New-York tribune., 1899-11-17
THE TINPLATE INDUSTRY
AN INDEPENDENT MANUFACTuhhh
TIFIEs BEFORE THE INDUS
TRIAL COMMISSION.

wasb,npton. Nov l6-willism II. Grihith. 'ii'-
nlate maker of Washington Penn was "e'oic w
Industrial Commission to-day. lie 'o'u 'nv ;,
mission that his company which has since us'D'sS
OF its plant cleared 20 per cent IN pro"'s "''
when :he price OF tin was 81 60 ooN 'he wv
ovor known for plate. He also said that Just o9-
fore the passage of the Mckinley Dill an" .o' - "
vesr or so afterward. when the price WAS :" w.
the profit was fully 100 per cent ne s''" -.
while his company had sold Its plant 10 'ne rus,
the transaction had been without ms s"'''''0'' -
that no had since undertaken the establishment "a
ON indenendent plant also located at Washihs Io"'
Penn which he soon would have IN opera"o,' 4'0
sale of the old plant had been mace u"Ue' VO
renresentation that the consolidation was ne0VS
cary TO prevent competition. ana there h"u o'V" 9
fear that II they did not so into the poor 'i''
business would be injured. He had not accepted
,hI onirion and consequently was preparing as
ranidIv as nossible to re-enter the field Nor ala
he accep; the view that large comolha'Ioh ma"
env advantage over an individual but believed 'he
advantage was rather with the individual
In re-estabshing himself he had found that ne
was hampered in securing machinery, the American
coronanv having control OF the makers OF tnplate
machinery as well as Of the manufacture OF plate
itself In proof OF this statement. he SAID that
manufacturing company which had entered INTO All
agreement with him TO supply him for hve years
had already refused TO fill an order after an OIL
cal of the trust had become large owner OF the
also extended TO the Independent manufacturers OF
sheetiron the American company refusing TO sen
10 them except on the stipulation that they shouid
not sell their product TO the makers OF tnpiate
Furthermore the combination refused 10 supply
tobbers and others with their especial brands ex-
cept on condition that they assign their brands 10
the trust There was a similar restriction on block
plate and half the "dippers' In the country had
been forced out OF business.
He thought the managers OF some Of the plants
IN the trust growing restless under these re-
s,rictions as they were not running nearly so
steadily as before the combination was effected or
the 272 mills in the combine. eighty had been
closed
Mr. Griffith said that since the trust had been
organized prices of tinplae had advanced from 60
TO 81 60 a hundred pounds. This advance was out
OF proportion TO the advance in wages and raw ma
terial III made a calculation 10 show that 50 ~
would be a profitable price under present conditions
However he said that notwithstanding TINS aur
vance in prices he had reason to believe some of
the members Of The combination were greatly als-
appointed in the results. He also understood 'ndt
the employees in the trust mills were becoming ap-
prehensive. which he thought was illustrated by me
Tact that Of the eight hundred roers emposte4 e 10y
the combination. less than one hundred ana my
had made application TO him for places In his estao-
Mr.. Griffith said that while the American COM
pany capitalized for $GG0VcO me pants com,
the time the combination effected for $l2,OpOO
He therefore considered the company n} h
lied. He had understood that me Proo,eis oi IN, oe
combination had received SO0We0 in common STOCK
for their services The standard price paid Or mills
in forming the trust $4,000 each His own
company had received an advance of p per cent on
cash valuation. -
The witness said ne considered the tariff essential
TO the protection of the tinplate Industry in TINS
country but he would not say that so high tarln
as the present necessary TO its existence
II F. Going tin manufa acturer, who was for
several years also engaged In the canning of fruits
in Baltimore. said that I'm recent years there had
been much complaint among Gamers on account or
the thnness the tin coating of the cans and this
had been especially noticeable since the organiza-
ton OF the tinpate trust Previous to this detero-
ration the American plate was regarded as superior
10 the Welsh article.
w l. Sawyers secretary Of the Corporation Trust
COMPANY OF Delaware. explained to the Commits
sion the operation Of the Delaware corporation laws
and the methods Of his company, which acts as
transfer agent for a number Of trust combinations.