Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1910-06-09
OUR TIN PLATE TARIFF.

What II Has Done For Great Britain
and What 1t Has Failed to Do For
Us-Two Million People Wronged In
Order to BENEFIT Fifteen Thousand.
Lord Avebury better known to
Americans by his former name OF Sir
John Lubbock. said in speech at
Dundee not long ago:
I'VE used to hear great complaints
about the United States duty on Tin
plates. and the case is interesting and
Instructive. not to say amusing. Ii has
been admirably told by Sir j. }. Jen-
kins lord GlantaweD. who knows the
trade intimately.
AS soon as the duty was suggested
the price went up in the United States.
and our manufacturers sent over large
supplies. on which they made mag
nificent prOAt When the tariff came
into operation the trade. of course. fell
off. But the change proved disastrous
to the American industries dependent
on tin plates. The American fruit grow
ers could no longer compete with those
of Mexico. Canadian salmon could
be canned much more cheaply than
that of the United States, so that If
our tin plate manufacturers suffered I'm
the United States their trade with 9th
err countries was increased.
"Eveniually the cutlery In the United
States became irresistible. congress
agreed to give rebate of no less than
% per cent of the duty. and at present
almost the whole of the canned goods
exported from the United States are
packed in Welsh tin plates. This re.
bate on the Welsh tin plates is more
than the cost of the carriage and in
surance. SO thar the result of the
American duties. therefore. is that Cal
ifOrnian fruits are sold in London as
cheap as or even cheaper than in San
Francisco. | may add that the tin
plate industry in America employed
$4,000 people and the canning industry
2.O0O.00O. so that the net result is to
benefit $4,000 people and to injure
100000 and to give us cheap fruit and
salmon"
And now comes the New York Trib-
une. that great protectiOnist paper.
backing up this story with circumstan-
tiai details In Il letter from its Brit
ish correspondent published in its is
sue of May IL it says:
'WelshmeD are not easily beaten
when they are fighting for lifebIood.
They have survived the Mckinley tar
iff and several variants Of it which
i.,ft h., hn, i,,<1,
at an advantage over rival manufac
lures abroad. Swansea. instead of be-
ing ruined. has multiplied its foreign
markets. enormously increased its
product of tin plate. improved its
process of manufacture. adapted itself
to American requirements and prosper
ed generally.
Tin plate is now shipped to thirty
six countries. Japan. China. Korea and
Siam being among them. and the home
consumption has been largely increaS-
ed. Every improved process employ
ed in America has been adopted here
\ thinner wash uf tin Is employed i,r
the trcntmel! ct the steel plates. econ
omies have been introduced IN the acid
and palm oil baths. aud II man and Il
boy with superior machinery accom-
pliSh the work which formerly EN-
pluyed seven pairs ct hands
More remarkable still. we are aSSur-
ed that America remains the best Gus
toner for Welsh tin plate notwith-
standing the Development of the Amer.
lean Tin plate industry.
Two things may be learned from the
history of the tin plate tariff viz. the
folly of mrddliug and nuddling with
natural trade conditions and the tonic
effects of competition in helping a
trade out of its difficulties.
Ny. What Bump For Foss' Oppo.