The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1869-12-02
AMERICAN SHIPPING.
The Congressional Committee in Session In tlria
GIIY-The Gnuac of the DecIine.

City-The Cause of the Decline.
The Congressional Committee appointed to inves-
tgate into and report upon the decline in American
shipping, in pursuance to adlo9rnment yesterday
reassembed this morning In the Custom;house
and Merrill were present
Mr.. II. r. Cope, the representative OF the CONNER
cia Exchange, stated he had had but short time TO
confer with his brethren on the subject but 1t struck
him that there was no business which came more
directly in competition with foreign business than
the shipping business The reason why this country
could not compete with foreign vessels must be from
the first cost OF the building or the expensive run
ming of vessel 1t was not to be disputed that yes
sells in England could be built at much cheaper
rate, but he conceived the great trouble to be tne
expensive running OF the vessels. On American
vessels the hands receive great deal higher wages
than on foreign ships. Mr.. Cope insanced the case
of his own rm, stating, II their -FOUR vessels we've
manned by British mariners, there would De
saving of 100000 annually While the American
sailor receiving $50 per month, the English
hand received 90 los. lie accounts for this dis
parity from the fact that the rate Of wages on Ame-
fjcan waters was governed by the rate Of wages in
the country. Even could we build vessels rs cheaply
as is done in England, we could not compete with
the foreign shipping interests while the present hig
only remedy he saw was to take of the high tariff or
resume specie payments.
Mr. II. Il. Elmunds, representative OF the vessel
owners, stated that he knew very little OF the build
ing Of the larger ships for foreign trade as his lnte-
rest was in the coastiDg trade. He said that the
Government tax on an iron vessel OF 1000 tons was
$4,000 and his impression was that II this tax was
taken OF, as it is in England, American builders
would be better satisfied to build, because their ves-
sells would be under an American register We have
no foreign line OF steamers from this port because
the Government has not been willing to subsidy the
line. In England the Government grants subsidies
to every line. lie believed if our Government would
DO so they could erect class of vessels which could
be used by the country in time of war. The vessel
owners had felt many Of the duties imposed upon
them by the Government tO he specially 0ner0us
Mr.. Philip Fitzpatrick followed in the same strain,
and held that the high rate Of wages materially az
fected the shipping interest Ship carpenters from
1854 to 1860 received from St'76 to $3.50 per day,
while they now receive from 81 tOSI. In reply TO
question, the speaker said that 1t would he relief
fTpf Xynpn N q hnV
Great Britain. If the tarin We're taken or Of every
thing that goes into the manufacture OF a vessel,
the cost OF construction would be reduced about ~
per cent.
Mr. Cope said that they had a vessel repaired in
Liverpool and on its return to this country he had
an estimate made when he found that IL would have
cost Onet third more to have done the same work In
this country, although the timber had to be taken
out to England from this country for the purpose of
repairing; r IIGarv w,osor ., o Roar, ., s,t that
the Introduction of steam on the ocean was of
the great causes " the decline in the American
shipping interest. Formerly American sailing ships
had the preference, because Of their faster sailing
qualities, but no. England had introduced steam.
which had superseded the sail. Again the, model Of
the foreign steaml vessel was improved TO a great
extent, and he saw that Americans must look close
into the subject OF introducing stream ami better
modelled vessels.
The principle Of protection TO American industry
should be applied to the shipping interest with as
much propriety as to- any other, bat it must be in
but he nc difference in the principle. 1t was
only In the application with reference 10 the carry
ing trade he held that an American, under the pre-
sent high rate Of wages, must nave better profits
than foreigner This helped materially TO erect
the shipping interest.
Mr.. latham also spoke in behalf OF tine Board OF
Trade and presented the committee % number OF
English documents touching upon the subject under
investigation.
Mr. Charles H. Cramp, a ship builder dit not con-
slider that the English model sOsgrcat an import
ance as the manner IN which tney had GXceed in the
construction Of marine engines lie held that as the
English patterled after the American in the model
ling so the American was modelling after the
English in the building Of marine engines.
1t certainly cost the Government more to construct
the rOnclads in the navy yards than 1t would in pri
vate yards. England had seen this, and ninety per
cent of her rOnclads were built in private yar,is