The Portland daily press., 1865-01-31
PORTLAND, TUESDAY MORNING. JANUARY 81. 1865

| A@SSA A@S COubc1UGu, ought uOt W DC taACu at
all. The great lumber interests OF our coun-
try were not taxed at all in the internal reve-
nue. tax, because the lumber of the British
provinces could come in to compete with it,
! and we had no authority under the reciproci-
ty treaty to lay any impost tax upon that pro-
! duction. In the first place, there is a tax of
twenty dollars per ton upon the iron that
goes into the construction OF ship. To build
| a ship of thousand tons will take eighty tons
of iron. There is tax of 81 900 on the iron.
The duck is taxed thirty cents square yard.
1 and twenty per cent upon that; and that is
] $4,000 OF tax on the duck necessary to put
! on ship of thousand tons. Chains paving
| two and hall cents per ton and anchors two
| cents, it will take 80 900 to pay the duties on
| the chains and anchors necessary for such a
ship. The tax of sixty dollars per ton on the
rigging will take another thousand dollars.
making more than seven thousand dollars in
gold that is paid upon the leading articles that
60 into the construction ofa ship; whereas in
France and England, nothing that goes into
the construction of ship is taxed; every
thing goes in free. 5s5a1 asi-7 ssd 33
In England ship may even go to the bond
ed warehouse and take out goods in bond
which are subject to duty for consumption on
board ship. All our ships every time they
ut out at home must take the goods and pay
the regular duties for consumption. Then
there is tax of three per cent. upon the cost
OF constructing the ship, and at the same time
an income tax must be paid upon all the earn
ings of the ship. Then there is a special ton
mage tax of ten cents per ton upon all vessels
arriving from foreign ports, which there is no
complaint Of, and also upon c0asting vessels.
lfthey make one voyage to the British prov
inces or to the West Indies, the tax is doub-
led upon them for the year; whereas British
vessel, running from the provinces to our ports
constantly through the year, paws the ten
cents but once. For charter-party, the tax
is from one to ten dollars, according to the
amount involved in the contract. On every
manifest of cargo there is tax of from one to
five dollars. The sale of vessels is taxed f,ftv
cents on every thousand. Eaf3e =
Then there Is an additional tax which II "a
believed generally was not Contemplated 10 he
imposed on these vessels. 1t is a tax laid mn
on steamboats, and common carriers. hut the
language is so constructed by the Department
as to be applicable to all coasting vessels !. and
that is two and half per cent. nnon the gross
earnings of the vessel. If the cost of saline
the vessel. tha cost of keepino her in TenairS
port charges. and other necessary exnenses 4
shall havesconsumed every cent Of the eros,
earnings, as is very frequently the case. then
the owners must be assessed upon their other
property or other incomes thew must nav This
two and a half per cent.--an extremeiv hard
tdA W pdys 01OSb Oh the COaSCIlQ Y9s9aiR
sailed on shares. the captain taking one half
for his wages and the wages of his crew All
the other expenses of keeping the vessel in re-
pair and the port charges are to be Maid bv
the owners. and then thew are to nav two and
a half per cent. upon the gross earninos If the
vessel as a tax to the Goyernment. Which in
many cases is more than all the net earnings
and in the average is taking more than . tenth
of all the net earnings of the vessel under this
one single tax.
Under this state of facts. ia il wonderful
that our flag is disappearing from the ocean.
as disappearing it is. and disapnearino IL will
unless this system of taxation is changed
But if our tonnage can be relieved from these
taxes If tonnage dues can be collected at the
costom-house egery time a vessel arrives from
a foreign port, whether foreign or domestic
then if the receipts shall be enonoh tn Give
the Government as much revenue as thew Get
now, hold that 1t will not he narticYlarjv
ouerous against the tonnage of this conntry
Why, sir, more than three. e.fourths of ali the
tonnage employed In our foreign trade duty is
foreign. They go into New York or Boston.
take their cargoes, 60 out, and paw no duties
no expense, no tax whereas an American shin. |
which is to run the same VOYAGE side by side.