries which have
been built up In our country, and which have
supplied employment for so many working
men, are to be closed, and this. the greatest
consuming nation of tin plate In the world,
VIII hereafter BUY this product from abroad,
unless our labor is brought down to the degrad-
eXe OF p Ing nsd &
policy il they do, they are recreant to their
own highest and best interests The manu-
the people OF the United States would keep an
army of 6O,n00 workingmen in constant em-
ployment. The policy OF my distinguished
Governor, is to take this employment from
them, and give It to the cheaper labor of Eu-
rope; The tariff of the Republican party
would employ these so Geo worktnRmen in the
United States at good wages and thus give to
the agriculturis., to the manufacturers and to
merchants 10000 profitable consumers of their
products.
Undoubtedly the tin-plate industry
is the greatest achievement of McKin-
leyism. But should its putative father
Ee proud of it? In the first place we
will inspect the Governors figures:
The official estimate for the quarter
ending June 80, 1893, is 35,CO0,O0O
pounds. But nearly 2O,000,000 pounds
we're made from imported sheets. AS
nine-tenths of the weight and of the
value and three-fourths of the labor
cost of tin plates is in the black or un-
coated sheets, the Treasury Depart
ment has very properly decided that
such sheets when merely dipped in
imported tin, often by imported work
men, do not constitute American tin
plate" 1t was only by patriotic
move of Republican officials, who
wished to magnify our production, that
this foreign product was ever declared
to be American. Our actual product
for this quarter, then, was less than
10000, 900 pounds, about half of which
was terne or roofing plate.
Next, as to that "army of 10000
wOrkingmen." The Hon. Thomas L.
Bunting, President of the Tin Plate
Consumers Association. ssid in Con-
gress. in 1892, that our average annual
consumption of tin plate latter deduct
ing 1000, 900 boxes for export is about
5000, 900 boxes, and that the total labor
cost of producing this is about $5,0O0,-
900. At $400, the average wages paid
such help In this country, 1880 peo-
pie might possibly find employment in
this industry if we should make all of
the tin plate we consume. If we should
employ an army of 10000, the average
wages would be less than So week.
The Governor can choose between the
two horns of this dilemma.
AS 10000, 900 pounds equal about 160,-
600 boxes we are now employing about
400 people in this genuine American
industry. If, as Congressman Bunting
estimated, 300 men at $400 year could
tin, wash, 81 ease, rub, and dust the
5000, 900 boxes which we annually con-
sumo, we are now employing about 115
men in our tin-dipping establishments.
About 500 men, then, should be en-
ployed in our tin-plate works. AS,
however, many of the plants are small
and not run to good advantage, the
number actually employed may be con-
siderably greater. We. will be very
liberal and give it 1,500 men at S400
each, making total for wages paid of
5000, COO as the result of the Mckinley
tariff.
In order to estimate the profits of
this industry to this country we shall
now see what it is costing us. The duty
on 500,000,000 pounds Of tin plate is
$4,000, 900. Seven million dollars Of
this was added by Mckinley for the ex-
press purpose of inducing tin-plate
factories to sojourn with us. The fret
two years were almost a dead loss to
this country, as the mills were not, in
1892, making more than per cont. Of
our consumption. Now, after nearly
three years of prosperity, greater than
that Of any other new industry ever
started in the United States, as Nc
Kinley tell us, we pay out $12,000,000
and take in 100000! And Ohio's Gov
ernOr considers this great bargain.
But suppose that the great expecta-
tions and promises of Mckinley had
been realized, and that we were now
making all of the tin plate we consume,
and that our factories were dependent
upon the duty; we would then expend
$l2, 900, 900 in increased cost of tin plate
and get back $5,000,000 in wages if
Congressman Bunting's statistics are
correct. But, it should not be forgot
ten that not all of this $4,000, 900 is
gain; the most of those employed in
this industry could find employment in
other industries-not pensioners upon
public charity-where they could earn
almost quite as much as in this pauper
industry. The actual gain to the wage
earners employed in this industry,
then, is very small.
But this Is not all. Congressman
Bunting showed that the net value of
the raw materials-outside of the pig
thin 100000 boxes of tin plate Is
SO, 10000. He came to the conclusion
that consumers of tin plates, there
fore, could afford to pay for all these
raw materials, and leave them In the
ground, pay for all the labor to make
them up, and leave it idle, and still
save So, 100000"
Nor Is this all, or even the greater
part of McKinley's bad bargain. The
Increased cost of tin plate has had a
most injurious effect upon all tin plate |
consuming Industries. Some of these !
are the can-making, the roofing, and |
the canning industries. Through |
these the injury extends to the build |
ing trades, to small fruit and vegetable |
farming and to other trades and indus |
tries. We will take space to enumer-
ate only few of the industries struck |
by Mckinley blight. The can-mak-
ing establishments are great sufferers
from the decreased use of cans due to |
increased cost. Mr.. Bunting men
tions eight that paid S92, ,576 for wages
in 1891 and only 500, 791 in 1922 loss |
of $42, 1856 to labor. The wage -earners
had to share with the consumers in
paying the duty which Mckinley says
the foreigner pays.
There are 1,200 canning concerns In |
the United States besides 800 more
meat, fish and oyster packers. The
growers, pickers, packers, ETC., en-
gagged in producing the contents of |
these cans make up an army Of 2,000,- |
900. The Ss,0o0,O00 tax on tin plate |
used for canning purposes touches
every one of these producers as we'll as
the 65,000,000 consumers Of canned |
goods, many of whom depend for cheap
food upon canned vegetables, meats, etc.
Thus the tomato farmer averages about |
five tons Of tomatoes, worth SO per ton,