The daily morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1883-1899, 1896-12-18
THERE'S MILLIONS
IN TIN PLATE
Factory Can Easily BE Established in
Astoria on a Paying Basis.
HOME MARKET FOR OUTPUT
Why Walt for Others 10 DO What We
Can DO NoW-start the Ball 10
Rolling /.

III Il my opinion that tin plate
mill can easily be established In Asto-
ria, and that Il will be profitable from
the beginning" said Mr. c. s. Norris.
manager OF the A. Booth Packing Co,
Chicago. 10 an Astorian representative
last evening
There is every reason for the estab-
fishing Of tin plate mill here. You
have none Of the disadvantages which
the Eastern mills or mills In the Middle
states have TO contend against The
high rates Of freight on raw material
to the mill and the rates on the manu-
factured product for distribution, even
under the present low duty on tin.
make II almost prohibitlye TO manufac-
ture the plate In the interior. At AS
torla you are at tide-water, get your
fright by sea, and have a large market
at your very doors for the disposal Of
the product OF a large factory. The
raw tin you would get either from the
Cornish mines or from Australia, for
large part as ballast In the grain
ships The duty would be trifiing and
transportation charges almost nothing.
You have at Oregon City. | am told.
good grade Of iron ore. and under.
stand that there is iron in the noun
tains OF the southern Nehalem. but a
few miles distant from Astoria. In those
same mountains Is to be found a high
grade OF coling coal. and when Ham
mond's railroad is completed through
that country. which doubtless will b.
in the very near future. II seems q
me that all the necessary requirements
for the cheap manufacture Of tin plats
will be In your hands.
1T is unnecessary for me 10 enlarge
upon the tremendous packing indus
try OF the Columbia river. where yearly
there Is an output Of some 400. 900 cases
OF salmon. Within a few hours Of you
are also the large canneries Of Alaska
and Puget Sound. These salmon can.
neries alone will consume each year all
OF the product of large mill In ad-
ditiOn there is your tin can factory and
similar institution in San Francisco.
For distributing the plate you have the
cheap water transportation on the
great Columbia as far east as Portland
and The Dalles. When your railroad is
finished you can easily reach the fruit
canneries of Washington. Idaho and
Southern Oregon. while shipments can
be made TO the big fruit establishments
of California by ocean. II really seems
strange to me that in a city where
many thousands OF dollars are paid out
every year for duty on imported tin
plate. you have not long ago manufac-
tured your own. Why should you wait
for others TO come in and build up an
Institution from which they win reap
great profits when you might do it
yourselves and keep all the benefits at
home The attention of Eastern peo-
ltalists there viii before long be in
vesting money here and pocketing divi-
dends. You could not better start the
ball to rolling than by making the be-
ginning with tin plate mill. II you
do not do 1t strangers will, and whoever
builds the factory win make big pro-
fits. Among all the propositions for in
ternal improvements at the mouth of
the Columbia river which have been
brought to my attention, consider the
tie mill the most important. with
laps the exception of a government
dry dock"