The Portland daily press., 1868-01-17

There are many things in Commissioner
Weiss treatment of this subject which will be
new even to persons who have given itespeciaI
attention:
The causes OF the depression in shipbuildng
are in the main three: first, high prices of ria-
terial; second, high prices of Labor, and third,
a change in the conditions of maritime trade.
Now to the extent to which the prices of ma
terials are enhanced by taxation, to just that
extent can legislation, by the removal of tax
es, afford relief. But the internal revenue
taxes on ships, and on most of the materials
which enter into their construction, have al
ready been removed; and although the Gus
tom duties are still maintained on the import
alton of shipbuiding materials, yet the fall in
prices OF such materials during the past wear
has to considerable degree offset the duty,
and in the case of at least one article-copLer
has been largely in excess of it. These
changes, however, have as yet brought no re-
lief; and simply because the removal of the
taxes and the fall of prices of commodities
have not as yet sufficiently reduced the price
of labor, the high cost of which is the main
reason why not only the price of shipbuilding
material is high, but also why ships cannot
now be built as cheapiy in the United States
as in other countries. And a reduction of
wages, furthermore, to degree sufficient to
enable the American to compete with the for
eign shipbuilder, cannot be brought about by
legislation, or by any other circumstance, until
iuOlo dDuuudHt uud CuOdpcI udTNSSts nave ma
terially reduced the cost Of subsistence to the
laborer
But supposing, on the other hand, that the
price of labor and material could be at once
reduced to point corresponding to the iates
which prevailed before the war it is altogether
certain that the change would not be attended
with any immediate and substantial revival of
shipbuilding, or of the shipping interest La
Dor and material entering into the cost of
ships are lower to-day in Great Britain and
f1,ar ofo
ty years previous; and yet there are few or no
ships in these countries now in the course of
construction; while the employment of MANY
that are already constructed is greatly re-
stricted.
In tact, the registered tonnag, of the Brit
ish Empire ceased to record a progressive in
crease for the first time in the year 1866: the
total registered tonnage (ships and steamers)
being 1906 06 tons for 1866, as compared with
1922 ,604 for 1865: while the decl ease in the
registered tonnage of sailing vessels alone was
nearly per cent. This latter result, apart
from the immediate depression of trade, is at
tributable mainly to the fact that steamers
have, to great extent taken the place of
ships, and that each steamer, through its
rapidity of movement, supplements from four
to six sailing vessels of equal capacity. Iron
vessels are also being rapidly substituted for
wooden; circumstance which finds striking
illustration in the fact that out of the 1903
steam-vessels registered in Great Britain on
c"hu"iJ L, Aoo' o"iJ- JV.y.u6ee Wefe TSpOTteU
as constructed Of good. Aside, also, from these
causes which are universal in their influence,
there are others equally operative in the same
direction, which are, in a measure, peculiar to
the United States Thus, previous to 1861
maritime tonnage was required adequate for
transatlantic movement of about three hum
bred million bales of cotton per annum; but
from 1862 to 1866 this immense business was
practically annihiated, and since then has
been but partially restored. A similar expe-
rience has also characterized the extensive
coasting trade that formerly was required for
the transaction of the business between the
Northern and Southern sections of our coun-
try. The repeal of the Reciprocity Treaty,
and the Imposition of all but prohibitory du-
ties on the importation of foreign wool-for-
merly imported to the extent of seventy mil
lion pounds per annum-have also contribute
ed to lessen the demand for the employment of
vessels.