The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1894-03-05

In tho trade will turn their attention to
other markets than the siutos, which
makes tho trade at presents 80 uncertain.
EFFECT OF M'KtSLgytsN.
Tho i'll effects OF McSinlcyIsm horc
may be seen in tho fact that there AFRO
ut present over 5000 tin.patGrs, includ,
ing boys and girls, lido, beside large
number connected with Industries who
depend upon tho tin-plato trade for n
living. Tho loss in wages alone to those
directly engaged in the Lra1o amounts
to over El2,OO0 weekly, whiln tho Ioas to
outsiders must DO large. The employ.
orS loss, too. at tho low estimate Of Cd
por box profit, which is small enough,
and also taking into nCcount tho stand.
ing charges, cannot DO placed at lcSs
estimate than, say, $1,000 weekly.
These figures arc based OH the output Of
about lGO mills, now reported as idle,
and with that We have TO tAko into nc
count many now running at u loss, In
hopes OF better times aoon dawning
upon thom, whose loas in tho aggregate
must DO very heavy. On tho
other hDnd, many manufacturers
benefit owing to larger output. which,
il the restricted output held good,
would allow somewhere about 80 more
mills to keep going, aud thus reduce
materially tho distress now existing.
The suffering on tho part Of the work.
men has been keen; in fact, tin.platers
have mover in the history OF the trade
boon 80 hardly pressed as during tho
last year. and wo have only to mention
such places as Pcnclawdd, Llangennech,
Pontymister, and Pontypool. and, in.
deed, tho whole OF tho western valley,
whore nearly one-third OF the mills now
Idle are situated, all Of which have been
lido for months, to convey some idea OF
tho distress now existing. Although
tin.plators arc generous, and have con.
tributod thousands Of pounds to miti-
gate tho distress OF their follows, tho
area OF distress Ia 80 wido that the pro-
portion OF rcliei 10 very small, and tin.
platers. too, arc rather backward us
body in making their poverty known to
outsiders. Wo could give very many
instances Of homes without food or frc,
even where relief funds existed, and
your readers may imagine that 20. or IS.
Cd. per week does not 60 far to maintain
n family-even II only in bread-accus-
toned to good living, as tin.platers are,
from tho laborious aud trying nature Of
their work. 1t may easily be Judged
how keenly they feel their present dis
tress. Tho hope was prevNlen: that
with the now year just ushered in there
would be an early and decided improve
ment in tho trade, but now that the
chances of tho repeal or modification OF
tho Mckinley tariI ara not so bright,
and the impression that ii 1t took place
it would not como into operation until
late in tho year, tho dependency OF
tin platers has increased, and many OF
them are turning their attention to
other sources OF employment, and arc
not likely to resume tin plating until
their shall appear something definite as
to its future prospects. Great as has
been the suffering in certain districts
and trades owing to MckinleyIsm, We
doubt II any body OF workmen have
suffered so much as the tin platers OF
South Wales, and We can but hope that
something definite will soon be known
from across tho pond that will tend to
relieve the strain now existing.