The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1899-02-22
THE SHEET MEN
OF the Country Meet in Pittsburgh
To-day to Consolidate.
THIS COMBINE MAY OPPOSE
The National Steel Company Which is
Closely Allied to the American Tin
Plate Comparative Local Plants
are Said to be In the Deal, but this
is Likely Mistake SO far us the
Etna.Standnrd is Concerned.


This morning the sheet manufacture
ers. owners of nineteen plants In West
Virginia, Pennsylvania, OHIO and Indl-
ana, will meet in the Conostoga build
Ing, Pittsburgh, for the purpose OF dis
cussng the proposed sheet combine.
This combine may fight the American
Tin Plate Company, and It's ally. the
National Steel Company. 1t will be no.
tlced that two local concerns are mem
toned as being In the sheet consollda-
ton movement, the Whitaker and the
Aetna STANDARD. The Whitaker Is
probably in line with such a deal. but
the Aetna-Standard Is being acquired
by the National Steel Company and OF
course can have no interest IN this Ia
test consolidation.
Some changes have developed In the
plans OF the sheet combination promo
tiers since the proposition to nmalgn-
mate was first preached. The scheme
10 have the sheet industry absorbed by
the common owners of the American
Tin Plate Company and the National
Steel Company has met with firm OBJ
lection from some quarters In the sheet
trade. and It Is now proposed TO have
the sheet men form their combination
IN such manner as to leave the Indus
try within their control, and at the
same time to protect themselves In the
purchase Of their raw materials from
the tin plate trusts sister combination.
the National Steel Company, says last
evenings Pittsburgh News. The plan
by which It Is proposed to bring this
condition about is Il clever one.
II will be recalled by those who fol-
low the developments in the metal
trades that the American Tin Plate
Company placed exceedingly broad
limits upon Its manufacturing and COM
mercal rights in its charter, and among
other things, had clause inserted
which conferred the privilege upon the
tin plate trust to manufacture. sell and
deal In all descriptions and grades of
sheet iron. Some OF the leaders In the
sheet industry now propose to have
the charter for the sheet trust SO broad
ly drawn as to confer upon the sheet
combination the right to make and
deal in all grades and descriptions OF
tin plate. And Under these conditions.
II the National Steel Company. the,
stee! mill combination controlled by the
tin plate trust, refuses to sell sheet
bars to the sheet men at reasonable
prices, then the sheet combine will set
about TO build not only sheet bar mills.
but tin plate plants as well. and will at
once become formidable competitor
of the American Tin Plate Company;
dragging down the prices set by the
latter, and seriously affecting the mar
ket value of tin trust stocks.
The sheet manufacturers say their
claims for consideration from the Ma
tional Steel Company will be nothing
more nor less than a demand that the
National Stsel Company furnish sheet
manufacturers TO protect themselves
against discrimination upon the part Of
the National Steel company. by adding
the mills TO the sheet plants. could be
fulfilled at comparatively small cost.
At the present time only one MILL that
Of The Apollo Iron & Steel Company,
ct. Nandergrift. has its own bar mill.
Secretary jarrett stated that
the probable result OF the meeting
would be the appointment of n commits
tee to canvass the situation and report
back plan of organization 10 Il gener-
nj meeting OF the manufacturers TO be
held later.
The proposed combination of sheet
men embraces nineteen mills, eight Of
which are In Pennsylvania. eight in
Ohio. and one each In West Virginia.
Kentucky and Indiana. The plants
have an aggregate output annually Of
$4,000 tons of iron and steel sheets. in
Guiding sheets for aalvanizinS. timing
and staining as we'll as iron sheets
for roofing and corrugatlng.
The works likely to be included in the
combination are as follows:
Apollo Iron & Steel Company. at Van
derGrift. Pa: Kirkpatrick & Co.. lin
tied. at LeechburE. Pa; P. II. Lauf-
man & Co., limited at Apollo and Salts
burg, Pa; Canonsburg Iron & Steel
Company. at Canonsburs. Pa: Hyde
Park Iron & Steel Company. ut Hyde
Park. Pa: Republic Iron Works. at
Pittsburgh Charters Iron & Steel
Company, at Carnegie. Pa: Sharon
Iron &: Steel Company. at Sharon. Pa;
Aetna S.andard Iron & Steel Company.
at Bridgeport. o.; Cambridge Iron &:
Steel Company. at Cambridge. Ohio;
Falcon Iron & Nall Company, at Niles.
o.; New Philadelphia Iron & Steel
Company. ut New Philadelphia. Ohio;
Reeves Iron Company. ut Canal Dover,
o.; PiIua Rolling MIL Company. al
Piqua, o.: Struthers Iron & Steel Com
pany. m Siruthers. O.; Canton Rolling
Mill Company. ut Canton, o.: Newport
Rolling Mil Company. at Newport. Ky;
Midland Steel Company. at Muncie.
Ind: and Whitaker Iron Company, at
Wheeling. W. Va.