The morning times., 1897-01-10
MUST GET A HIGHER TARIFF
Lead, Nickel and Pig Iron Make
Their Plea.
PROTECTION ABLE TO SAVE
Nickel Ref.ner and Nickel Mine
Owner Pull in Opposite Directions
and Differ on Virginia and
Pennsylvania Iron Furnaces Idle.
Senator Carter to Submit a Paper.


Senator Carte + to submit Paper.
The hearing before the Ways and Means
Committee yesterday was devoted to iron
and lead ores, metals and manufactures
thereof.
Representative Draper of Massachusetts,
on behalf OF the manufacturers OF ma
chinery in New England, presented, with
out comment, their request for afrestora-
ton OF the Mckinley rates OF duty on.
their products.
w. d Alexander of Omaha, Neba sug-
gested the following modification of the
present paragraph in the law relating to
lead ores: An ores of which lead is IL
! component part shall be dutiable at the
rate of three-quarters of j csent per pound
on the lead contained therein,
He thou ght this provision would accom-
plsh the fun purpose of revenue, and be.
acceptable to all concerned. He did not
quarrel with the rate OF duty in the present
law, the chief features of modification be-
ing the elimination of the misleading terms
lead ores, and ''silver ores.''
John d. Davis, of California, said there
We're immense bodies Of galena ore in San
Bernardino county, Cal, awaiting de
vclopments. The industry has been started
under the Nick KInley bill but had been forced
TO suspend under the present law Thou
sands of tons of this ore had been taken
from the mines and placed on the dumps
ready for delivery, and if protection was
given, these mines would again be worked
He advocated a duty OF 1 cent per pound
on lead ores
To Save the Lead BUSINESS.
D. A. Jones. of New York, representing
the ST. Joseph, Mo, Smelling Company,
appealed for a duty on lead ores which
would preserve the industry In this coun-
try. The bonding system, he said, enabled
Mexican ores to injuriously affect the
American market, and under the Wilson
bill they controlled the market. If ade-
Quate protection were not given many
| mining sections would have to be aban-
doned.
Representative Herman OF Oregon ap-
pealed for a duty of 10 cents per pound
upon nickel III order To allow the develop
ment OF our nickel mines. Up TO 1891
| il was thought that there were no nick el
| mines in the United States of any value.
| Since then valuable mines had been dis
covered In North Carolina, Washington,
Nevada and Oregon. The nickel now used
| in the United States, especially in the
manufacture of armor, was being imported
from Canada. The ores here were very
rich and could be produced 4 cents per
pound. cheaper here than i'll Canada.
MI. Turner said that if this was the
case he could not see why the industry
| required protection.
Mr.. Herman replied that the cost of
transportation entered largely in the case
and should be considered. He also feared
| that a combination would be formed in
Canada soon as the American mines got
under way. i's
Nickel Men Disagree.
r. NJ. Thompson, a nickel refiner of
New York, said that Mr.. Herman was in
error regarding the prospects OF the mines
OF the United States. He had had ex-
| perts examine the mines referred TO by
| Mr.. Herman and found that they could
not be made 30 pay, even with adequate
protection. AS refincr he was anxious
TO get his material as cheap as possible.
and if these mines had been found to be
| paying he certainly would have been in
| ownership of some of them.
Stevenson Burke, pI IesideDt OF the Can
ada Copper Company, said that the mines
lie represented were developed by Amer
lean capital, and owned by a corpor alton
under the laws of Ohio. In order to have
the government and the people of the
United States get the benefit of nickel
armor the company had sold to the Scere-
tary OF the Navy nickel at IL cents per
pound. Just previous TO this French
compa ny paid % cents for the same
product. The company hadsuggested nickel
armor and desired to have its value dem
onstrated. If the mines referred to in
this country existed, they did not need
protection. He suggested that their own
ers be allowed to develop them and erect
refineries.
H. j. Cantwen OF Missouri, speaking for
an association of Missouri lead miners said
the present law could not be properly en-
forced, and complained of the smelling
of ores in bond. The business for the past
few years had not paid and some of the
principal companies in Missouri had sus-
pended.
Senator Carter of Montana requested
and was given permission to prepare and
present later paper on silver and lead
ores
William A. Ingham, Of Philadelphia on
behalf Of the Eastern Pig Iron Assoca-
ton, asked for the restoration of the Me-
kinley rates of duty on pig iron.
Pig Iron Looks Ahead.
In reply to a question, he said that he
could not say that the makers of pig iron
had been hurt by the present law, but
they were looking to the future
Mr.. McMillan asked if the Tennessee
Coal and Iron Company was not shipping
large amounts Of pig iron to Great Britain.
Mr.. Ing ham replied that he so understood
! In his opinion, however, the company was
! not making any money. In the Lehigh
| Valley and New Jersey districts, the Hud-
| Son River district, including the Lake
| Chanplain plants, the Schuylkill River lis
trict, including the Lebanon and the East
| Pennsylvania valleys, the Susquehanna
| River district and the Juniatsa River dis
| trict, there were 104 furnaces stacks: of
| these, twenty-five were running and eighty
| two idle.
| Some of these idle furnaces would never
| start again without reorganization, which
! means practically an absolute loss to the
| original stockholders, and that the bond
1 holders will have to taL- tho ,,rorart; ;,.,