Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-09-07
CAN MAKERS SEEK
FOREIGN BUSINESS
American and Continental
Companies Buy Into Large
British Interests.
Special Dispatch to The Star.

special Dispatch TO The Star.
NEW YORK, September 6.-Foreign
expansion has featured the can-making
industry this year. both American Can
Co. and Continental Can Co., Inc, the
two leading units, having announced
the acquisition of interests in British
companies.
The can situation in Great Britain
differs from that in the United States
IN several respects. The use of general
line" cans for tea. oils, paints, var
nishes, coffee, candy and many other
purposes is developed to much greater
extent than Is true of the United States.
Cheaper labor and high DEVELOPMENT
of the art permit the use of intricately
made and finely autographed cans for
tea, tobacco, candy, biscuits and similar
commodities. Many cans reproduce
famous paintings of Royal Academicians
and other eminent artists, such litho-
graphs frequently being specially var
nished and rubbed down by hand. The
large amount of British goods made for
export also fosters the use of cans, as
many foreign climates require tin con-
tanners as protection against insects,
moisture, dust and damage.
Total Sales Compared.
Total sales of general line cans IN
Great Britain are estimated in the trade
to be between $4,000, 900 and $25OOO,-
600 annually. Rather more than one
half OF the total production of such
cans is from the plants of the Metal
Box Dc Printing Industries, Inc, the
largest can manufacturers in the Brit
ish Isles. Continental Can Co., Inc,
acquired substantial stock interest in
this company last March.
In contra eft with fha I1iufaI1y dax,aIo,.aI
state of the general line can industry.
the canning of fruits and vegetables is
In its infancy in Great Britain. A
statement last June by Sir Edward
Jones, chairman of the British National
Food Canning Council, puts the num-
Der OF "open top" packers cans used
for fruits and vegetables in the Brit
ish Isles in 1929 at between 10000
900 and 100000 cans or LESS than
one can for every three Of the popu-
lation."
In that year the American produce
ton was 100000, 900 cans or approx
mately Al cans per person. Even al
lowing for large American exports and
for importationS into Great Britain of
300, 000, 900 cans of meat, milk, fish and
fruit, the British per capita consump-
ton was far below that of the United
States. Referring to fruit alone, Sir
Edward Jones stated that British con-
sumption was between five and six cans
per capita, compared with we'll over
rs cans per capita in the United States.
Status of Can Industry.
Approximately so per cent of the
open top can production i'll the United
Kingdom is furnished by British Can
Co., Ltd, in which American Can Co.
recently acquired a substantial interest
through British Can Shares, Inc.
Undeveloped condition of the can
industry IN Great Britain Is indicated
by comparison of their two leading
companies with the two leading meri-
can companies. Although the popula-
ton of Great Britain is approximately
one-third that of the United States, the
combined net worth off Metal Box &
Printing Industries. Ltd, ard British
Can Co.. Ltd. at the end of 1929 was
but 1884, 375, compared with $210,-
059,786 for American Can Co. and
Continental Can Co., Inc. In that year
the two British companies made COM
bined earnings of $1,344,378, compared
with combined earnings of $31 ,692, 504
for the two American companies.