The Sun.
London, England, 1869-11-01 00:00:00

SHIPBUILDING IN ENGLAND AND AMERICA.

A question of considerable interest to Englishmen has
recently been debated at Now York. The decline of the
American mercantile marine has long been a source of
regret and loss to the country, and with characteristic
energy the commercial classes aro now endeavouring to in-
vestigate the matter thoroughly. A Congressional com-
mittee was appointed on Commerce and Navigation, and
has elicited some valuable information. While it was sit-
ting at New York a meeting of shipbuilders and shipowners
was held in the same city to elicit the opinions of both
classes on the best means of restoring the former pros-
perity 4 American mercnntile marine. Their interests
arc not, unfortunately, identical. The shiP.owner is
anxious to secure from Congress the repeal of the naviga-
tion laws, so as to permit him to purchase ships anywhere
and register them as American. The shipbuilder wishes to
exclude foreign-built vessels, though he likes the materials
of which they are constructed imported free. The foreign
carrying trade of the country is at present chiefly in the
hands of foreigners, and neither owner nor builder profits.
Of sixty barques lying in the port of New York at the time
the meeting was held, forty-three were foreign, and seven-
teen American. Some of the speakers declared that with
the same laws which England had they could build
either wood or iron vessels as cheaply as in England. The
Anglo-American Times, in writing on this subject, remarks
that when a similar crisis occurred in the English trade,
and American shipbuilding took a sudden start, England
instantly availed herself of the fast, cheap American clip-
pers, or the carrying ;trade would have passed from her.
The consequence was a great improvement in English
shipbuilding. The official reports of the year ending last
June shew a decrease of one-sixth in American tonnage
during the year, and an increase in foreign tonnage of
about one-ninth.

The evidence given before the Congressional Committee
shews plainly how mischievous is the influence exerted by
the high tariffs of the United States. Mr. Low, a large
shipowner, expressed his doubts whether the Americans
could ever excel the English in shipbuilding, and attributed
much importance to the system of subsidies, by which they
had obtained the command of the ocean. "The English,"
said he " exempt their ships from all charges. We tax
every pound of tea and sugar that goes on board."
Another gentleman, Mr. Poillon, thought all that American
shipbuilding required was freedom from duty on all
metals, cordage, kc., that enter into the construction of
the ship. The duty on copper was now a prohibitory
one, compelling the American to pay seven or eight cents.
more for a pound of copper than the Englishman. The
duty an iron was 25 per cent. In consequence of the
duty on copper, the owner had his ships repaired abroad.
Mr. Opdyke, the Mayor of New York, attributed the
depression of American shipping interests to three causes.
1. The substitution of steam vessels, which gave Great
Britain the advantage. 2. The high duty charged
on ship's materials. 3. The depreciation in cur-
rency. Mr. Elwell, who had been a shipowner

for 30 years, said that since the last war their tonnage had
decreased 50 per cent, and labour and mechanism was 200
or 300 per cent. more. A stevedore's bill that would have
been 500 dols. would now be 1,200 dols. or 1,500 dole. Ho
was:not, bowever, in favour of an entire abrogation of the
navigation laws. The committee subsequently visited
Boston to continue their investigation.