Omaha daily bee., 1897-01-10
IRON AND STEEL SCHEDULE
Ways, and Means Committee Listens to
Further Arguments.
DIFFERENCE OF OPINION AS TO LEAD
smeItcrs and Miners DO Not Agree on
the subiect-Pcrtincnt Facts
Pertaining TO the Produce
hion OF Nickel.


Draper of Massachusetts. In behalf of the
machinery manufacturers of New England he
advocated the restoration of the Mckinley
rates.
w. H. Alexander of the Grant Smelling
company of Omaha spoke for lower rates on
| lead ore, asking a provision that the lead
in all ores containing lead be made dutiable
at three-fcurths of a cent pound. The
importation of lead ore was necessary for
smelling, he hold and under an erroneous
| Interpretation of the present law it paid as
! high rates as . and 5ia cents pound
| Duties of Ia cents on lead bullion and 1ss
cents on pig lead were asked. American
| capital was invested in Mexico and British
| Columbia for producing the ores.
John ID. Davis of California asked for n
| duty OF l cent a pound on lead ores. Cali
! tornia could produce all the lead ores needed
| by American smelters and had begun to sup
| ply the demand under the Mckinley law,
| but the business had stagnated under the
| wilson bill. The product he represented con-
| tanned 30 to 60 per cent of lead and 80 per
| cent OF silver.
| Dwight a. Jones of New York, represent
| ing the st. Joseph Lead company, spoke for
| protection which would enable Americans to
| conserve their lead supply and prevent the
| abandonment Of mines. The bonding sys-
| TEN enabled the Mexican ores to affect the
American market injurously. Under the
| wilson law they controlled the market.
Representative Hermann of Oregon recon-
| meriod a duty of 10 cents a pound on nickel
| In behalf Of his constituents He recalled
| that congress passed a resolution in 1891
authorizing the secretary of the navy to
| contract for the purchase of 81 600 600 worth
! OF nickel for armor plate on the assumption
| that 1t could not be produced in the United
| States Since that time ores had been dis
covered in various parts of the United
States: In Nevada. 10 per cent; in Jackson
| county, North Carolina, and Fremont county
| Colorado, bearing from II to "a per cent and
| in Saline county, Arkansas. in Washington
and Oregon, where in his county there was
mountain of the ore. The Oregon pro-
ducers claimed to be able to produce nickel
cents pound cheaper than the Canadians.
Representative Turner of Georgia sugges-
ted that If Americans could do that Ii would
be necessary to offer a bounty to Canadians
to compete. To this Mr. Hermann replied
that as soon as Americans got into the mar
ket the Canadians combined to drive them
| out. Freight rates also favored the Canadian
product.
A reply was made by Robert NJ Thomp-
son Of New York, the principal rellner of
nickel in the United States. His statement
was that he and Mr.. Wharton of Camden.
he other chief rofner. had examined all
the nickel mines spoken of by Mr. Her
| mann and had found that none of them
could be made u pay at any reasonable
| duty. They ccatGped rich ores but dif-
icult of refneheht while others contained
no trace Of nickel Had any profitable ores
been found in thG United States The rcfne,s
would have ltougl. The mine. The Cana
dian ores we're H"ted by Americans.
Stevenson Rurhe of Cleveland spoke for
the Canaadlm Copper company of which
he is pr57iisnt ana which is entirely an
Ohio corpcra:iln.i They had sold to tho
goyernno0t cC.lper nickel mats at II cents
. p1rnd wlSn tsie market price wac %
cents, ihat ITS vssge II srmor plate might
2a proved. All the feiring Of their product
%Es dg2e IL tha unltG4 states, English
aap'taitE.S oheredfa market fer all nickel
matt, having an improved reclining process.
II daty wss i'Gt on The ore, refining In
thc United states would be stopped He
knew Of TO o-os as rich as y to 10 per
cert in nicEcls, the average YVES only PEI
cent.
NINE OWNERS LOSE MONEY.
II. J. CaHtweil spoke for the Missouri
Association of Lead Miners. E!e said that
the association had nothing to do with the
output or pliccs, that the labor cost of pro.
ducinS lead was so great a factor that II
should not be cessed as raw material. All
CT the companies except q few in the south
west part Of the state had made a positive
loss In 1896. He coptendeG that the present
law was impossible OF enforcement and
complained that smelling Of ores in bond
waS detrimental 10 the miners He recon-
meEded that all ores contsning 8 per cent
Of lead be dutiable at q cents a pound
on the mass. The prices in the United
States would be the London price plus the
duty, and less the cost of transportation
from London to New York. The duty should
exclude Mexican ores.
The subject of pig ircn wGs next taken
up William a. Bingham of Philadelphia.
for The Eastern Pig Iron association, com
posed of the smelters east of the Allie
ghanies, fsSed restoration of the duly
to the Mckinley rate of 6.72 cents a ton
(preSent rate $D.
''If raise IN nj
must on bars" suggested Mr.. Dalzell.
Not necessarily" was the answer.
I'm other woIds a raise all along the
!ire remarked Chairman Dingley.
Raises where they are necessary"
since less has been imported under the
Wilson law than the Mckinley law how
has it hurt you?" Mr. Payne asked
ut has not hurt us but it will when
business revlves, for l know how cheaply
England can produce IT,"
Mr.. McMillin declared that the Tennessee
Coal and Iron company had exported 10000
tons to Great Britain in the past four or
five months and practically controlled the
English price.
Mr.. Steele asked him if the Tennessee
company favored free pig iron, to which Mr. |
McMillin replied negatively.
Mr.. Ingbam said the Tennessee company |
was dspcsing of its surplus.
j. NJ. N. Sinner OF the same association |
stated that the present price of pig iron |
IN the Jnued states was lower tnan IN |
England the result OF home competition.
r. T. Smith. representative OF the canned |
goods association Of Baltimore, protested |
rgainst any increase in the tin plate |
duties on the ground that they would de- |
cresse the governments revenue anG enable |
home manufacturers to raise prices. Three
Baltimore tin plate mills, he said. had been |
cloaed under the Wilson law, but the wit |
ness thought fran other causes than that |
law. For year past American tin plate |
had been from IS 10 % cents per 100 pounds |
cheaper than foreign plate delivered in /
American seaportSs
j. G. Batteler, president OF the Pqua
Rolling Mill company, in behalf OF the sheet |
iron and sheet steel makers, asked a tariff |
on taggers sheets ard lighters gauges which |
would give the home market TO American
producers. et
Representative Morse of Massachusetts,
made statement in behalf of tack manu-
facturers who in his district, employed 1000
men before the Wilson law, under which the
Germans had captured the American market.
change frcm ad valorem to specific was
asked by him., r1
Representative Simpklns of Massachusetts,
spoke on the same question, asking that
nails one and one-tourth inches and shorter
be included In the Schedule with tacks.
THE MARKET ABNORMAL.
Another member OF the eastern association, |
]. C. Thropp OF Everett. Pa, addressed the |
after the recess. The smeltera |
the present condition of the market |
as ahnnrmal 10 said. Prices here were |