Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1867-05-18

The London Economist, which quotes
these statements with ill-concealed glee,
finds The causes in the unequal distribution
of taxes and the Improbable business of
building or owning ships in the United
States. Concerning the first, it states that
on many of the articles which compose a
vessel two taxes are paid, one by the seller
and another by the ship-builder, which is.
true. Regarding the second, it claims that
ship-building is not a suitable trade, for
a new country such as the Uuited States
Its views on this point are so peculiar that
we present them in its own language: ..
In ship building, America has only one
advantage-cheap timber, and with the
daily progress of iron ship building, this
advantage is not so great as it was once.-
And America has an incurable disadvan-
tage-the scarcity of skilled labor. This
q has lately been aggravated by the war,
which disturbed all American industry and
drafted eff to the camp many who have
never returned to the workshop. But
though unusually powerful now, this i'm
.pediment is inevitable in such. coun-
tries, and will always exist there
for new country. 1t is trade in
which no country has the advantage.
1t is an affair of capital common to the
: whole world, and, consequently, the coun-
try where capital is cheapest has natural
{ superiority. In an old country people
profit, and buy ships to pay them that
But in new country fifteen per cent. may
be the rate, and the new country cannot,
+ therefore, carry so cheaply as the old one,
for she must ask fifty per cent. higher
freights, if she is to get the profit which
she expects from trade, and which she gets
mother trades. -as'- - .a EiiNG -a a..
ei The theory advanced in this citation may
be excellent, but, unhappily, as applied to
this country, is not warranted by facts; on
the contrary, the facts in the case most thor
oughly disprove it. Ship-building and ship
owning have been very profitable in the
United States, and probably would be so now
but for the circumstances which grow out O.
OF the late war; and as for what the Econonais
says in regard to the building of vessels By
a new country. it amounts to nothing II
! view of the fact that previous to 1856
| American ships not only carried the great
er portion of American commerce, bu
were serious competitors with British ship
! the world over. Taxation, as we have said
is one cause of the depression in the ship
ping business of the United States; but i
does not explain why vessel which cost
$56 lin currency ton in England
would cost here at least 800 a ton
The chief cause is not taxation, bu
the ruinously high tariff established b,
| Congress. Many of the articles o
which la ship is constructed are i'm
ported, and on these very heavy duties ar
imposed. Within two years the Recipro
city treaty with Canada was annulled; on
effect of which was to place a duty upo
lumber that previouslywas entered free Q
duty. Herein lies the main reason of tn
l. -decadence of our commerce, and, until th
4 present tariff is repealed, we must expec
) that England will obtain that degree of su
premacy upon the sea which the Unite
Il States was in fair way to wresJ from i
and probably would have secured but fc
this sObstacle.-N. Y. World.