New-York tribune., 1918-11-07
Tin Importers
Ask Revamping of
War Board Action
Declare Present Status Gives
u. S. Steel Products Com
pany Virtual Monopoly

A special committee representing the
Tin Importers Association, Inc, re-
Gently organized in this city by a group
of independent importers, yesterday
presented to George Armsby, chairman
OF the sub committee on tin of the War
Industries Board, protest against the
action of the government body said to
give to the United States Steel prod
ucts Company control Of the financing
and distribution of the metal in this
country as war measure.
This committee, which met Mr..
Armsby at 81 Broadway, in the offices
of the American Iron and Steel Insti-
tute, consisted of Arthur Winter, OF
Winter, Son G. Co., chairman; d. A.
Paterson, of Balfour, Williamson &
Co.; E. w. Starke, of Caswell e.
Starke, and I. J. Lewis, of the Vernon
Metal and Produce Company. Other
members of the association Of tin i'm
porters include W. K. Grace e. Co.,
Mitsui e. Co., Ltd; Nathan Trotter &;
Co., Of Philadelphia; Lewis Lazarous e.
Son, Mitsubish, Gishi, Kaisha, George
w. Phyfe e. Co., Frame, Leycraft &;
Co., the Wah Chang Trading Corpora
there are about twenty firms that are
members cf the association.
The protest to the War Industries
Board was in the form of resolution,
which said, in part:
Says Monopoly Will Result
Whereas, The United States Steel
Products Company is the largest indi-
vldual tin importer in the United
States, and at times is even a dealer in
tin, and the United States Steel Cor
poration, of which the former is u sub
sidiary, is the largest tin consumer in
the world; and,
"Whereas, The placing In the hands
OF the United States Steel Products
Company of the complete monopoly of
importing and distributing tin in the
United States will enable said products
company to build up a vast organiza-
ton, whereby it will enjoy practical
monopoly in tin for an indefinite
period; and,
Whereas, The enjoyment of such
monopoly. both during the war and
after the war, entailing upon indepen-
dent consumers the necessity of pur-
chasing their tin through or from their
chief competitor, cannot but tend to
strangle all real competition in manu-
featuring tin products; now, be it,
therefore
Resolved That this association re-
spectfully protests against any action
resulting in the creation of virtual
monopoly, even intended to be created
as temporary measure only, as such
a monopoly in its practical effect would
extend for an indefinite period, as is
believed both here and abroad"
Mr.. Lewis, of the special committee
representing the association, after yes
terday's meeting with the representa-
tive of the War Industries Board said
that his committee had been received
with considerate treatment, and that it
had been requested to prepare de-
tailed plan containing suggestions for
the supervision of the tin industry.
Tin Imports Reach $100, ,O0O, 900
Tin imports into the United States
have an estimated value of S1OO 900 900
annually, according to authorities Of
the trade. The imports up to October
were at an annual rate of 56,904 tons,
compared with 50,372 tons in 1915.
John Hughes, chairman of the sub
committee on tin of the American Iron
and Steel Institute, arrived in this citv
yesterday from London where he con-
ferred with the interallied tin execr-
tive concerning the buying price in the
producing markets, which are princi-
palIy Singapore, Batavia and China.