The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1869-10-21
Congregations, Committee in Boston.

tuc Vi CIuuss LUZ iS" "
the counties have come up to the requirements
Congregational Commiitee i'm Boston.
AFTERNOON SESSION.
The hearing was resumed at 4oclock, and
| several prominent shipowners and builders
| gave in their testimony.
| Mr.. Andrew 7. Hall, of East Boston, was
| first called upon. He stated that he was
| shipbuilder and shipowner. The New Eng
| land built vessels, he said, had always been
regarded, If not superior, at least equal to any
| contracted elsewhere. He acknowledged the
superiority of IRON ships in many respects, but
said it was difficult to obtain them in this
country. The rates of insurance were slight
ly in favor Of vessels of this construction. He
believed that the prosperity the English
shipping interests was due to the superior IA
| cilities possessed in that country for manufac'
| turing vessels, and also to the fostering care
| of the English Government.
| Mr. Hall said he was the owner of six ships,
| all of which sailed under the American flag,
| and did so during the war, though he was
| subject to the disadvantage thereby of having
| to pay double insurance. The American
ships, in his estimation, were more slightly
and better than English ships, and would III
tinatelv secure the greater part of the carry
ing trade of the world. The American ships,
he thought, were also better sailed than the
English, and the American captains were
generally more intelligent than the British
masters. AS a general rule American vessels
were better supplied with food for the use of
their crews than foreign ones. He did not
think that the decline of shipbuilding in the
United States was due to the risk the money
invested in this interest was subject to or to
| the likelihood of small profits, The ship
building and shipowning interests were gener-
| ally united, and there were very few ship
builders, especially in the State of Maine, who
| did not possess some share and interest in the
vessels they had manufactured. 1t was his
| opinion that the guanO trade was not so ex-
| tensive now as IT had been. He did not think
it would be advisable to nationalize the for
| eign bottoms. The number of American YES
sells kept abroad was quite small, and none
remained away altogether. He did not tell
| how the shipbuilding and commercial inter-
| ests could be separated. He did not think it
would be beneficial to the commerce of the
| country to admit back those ships which
struck their colors and hosted the British or
| other flags during the rebellion. He did not
| think there were many vessels sailing under
American colors at the present time, and the
number would be lessened if something were
not done to aid the most important interest
| Mr.. Theodore Nickerson, who was next
| called, said that he was member of firm
which was engaged both in shp-buildiDg and
| ship-sailing. He had q preference for iron
ships over wooden ones in some respects, but
| as general rule wooden ones were better for
the present. He believed that fully one half
| of thu tonnage of America was employed
in the coastwise trade, and to admit foreign
built ships TO this trade would be most ruin
GUS to the American marine, as this was now
| almost the only means it had of perpetuating
its existence. The conditions we're such that
American vessels could not compete with for
eign ones in the general traffic of the world.
Mr. House, an underwater, and represen-
tative of the French Lloyds, was next called.
| and said that his bushes was to examine and
inspect ships. In regard to the relative in
surance on wooden and iron ships he thought
that in England there was prejudice against
| wooden ships, because wood was scarce there ::
and that would probably be the case here
when the supply of timber began to fall short
Previous to '62 and '63 the American ships,
he said, were able to compete with any in the
world, but the high prices that have come up
since then have changed this condition of af-
fairs entirely. As the case now stood they
conld not hold their own against foreign YES
sells, and government aid was necessary.
Mr.. Osborn House said he was ship build
| er and a shipowner. His ships were all wood
though he had an interest in some iron steam
ers plying between New York and New Or
leans. The American shipping interest until
recently did not require aid from the govern
ment, but they now found it very difficult to
compete with foreign vessels. The construc-
ton of ship also cost immensely more than
| it did before the war, the duties on chain ca
| bles, MANILA hemp and other things being so
| high. The English could build their iron
ships now about as cheaply as they could
| wooden ones rrr tsr--E
Mr.. Frederick Nickerson said he concurred
| with what had been said upon the need of re.
lief for American shipping Interests. In the
one particular OF steam navigation, in which
he was interested, he thought it would afford
great relief to permit remission of the du-
ties on the coal used by these vessels which
had been obtained abroad.
Mr.. Nathaniel Mckay submitted written
statement of the cost of building steamships
both in this country and abroad. He said that
Congress had not protected the shipping in
terests as it ought to have done, and unless
something was done soon it would be COM
pletely destroyed. Railroads and mines had
received aid and protection from the govern
ment and the shipping interest, which need
ed it more than they. should have the same
assistance. The following is the full text of
the document submitted by Mr. Mckay
BOSTON, Oct, 18th, 1862
GENTLEMEN:- II have brother in Europe,
Capt. L. Mckay, shipbuilder, who has given
me great many facts relating to shipbuld-
ing in that country, viz: The progress, cost,
etc, of steam and sailing ships. Below YOU
will please find them. The cost to build an
iron ship in England ready for sea is &c 14)
fourteen pounds per ton; in this country it
would be (e22) twenty two pounds per ton.
He says that there is now building on the
Clyde 100 vessels all of iron, upwards of 1OO,- |
600, 10000 81. p; last year (1S6S), they built |
III ,126 tons of steam and sailing vessels, 49,
III ID and cf.u 41o b,,c; s.
crease, and several new shipyards are starting
up. A steamship arrived in London in the
month of September with 5000 tons of Tea,
65 days from China, and still another with
freight valued at 100000, or $150,OO0. He
says the steamships will use up the Tea sail
ing clippers in the China trade, and owners
of iron sailing ships are much alarmed at the
progress Of steam over sailing vessels in the
China, as well as other trades. A new ship |
in Scotland, built of iron, 3S7 feet long, 43 |
feet beam; 30 feet deep, speed 10 knots, cost |
G7S,O00. This ship has made sixteen and |
one quarter voyages to New York in twenty |
four months, an average Of A IA days to the |
round voyage. Carries of crew, all told, no
persons. This same company are now build
ing another vessel to run to New York from
Liverpool. She is to be Ais feet long ON deck,
43 feet beam, 30 feet deep, speed ~ knots
ee.efne osa,.rlsss, .sssy fer COS, without pro-
visions, GS5 900. The engine for this ship
cost 91SO00. We could not build the same
ship here for twice that amount of money!
A steamer, with compound engine, has just
arrived from China with 24OO tons of tea, in
in 81 days. She is a ship 300 feet long, 2S feet
deep, 80 feet wide, reg. 22S0 tons gross, net
1850 tons; 2400 tons of fifty feet to the ton:
sails nine knots, bark rugged, main yard 62
feet, burns "a tons of coal per day, cost Esq.,
600. The same company are building four
others for the China trade. The Chinese tea
clippers are used up on account of the steam
ers doing such wonders. The cost of the an
gle iron, for the frames of ships, in England,
cut to lengths, ST los; the cost of plates, cut
to shape for an entire ship, is eS IS, wire
rigging e21 per ton, chain cables 1Oper ton
Cost sof American angle iron for ship
$134 40 per ton, a difference in favor of
England of $50 40, or cents per pound.
Cost of plates in America SIP per ton, in
England $40 80; difference in favor of Eng
land, S62, so or three cents per pound. Cost
of chain cables in this country is Sl34 40 per
ton; difference in favor Of England S572 20. |
Cost of wire rigging in America 1921 20 per |
ton; difference in favor of England, $50 go. |
The cause of all this is the high cost of labor. |
expenses of the Government, and all the in |
terest on the public debt. The rich man does
not pay it, the bondholders do not pay one
dollar of it.; labor pays every dollar of the
debt Now, what we mnst do to make mate
rial and labor cost us less, is to reduce the ex-
penses OF our Government, tax our bonds,
make our interest four Per cent, and then we
Yankees can compete with any nation in the |
world; but until that great evil is remedied,
we must have some assistance from Congress
in the way of drawbacks on all material going