The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1894-10-15

A resident of Elwood wha is interested
in the t~in-plate industry and who seems not
to know that the Sentiners statements re-
industry attract no more attention among
intelligent people who know it than have
it's assaults upon Governor Matthews and
the last Democratic Legislature. furnishes
some facts for the refutation of its state
ment in an article in which a tin-plate
manufacturers conspiracy was elaborated.
The statement of the Sentinel was that
the demanding of a reduction of the wages
of their employees by t~in-plate manufactur-
ers is a political bluff" In regard to the
price of tin plates the Journals informant
says:
At the time the Mckinley law went into
effect the price of tin plate for / C coke
grade. 17 pounds 20 the box. was $40
to $3.50 per box. With the efforts of the
Welshmen to strangle the American indus
try. aided by the railroads In the matter
of freight rates. this price has fallen TO
between s4.75 and 1890 without any tariff
reduction at all. showing what benefits
We're being secured even to the American
manufacturer of tinware under the opera
ton of the Mckinley tariff. At A75 to
$3.50 tin was about as cheap in the Amer
lean market as il had ever been in the
history of the tin-plate trade.
The Sentinel in its article, which was de-
signed to create a prejudice against the
American manufacturer BY asserting that
he would demand a reduction of wages
to help a political party. said that tin
plates have not been reduced in price,
when. as a matter of fact, the price of
plates was reduced a cent a pound when
the Democratic tariff bill went into effect.
On this point the Journals informant
says:
dale Can Company and make them an offer
to supply them with 10000 boxes of / c
coke plates. 100 pounds to the box, 14x2O
size. at a price of $3.50 and find it viii be
declined. This nails the lie of the Senti-
mel 70 the effect that tin plate has not
been reduced in price,
A reduction of the price Of tin plates
a dollar a hundred means a fall of 20 per
cent. To say that such a fall in price
of the labor employed in making plates
is more than absurd. In this connection
it may be said that the reduction asked
for by the manufacturer Of plates affected
about Is per cent. of the workmen in a
plant employing $50 men. namely. the
rollers the heaters and the ''doublers'
men who are getting in this country
SC. 81 and IS per day. against $3.50. 81 and
$50 in the Welsh works. and where COM
mon labor costs from $50 to s. per week.
Attention is also called to the cablegram
of a few days ago stating that the en-
ployes in one Welsh factory went to work
at a reduction of 20 per cent. after being
idle for nearly two years.
AS was stated on Saturday. American
at rates which discriminate outrageously
against the American competitor. For in
stance. the railroads charge % cents a
hundred pounds from New York to Kan
sas City. while they charge 80 cents from
Elwood. and the rate from. New York to
this city is only 1 cent more than from
Elwood. Thus the British plate manu-
facturer. the American railroads and the
Democratic Congress seem to be in a con-
sDiracy to ruin the growing tin-plate in
dustry in this country unless it can COM
pete by reducing wages to something like
the British standard. For the present, and
for the purpose of destroying the Ameri-
can tin-plate industry. the British makers
have made the price lower than it has
been for years. 1t is very natural that
the Sentinel should join the foreign man
ufacturer against the American and turn
upon him its only instrument of warfare,