per cent, and in extreme cases to 5 per cent of the total valuation. It is a natural inference that so small a difference would not appreciably affect our export trade in cans or canned goods. The largest beneficiaries of the drawback provisions of the Dingley tariff, as applied to imported tin plate, are the following industries: Oil refineries; tobacco manufacturers; exporters of cottolene, lard, and canned meats; fruit and vegetable packers; salmon and other fish canneries, and can and tinware manufacturers doing an export trade. An examination of reports published by the United States Treasury Department will show that during the past six years a greater amount has been paid by the Government for drawback on imported tin plate used in the manufacture of exported articles than on any other one item. Now, I will give a statement of what the securing of the export business in tin plate will mean to the tin-plate workers and manufacturers of the United States. The amount of tin plate annually imported into the United States is from 1,000,000 to 1,500,000 boxes. Using 1,000,000 boxes as a basis for calculations, we have the following: 1,000,000 boxes of 100-pound plate equals 50,000 tons; hot-mill products per week, 40; hot-mill products per month, 160 tons; hot-mill products for ten months, 1,600 tons. Fifty thousand tons divided by 1,600 equals 314. In other words, it will take 31 mills running full time for ten months to make the 1,000,000 boxes. Mr. CLARK. Why don't you count it for twelve months? What makes you take only ten months instead of twelve months? Mr. WILLIAMS. The idea, Mr. Clark, in using ten months as the basis is the fact that iron workers do not as a rule work more than ten months in the year. The CHAIRMAN. Why not? Mr. WILLIAMS. Because of the fact that they have repairs to make and breakages to contend with, and so far as tin-plate works are concerned, they have not had sufficient business in recent years to run the entire volume of time. Mr. CLARK. If they had the business, they would run only ten months, even barring these accidents and breakages, etc.? Mr. WILLIAMS. Yes. But you must take into consideration the fact that in tin-plate work they can only work on one turn six days and another turn five days. The day turn works six days, and the turn that follows in the afternoon works five days, and the turn that comes on in the evening works five days. The CHAIRMAN. Do not all the factories suspend during the summer for a certain time? Mr. WILLIAMS. Yes; according to the amount of repairs they have to make. The CHAIRMAN. How much time? Mr. WILLIAMS. Three or four weeks, or four or five weeks. The CHAIRMAN. That is part of the two months? Mr. WILLIAMS. Yes, sir. Mr. COCKRAN. What do you mean by "turn?" Mr. WILLIAMS. The tin-plate workers, Mr. Cockran, work twentyfour hours. They work in consecutive shifts. One comes out at 6 o'clock in the morning and works until 2 in the afternoon. That constitutes a turn. The next comes on at 2 o'clock in the afternoon and works up to 10 o'clock at night. That constitutes the second turn, and the next comes on at 10 o'clock at night and works until 6 the next morning. That is the third turn. Mr. CLARK. You mean a detachment? Mr. WILLIAMS. Yes. Three 8-hour shifts. Mr. CLARK. "Turn" and "shift" and "tour" have all been used here interchangeably. Mr. WILLIAMS. They all mean the same thing, practically. Mr. RANDELL. The reason you have five days instead of six is the fact that they do not go to work on Sunday? Mr. WILLIAMS. The first turn on Saturday morning completes the week's work. The CHAIRMAN. Proceed now. Mr. WILLIAMS. The hot-mill rate on 100-pound plate is $9.76 per ton, or $488,000 on 50,000 tons. The hot-mill workmen, however, are not the only beneficiaries, as it will give an ordinary sheet-bar mill twenty-three weeks' work at six days per week. I want to say here, Mr. Chairman, that I have been in attendance upon this committee and I have heard manufacturers make the statement that the ore is worth $1 per ton at the mine, but I base the following calculation on ore at 50 cents per ton. It will require from 55,000 to 57,500 tons of pig iron, or six months' work of a 400-ton blast furnace. To follow the 1,000,000 boxes from the ore mine, where the ore is worth about 50 cents per ton, or $50,000, to the finished product, it would be worth for export purposes about $3 per box, or $3,000,000, a difference of $2,950,000, about $2,200,000 ̄ of which, after allowing for the pig tin, will go to the American workmen, manufacturers, railroads, and vessel companies, but all of which at present is absorbed by the foreign competitors. One million five hundred thousand boxes will keep 220 mills in full operation for a period of seven and one-half weeks or 35 mills in constant operation for a period of forty-seven weeks. In view of the fact that the tin-plate mills of the United States have not operated during the past year more than 70 per cent of their total capacity, for want of business, we petition your honorable body to recommend the abrogation of the drawback agreement and the maintenance of a duty sufficient to enable American manufacturers and workmen not only to make the plate for domestic purposes, but that used for reexport purposes also. It is our opinion that a lowering of the duty would demoralize the tin-plate industry in the United States, which is apparent by a comparison of the wages paid in the United States with the amount paid by our largest foreign competitor. I have endeavored, Mr. Chairman, to gather together some statistics on the wages paid by our greatest competitor, which is Wales, compared with the amount that the American workmen receive in the tin-plate mills in the United States. I do not know whether it is necessary, Mr. Chairman, to read these or to just give the total. Mr. UNDERWOOD. I would like to have them read. Mr. WILLIAMS. Very well. This is a comparative statement, showing the rates and earnings of tin-plate workers in the United States and Wales. It covers a statement both of tonnage and day rates in Wales compared with the tonnage and day rates prevailing in the United States. In the United States the roller receives $2.25 per gross ton and in Wales $1.38, or in other words there is a differential in favor of the United States of 87 cents. Mr. UNDERWOOD. You mean the workman in this country gets 87 cents more? Mr. WILLIAMS. Yes, sir; 87 cents per ton more than they get in Wales. The doubler receives $1.44 in the United States and in Wales he receives $1.11, or a difference of 33 cents. Mr. GAINES. Have you worked out what that would be per day? The CHAIRMAN. Let us get these statistics first. Mr. WILLIAMS. These are simply the tonnage rates, and I expect in the next statement that I will make to show the differences prevailing between the men who work by the day. The CHAIRMAN. He has it all there. Mr. CLARK. I want to find out first, Mr. Chairman, exactly what Mr. Williams is stating, the same as Mr. Gaines is asking. You are stating the difference in the daily wage? Mr. WILLIAMS. No, sir. This is the difference compared with the tonnage of the men. Mr. GRIGGS. What is the name of this last branch of workmen? Mr. WILLIAMS. The doubler. Now the heater receives $1.47 in the United States, and in Wales he receives $1.04. Mr. GRIGGS. What does he get here? Mr. WILLIAMS. One dollar and forty-seven cents, and in Wales $1.04. The catcher receives in the United States Mr. COCKRAN. What is that? Mr. WILLIAMS. The catcher. Mr. GRIGGS. You did not give the difference on heaters. Mr. WILLIAMS. It is 43 cents in favor of the United States. The catcher receives $1.10 in the United States, and in Wales he receives 51 cents. The shear man in the United States receives 40 cents, and in Wales he receives 44 cents. Mr. COCKRAN. Give me that again-40 cents here, and 44 cents in Wales. He gets more in Wales than here? Mr. WILLIAMS. Yes. Mr. CLARK. That is a miracle. [Laughter.] Mr. WILLIAMS. Total received in the United States, $5.28 per ton more than in Wales on tonnage rates. Mr. GRIGGS. That is not one man? Mr. GAINES. That is 1 ton. The CHAIRMAN. The wages are $5.28 a ton more in the United States than in Wales? Mr. WILLIAMS. Yes, sir. Mr. COCKRAN. I understood you to say there is a difference of $5.26 per ton. Mr. WILLIAMS. It is $5.28. Mr. COCKRAN. You do not mind my interrupting you to explain those figures? Mr. WILLIAMS. No, sir. If the committee has no objection, I would be glad to hand you this statement. Mr. GRIGGS. It only makes $2.60. Mr. COCKRAN. Here is a difference of 87 and 33 and 43 and 59 one way and a difference the other way of 4 cents. Mr. UNDERWOOD. Have you given the entire wage scale? Mr. WILLIAMS. No, sir. Mr. UNDERWOOD. There is more to go on? Mr. WILLIAMS. Yes. The CHAIRMAN. Have you taken out that 4 cents in favor of Wales? Mr. WILLIAMS. Yes, sir. In the United States we have one more man employed around the rolls, which we call a rougher. He receives 97 cents per ton in the United States. They do not employ a rougher in the mills in Wales. Mr. CLARK. What is the reason they do not? Mr. WILLIAMS. Because of the fact that it has been the custom there, ever since the tin plate has had its inception there, that the roller does that work himself. Mr. CLARK. In the American mill there is a special workman to do the work that is required of these others to do for themselves? Mr. WILLIAMS. Exactly so. Mr. CLARK. I can understand why that would happen. He works cheaper than the other man. Mr. GRIGGS. What do you call this last crowd? Mr. WILLIAMS. Roughers; r-o-u-g-h-e-r-s. Mr. GRIGGS. All right. Mr. WILLIAMS. Now, we have a doubler's helper that we do not have in Wales. He receives 68 cents per ton. The CHAIRMAN. State what kind of a man does that in Wales. Mr. WILLIAMS. They do not have them in Wales. Mr. GRIGGS. What is this helper? Mr. WILLIAMS. Sixty-eight cents. Now, we have another helper, the heater's helper, who in the United States receives 73 cents. Mr. GRIGGS. What do you call him? Mr. WILLIAMS. He is a heater's helper. Mr. COCKRAN. He gets how much? Mr. WILLIAMS. Seventy-three cents per ton. Mr. DALZELL. The heater does the work there? Mr. WILLIAMS. Yes, sir. Mr. CLARK. The explanation of having these two extra men is that they are not skilled workmen, and it is an economy to employ them to do this work which in Wales the skilled man himself is required to do? Mr. WILLIAMS. Yes; the heater's helper and the doubler's helper and the rougher are all practically skilled men. You know we turn out a larger output in this country than in Wales, even when you count the extra number of men we have in the plants. Now we have another extra man whom we call the screwboy- The CHAIRMAN. I think you will have to spell that for the information of the committee. Mr. COCKRAN. What does he get to keep him from playing hookey? [Laughter.] Mr. WILLIAMS. They are really men, but the term was occupied by men that came here from Wales. Mr. GRIGGS. What does he get? Mr. WILLIAMS. Seventy-two cents per ton. Mr. UNDERWOOD. Is that same man used in the Wales mills? Mr. WILLIAMS. No, sir; he is not employed there at all. Mr. GRIGGS. They never have used them in Wales? Mr. WILLIAMs. Not to my knowledge, sir. Mr. GRIGGS. Then why or how did the term get here from Wales? Mr. WILLIAMS. The original tin workers came from Wales and they brought the term with them. It originated with them, I suppose. (Following is the table used by Mr. Williams:) Comparative statement showing rates and earnings of tin-plate workers in the United States and Wales. Mr. WILLIAMS. In the next statement I have the headings here: "Occupation," "United States" and "Wales," the "Differential in the United States" and the " Differential in Wales," giving the rates per day. The first is cutting and delivering bars in the United States Mr. GRIGGS. Can you not just give us the differential and the figures, too? This is cutting bars? Mr. WILLIAMS. Yes; cutting and delivering. In the United States they receive, per day, $1.86. In Wales they receive 73 cents. The differential in favor of the United States is $1.13. The openers in the United States receive $2.82. In Wales they receive $1.33, or a differential in favor of the United States of $1.49. The scrap boy--they haven't any in Wales, but they have one in the American mills, and he receives 28 cents. Mr. GRIGGS. Scrap boy? Did that term develop over there, too, or in transit? [Laughter.] Mr. WILLIAMS. Pickling foreman Mr. GRIGGS. Pickling? [Laughter.] Mr. GRIGGS. Is that from Wales? Mr. WILLIAMS. No, sir; that is American. In the United States he receives $3.10, in Wales $1.19, a differential in favor of the United States of $1.91. Pickling assistant, in the United States Mr. GRIGGS. What? |