The Portland daily press., 1868-02-07
Maine climbing.

The report OF the Joint Committee of the
Legislature to which was referred that por-
tion of the Governors Address relating to
the shipping interest, is very interesting
document. The committee recommend a
drawback of all internal and tariff duties on
shipbuilding materials, the abolition of ton.
mage dues, and the repeal of the cotton tax,
asking also for additional legislation to regu-
late the fees of pilots and the shipment of
seamen, but objecting to any legislation al
lowing foreign vessels to take an American
register or discriminating between goods i'm
ported in American and foreign Bottoms so
as to provoke retaliation. This is the policy
recommended by the shipbuilders' conven-
ton at Bath few weeks ago and will no
doubt be presented to our delegation in Con-
gress with the endorsement of the Leg sla-
ture. We ccpy the following statistics:
Your Committee find by reference to the
reports of the Secretary of the Treasury and
other official documents, that there were
registered in the several districts of this
State in the year 1859, 739,S40 tons OF ship
ping, aad we find the State held on the last
day of June, 1856, as per returns of the
iOtClStdiJ VI buO BACtSQIy, WHICH are inc
latest we have, 274,46 tons of shipping.
These statistics show that the tonnage Of the
State of Maine, has decreased from 30th of
June, 1859, to Both of June, 1866 a period
of seven years, 465 1872 tons. Ii we estimate
the amount of tonnage held in 1859, in ex-
cess of that in 1866, at thirty (S30) per ton,
we find that the State of Maine in round
numbers is nearly S14,000yO00 short In nayi-
CATION. This amount would yield q tax at
Of GGG0 lirv
held by the State would contribute largely
towards liquidating our obligations.
Yourcommittee have carefully investigated
the expense of building for the years 1869,
1850 and 1851, and find the average cost for
those years per registered ton, when rugged
and ready for sea, not to have exceeded S4S,
and the cost OF the same class vessels in the
years 1865 and 1865, was not less than S75
per ton, making a difference in favor of the
first named period in building and fitting for
sea a ship OF one thousand tons of S2S,000,
and the extra expense of insurance, taxes
and interest would amount 10 more than
$4,000. To illustrate tn we will quote the
| cost OF few ships built in Rockland under
the immediate observation of some of the
members of this Committee.
The ship "Jennie Beals," built in 1850, of
white oak and hard pine, 1902 tons. rated A
l, cost ready for sea, $4,000 or $44 per tom
| snip MaTlua OoDO, Dullt IN 1851, all white
oak, 1,192 tons, rated A 1, cost ready for sea.
| $5s,000 or about SAT per ton. ship "Otago,i'
built in 1865, white oak and hack, cost ready
for sea, $4,000 or nearly 800 per ton. All
the above mentioned ships were built by the
same party and as much care bestowed upon
one las to economy as upon the others
Owing to decrease in price OF labor and mate
rials ship can be built at less cost this wear
than it could year ago, and by consulting
with prominent ship builders we find ship
can now be built for S6S per ton. aa
BY careful investigation Of the duties
upon materials entering into the construction
OF ship we find that they would amount in
round numbers to 81 per ton in gold; reduc-
ing the cost Of building a ship at the present
time sos in currency to gold basis, and in
round numbers, it would be $41, deducting
duties 81 per ton 1t would be S34 per ton
which Is as cheap as a spruce and hack ship
could be bought for in the Provinces, ae0