A New Trust In Tin And Iron

The Iron Age announces tliat "negotiations are in progress looking to the merging into one body of the Associaion of Iron and Steel Sheet Manuf acurers, the National Association of Galvanized Sheet Manufacturers and the Tinned Plate Manufacturers' associaion of the United States. This association when organized will be a powerful one, and is expected to be of considerable benefit to the trade. A general meeting of the above three organizaions will be held in Pittsburg on Wednesday, June 10 next, at which it s expeeted the consolidation will take )lace." This is jast what the manufacturers of iron and steel sheets, who were chiefly nstrumental in getting the increase in ;he duty on tin plate, have been aiming at all the time. The manufacturers of galvanized iron have such a complete control of that industry that when the )rices of terne plate were advanced in consequence of the higher duty they were able to advance the prices of their galvanized iron in spite of the fact that he price of the crude iron had fallen. ?he makers of galvanized iron favored ;he advance in the duty on terne plate or just this purpose. On the other ïand, the sheet iron makers favored the iuty in order to make the price of tin ilate so high that the canuers and other arge consumers would be forced to build tinning stacks for ruaking tin )lates, and thus become their customers ror iron and steel sheets. The makers of sheet iron and steel never intended to engage in the tin )late business, as The Iron Age has sevral times intimated. They know well hat as long as the high duties on sheet ron can be maintained, those who build inning stacks will have to buy the heet iron used of them. Henee it is hat they are organizing a trust with be galvanizers in order the maiutain he high prices which they are now harging for sheet iron. The only way in whieh the tin plate ndustry can be established in this coun;ry on a substantial basis is by putting pn and steel sheets, now controlled by trust, upon the free list. Until this is one consnmers will be forced to coninue the pajjment of over $17,000,000 in uties on imported tin plate into the reasury of the United States.