The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1859-01-07

ALLEGED DECLINE OF BRITISH SHIPPING IN
TEREsTs-PRoPosED REVIVAL OF THE NAVIGATION
LAws.-The shipping interests of Great Britain
have, we see, entered into an agitation for the re-
| vival of so much Of the navigation laws as pro-
| tected the carrying trade. They are converting
meetings at all the principal ports engaging the
| services OF itinerant grievance mongers, and ma
nufacturng statistics, to show that the repeal of
those laws has been injurious to the growth of
the English mercantile marine Whilst the i'm
ports and exports of Great Britain have increased
in an enormously disproportioned ratio to those
OF any other country, they pretend that in the
amount of tonnage employed in the carrying
trade she is falling rapidly behind the United
States. Thus, our tonnage engaged in this
branch OF navigation at the close of the last year
is quoted at 6,O72,235, whilst that of Great
Britain is stated to have been only 5.53I. 1877.
We hope the difference is as asserted. though
from the enormous preponderance given to Aus
trlan tonnage over that of France in the same
table, it seems to us that the compiler cared more
about the conclusions than the accuracy of his
figures The London Times takes the same view
of the unreliable character of these statistics.
and ridicules the idea of the shipping interest
having any more specific grievances to complain
of than those arising from the general depression
Of trade.
Admitting, however, for argument sake, that
all that is asserted by the English ship owners is
true, we will ask if they have not themselves to
blame for these results? There is no interest in
(rrpat Rritoiu which boc
ousy and susceptibility, or which has commended
harder for monopolies, than they have done.
They did all they could to exclude us from the
West India trade; and if they yielded reluctant
consent to the repeal of the navigation laws, it
was in the belief that they could force us into
following their example, at time when we were
but i'll prepared for competition with them, and
when they hoped to crowd us out of those routes
of commercial navigation which have the most
contributed to develope our maritime capabili.
ties Not satisfied with the common growth
of their own commercial MARINE which, If we
are to believe the London Times, has increased in
q much greater ratio than those Of other nations.
they now covet the coasting trade of this CONT
nent, including that with the Gulf of Mexico
and San Francisco, as well as the navigation of
the lakes. In order to force us into concedinr
these privileges, they call upon their govern
ment to restore the restrictions against foreign
flags established by the navigation laws
Whatever abstract opinions we may entertain
on the subject of free competition, we have no
notion Of our commercial policy being made do
pendent upon every within and caprice of British
mercantile interests. We have seen how, on the
slave trade and the right of search questions the
British public have vacillated and yielded after
Inc most persistent efforts to compel other ma
lions to adopt their views. In the same spirit of
arbitrary dctation, and with view solely to
maintain their commercial ascendancy, they
'epealed the navigation laws, expecting
hat we would follow their example,