The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1899-08-11
Methods of the Tin Plate Trust,

II Lln plaLe trust, With It's $9O, OOO,-
700 Of concentrated capital and watered
stock, controlling SO per cent
OF the productive facilities OF this
nation and maintaining an iron clad
monopoly barring all other investment
OF capital, is giving . practical illustra-
ton OF the manner in which trusts hold
up the nation and change a protective
tariff into a tribute to monopoly, grind
ing labor, consumers, taxpayers and
everyone else with whom they come in
contact.
The republican newspapers have
been running scare head articles an
nouncing the m%agnanimous action CT
the tin plate trust in advancing wages
Is per cent and after a two-weeks shut
down re-starting the plants to give an
other full year of steady employment
to $4,000 at advanced wages. Editor
ials have been run Unfortunately for
the education Of tho voter"
simultaneously with the orders re-
ceived by the Indiana managers to re.
start their plants on the Is per cent in
crease wage scale the Indiana manag-
ers received another notice to the ef-
feet that beginning with that date and
continuing indefinitely the price OF tin
phase would be $4.37 . box instead of
$3.87, An advance Of so cents at one
Jump. There is no mention Of this in
republican newspapers that are doting
on the magnanimous action of the trust
in advancing wages.
1t is estimated that the total increase
in wages BY the Is per cent advance
will he about $500 900 per year. The
annual output OF the trust is about
SIS, 600, 900 per annum, the advance of
so cents per box adding $1,000, 900 to
the trusts income. Thus the Aneri-
can consumer is bled for 5000, OOO to
make good this philanthropic wage in
crease of $500, 900!
This tin plate industry for several
years was the buga boo in politics
as the Infant industry" 1t was fos-
tered by the Mckinley high %peorective
tariff. The first plant-at Elwood, In
diana,-was built by the republican
party and operated As a political ma
chine in the campaign Of 1892, when
the tin plate high tariff issue was the
great cry.
When the democrats won the cleo
ton and the lowering of the tariff was
begun it was the great point of conten.
ticn. The democrats lowered the rate,
however. The manufacturers insisted
that the industry would die entirely,
but statistics show that from Novem-
Der, 1892, to November, 1896, when the
republicans again assumed control, the
whole Industry was established ia this
country, From q political machine it
developed into a great industry which
is now one of the commercial prides OF
the nation. Its rapid development
was confined almost entirely to the
Gays Of the free trade Wilson tariff
1t was one of the industries which was
not closed down by the hard times
which uprooted business Of all kinds
from end of the country to the ott
Or. When the republicans again as.
sumed control of national affairs the
industry had grown to ttirty-nine i'm.
mense plants, with q total of 273 mills
The numbsr of plants today is fifty
three, operating 293 mills, 276 of which
are controlled by the trust. The de-
velopment of the industry was under
the Wilson low tariff. Every plant op'
Grated on full time. New mills were
built and old ones extended. It is pos.
itively known that three or four manu-.
facturers made their million apiece I'm.
der the low tariff era, and all found the
field a profitable one.
Wien the present Dingley bill was
framed the tin plate manufacturers
constituted n OF the greatest Hobbies
seen ut Washington during that con.
gress. They closed their plants ten
porarily and insisted that the tin plate
industry was going to the dogs. The
republicans fastened 70 protect the
wnfant" by putting the duty back to
2 cents q ponnd-$2 per box. This du.
ty was SO high that it was %prohibitory.
The American market was turned over
to our tin plate manufacturers. Last
October, before the trust which nov
controls the industry gained control Of
the plants, tin plate was selling for
$2.65 a box. A few weeks previous it
was recorded as low as 1925. Manu-.
facturers we're operating full force and
making money. 1t has now been seven
months since the trust was organized.
Wages have heen advanced Is per cent
and tin plate has advanced Sl.62 per
hundred pounds,-a little oyer $500 in
one year! The high protective tariff is
/ TO-DAY win the trust that 20 a mound.
or $500 per box, and the American
consumer is forced to pay this tribute
TO the trust. This high protective tar.
if which the trust is sticking down In
its Golfers amounts to $22, OOO, 0OO!-not
| bad for q s0O, 900. 900 "infant Industry
10 accomplish In less than a year! The
employes demanded q 20 per cent ad-
vance in wages and got Is per cent,
which amounts to 100000.
Under the Wilson low tariff the mar
kets we're open to every capitalist who
desired TO erect q plant and employ Ia
bor. The price Of tin plate to the Am.
erican consumer when the old McKin.
lev tariff ended was $3.50 per box. In
der the Wilson low tariff the price to
the consumer went down to S2.40, but
the industry grew rapidly, built new
mills and Increased its output to a'sur-
prising degree. In 1897 when the
Dingley law restored the duty of &c q
pound the price to the beg an
to rise. The trust was formed and now
dictates q price Of $4.37 q box. This
demonstrates how Dingley protection