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

such enterprise, In the event CT wat With
any foreign power within the, next ten or
twenty years, where is she to find one hum
dred thousand seamen, five hundred CAPTAINS
five hundred first officers, five hundred lien,
tenants and commanders to navigate the
ships we may require? In time of war we
shall require two thousand first-class enpin-
GERS; ana II our commerce degenerates as it
has, we shall not be able to find bur a few ~
render such noble service as in our late struU.
gle. we shall have to fly to the New
hampshire, and the cornfelds of the West
lor seamen to command and man our ships
Inc idea OF anation like this getting seamen
from State where salt water is worth dol
lar ana a nall pint, is preposterous to me-
Ii we 90 not get aid from Congress, we will
not be known among nations as a first class
mercantile marine. Our national commerce
IS decreasing every day, and Europe is on the
increase. They build 100000 tonnage yearly
on the Clyde alone, and we have not aver
aged $4,000 tons since the war, not equal to
our losses at sea. We are dying out as a ma
ton in commerce, and building up railroads.
Congress has given money freely to construct
railroads over the mountains, to enrich few
individuals, and why cannot they give aid to
the shipping interests, SO We shall rank
among the first nations of the world, and let
our flag float on every sea.
l have many more figures that could give
you, but will not tax your patience.
remain cordially yours,
..4.........s NATH'L MCKAY.
To JOHN LYNCH, Chairman Committee of
Commerce.
Hon. E. S. Tobey next addressed the Com
mittee at some length He said there had
been few instances where the shipping inter-
ests of the country had knocked at the door
OF Congress for relief as they had never need
ed any aid from the general Government until
after the rebellion broke out. This was true,
more particularly. in the case of the sailing
commerce than in that of the steam COM
merce. Now our commerce had been so
greatly injured by the war, it was, to his
mind, clearly for the interest of the United
States Government to restore its flag to the
ocean pre-eminently for its own sake Capt.
tai invested in the aggregated corporations of
the time was richly able to take care of itself,
but not so the mercantile interest. The Gov,
eminent should encourage and develop this
interest for the sake of sustaining the mer-
camille marine, and keep alive the native gen.
ius for shpbuiiding The time may come
when it may need another Ericsson, ard if it
allows the private shipyards to go to decay, it
would suffer in consequence. The speaker
then eloquently alluded to the patriotic and
indispensable service performed by the volun-
teer marine during the recent war. Without
this supply the Government could not have
established an effective blockade. The Navy
Yards were also unequal to the task of sup
plying the Government with the iron-clads
needed, and private yards had to do the work.
He attributed the decline of the American
shipping interests to the fact that so large a
number of ships were chased from the seas
by the Alabama and other piratical craft; to
the high rates OF insurance they were forced
to pay; to the transfer to foreign flags
and to the natural exhaustion of vessels.
The lite of a vessel he said, was generally not
over fifteen years, and at the end of that time
they were pretty sure to become unseaworthy.
They were giving out, and the shipyards were
falling to supply new ones. The decline had
been due to no want of enterprise ON the part
OF our merchants or shipbuilders; but now
that the great national issues which had so
distracted the country were settled, the mer-
camille interests should be revived. The APP
pontment of the present Congressional Com
mittee he considered most encouraging sign
The United States he believed Should imi-
tate the example of England in all matters
pertaining to mercantile affairs The speak
er then detailed the policy of England,
France and Germany in reference to their
mercantile concerns, and hoped the United
States would profit by the experience and ex-
ample of those nations. He quoted from Com
missioner Wells report, that $50,O00,000 were
annually lost to this Government by giving
the carrying trade to foreign bottoms. He was
opposed to the registration of foreign ships.
The ship, in his mind, was a national institu-
ton, and it was of the most vital importance
to the nation that the mercantile marine
should be kept up. Mr.. Tobey next described
the superiority of many of our native built
vessels to foreign ones. The concave line
theory Of shipbuilding was first put in prac-
tice here. The steamer "Adriatic," of the
Collins line, he thought was one of the finest
steam vessels ever put afloat. The duplicate
models of some other vessels constructed were
thought OF sufficient importance as to be
purchased at high prices in England. The
speaker closed by abiding to the peculiar geo.
graphical position which this country held,
to the great natural advantages for trade it
should possess by lying midway between
Asia and Europe.
After the address of Mr.. Tobey, few words
were added by another gentleman, and the
meeting adjourned,