The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1895-11-11
Interesting Talk with MT. l.. b. Jack
son, General Manager of n Large
Plant at MiddIetown.
DEMOCRATIC LIES NAILED
GROWTH OF THE BUSINESS WHOLLY
DUE TO THE M'IxINLEY LAW.
No New Works Started Since Con-
Still Needed by Manufacturers.
peclal to the Indianapolis journal.

MlDDLElONN, lfiu.s NOV. W.-Ine con-
tinued efforts of the Democratic press to
belittle the tin plate industry is not rel
ished by the people of Indiana, who have
watched the industry's remarkable growth
and derived some OF the b,nehts accruing
therefrom. In this city is located the Iron
dale Steel and Iron Company, manufacturer
OF tin and terne plates. Mr.. l.. Il. jackson
is general manager of the works and a rec
ognized authority on matters connected
with the tin-plate industry. He has been a
Democrat for forty years. but he resents
the position of his partys organs on the
tin-plate question. There is vast differ
ence, he says, between theory and practice
He spoke freely on the subject to your cor
respondent yesterday.
'In a recent issue of the Indianapolis
Sentinel" he said, appeared an editorial
headed AS to Tin Plates,' that is SO mani
festly unjust and unfair. not only to the
tinned-plate manufacturers of America, but
is such a misstatemeDt of facts and condi-
tions as to impose on the entire public. The
Sentinel sets out that, at the time of the
agitation of the Mckinley bill it made five
distinct charges against the tin schedule of
that bill, which were as follows:
First-The duty on tin ore and pig tin
for the protection of American tin mines in
Dakota and California was a humbug be-
cause there were no tin mines there pro-
ducing tin in marketable quantities.
+" 'Second-That large part of the
product of alleged timed plate was in fact,
terne plates, which were used for roofing,
etc, and cannot be used for canning on ac-
count of the lead they contain.
timed plates in this country was chiefly
dipping imported black plates in inn
did not supply the market.
'Fifth-That tariff duty was unneces-
sary to the industry and that, even IL
any duty was desirable to give the industry
start, the Mckinley duty was out of all
reaspn.'
ignoring the first proposition, which, the
Sentinel admits, is not in point, from the
fact that there has never been any well-di-
rected effort to develop or prospect the re-
sources of America for tin ore, and taking
up the second proposition the Sentinel un-
lowing low % remarkable m manner: The he l1 propor- or
ton of terne plates to the total product
during the fiscal year ending June 8, 1892
portion port p Of terne plates T was I only ss per per
cent. which shows that the new law was
more favorable for the manufacture OF
timed plates than the old one.
THE FACTS ABOUT TERNE PLATES
"what are the facts in regard to the
manufacture Of terne plate in American
asked the reporter.
."The base of either a timed or terne
| plate is black plate said Mr. Jackson
''The more perfect and highly finished the
| black plate the better the quality of the
timed plate, and. in addition to this, there /,
| much less skill required in the coating OF
a terne plate than in timed plate, and
! the reason that in the years 1891 and 1S9
| 81 per cent of the total product manufac-
| tured in America was terne plate, was sim
l,,lx- aff flpf fin1n tha on
| tin plate manufactured in this country was
so small and the terne plate so much more
easily made that the results as set out were
| produced, and that in the year 1885 the pro
| portion of terle plate was only 50 per cent.
/ simply proves that in the short time il
which. this industry has been developed We
have been enabled to make marketable
and satisfactory article of timed plate. lr
| addition to this, no one need be told thai
! for every pound of terne plate used there
| are at least five pounds of timed plate
| consumed.
proposition g. namely, that the process:
| of making tin plates in this country wa:
chiefly dipping imported black plates IL
| imported tin is undertaken TO be sustained
| by the Sentinel by showing the wonderful
growth of the timed plate industry in thi:
son bill and not the Mckinley bill is tt
| be credited for this phenomenal growth, 4
| shows that for the six last calendar month";
| only 81, ,S59, $50 pounds, and for the first si,
| months of 1895 it was 127, III, $40 pounds, ant
| by this exhibit, trying TO create the i'm
| last six months demonstrates the fact tha
the Wilson bill should be given credit fol
| this growth.
'sThe real cause and true reason that tn,
| timed plate industry in America has a
| the present time assumed the magnificen
| proportions IT has. is that this government
| under the Mckinley act. guaranteed a Ger
| tain amount of protection to this industry
| and that. relying on this promise of ou
| government, fabulous amount of capita
&.I - ia.
| Sentinel or anybody else will take tn,
| trouble to inquire they will find that nom
| of the modern tin mills of America ha
been constructed and completed under
period Of two years. and that it takes an
| other year to adjust and get into prope
| working conditions a plant, and that th
| increase in the number of mills appears i
| the year 1895 Is that the mills started i
1893 and 1894 have just been completed ant
| put into operation, and this applies to tn
| mills that are still in an unfinished condi
ton. 1 would ask the Sentinel to point t.
a single timed plate manufacturing con
| Germ that has undertaken to erect a plan
since the advance in steel and the decreas
| IN duty.
HOME PRODUCT AND IMPORTATIONs
Referring to Proposition T. that tn
| home manufacturers did not supply tn
market, the Sentinel again undertakes I
sustain this statement in the followin
| words:
:. The. domestic product does not an
never did supply the American market
The report as published in the Journa
| shows q total manufacture in this countr
| of 19S, sol 073 pounds in 1895, and an impor
| for the same year of 513 963 40l pounds. o
| more than two and one-half times the do
| mestic production
THAT the American manufacturer of tin
| ned plate has never been able to supply tn
| home market goes without saving. an
| for this reason, if for no other the pro
| lection as given under the Mckinley ac
| was granted so that we Americans woul
be enabled to go ahead and manufactur
an article for America, and the result a
attained under the. Mckinley bill show
that at the time of its passage the cor
sumption of timed and terne plate i
| America was about ten times the amoun
| of the production, and that within the shor
| period of four years this industry ha
| grown until, according to the Sentinel
own figures, we could, IL the conditions to
day would admit, supply this country wit
amount consumed by large packing cor
| Germs, who are enabled, by reason Of tn
| iniquitous rebate allowed for export I
| buy foreign plates, convert them into pack
ages and export them back, obtaining
rebate OF within a very small per CEN
the Sentinel as the amount of importe
! plates for the year 1896, 50 per cent. ar
consumed In this manner and are agai
exported back 10 where they came from
Proposition 5. that the tariff duty wa
a start. the Mckinley duty was out OF res
son. is referred TO as follows:
20 The progress OF the industry I'm lSs
shows the excessive character Of the Ms