New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1869-10-16
OUR SHIPPING INTERESTS.
AMERICAN NAVIGATION INTERESTS.

AMERICAN NAVIGATION INTERESTS.
THE INQUIRY or THE SPECIAL CONGRESSIONAL
,oOMMIrTEE-sECOND DAYS PROoEEDINGs--
VIEWS or MESsRs. SINNERS, ROLAND SMITH,
WEBB, AND BUCK. ,o-rqr..ct rg.tr..s..,
The Special Committee on the Decay Of
American Commerce" resumed Its session yesterday
forenoon at the Custom House, the Chairman the Hon.
John Lynch, and Messrs. Holmes, Morre, Wees and
Buin gton being present There largo attendance
OF shipbuders owners and Others and great deal OF
interest was manifested In the proceedings. Mr.. a. o.
Sinners. Naval Engineer, was the first gentleman e1'
ahmed He testified follows: am interested iu ship
building in this country. know that there is no ship
building to any extent In this country think that IL
we had the same laws shipbuldug that they have In
foreign countries should see different result here The
law IN England Is that when you commence TO Dulfd
ship every particle OF material that goes into her con-
article that goes board Is free OF duty 30 long as she
Taste. Now II have law In this country that every
thing that the construction OF ship Ia free OF
duty we can Dud ships, and iron that with any
nation in the world. Our people are as well calculated
10 90 to sea IA those OF other nation We probably
have to pay more for labor in building shiPs but we
get more labor for our money 90 not think snip
vantage In regard to materials. think the Internal
Revenue tax ought TO be taken OH Oh iron we could
buy iron in this country. II tne Internal
Revenue tax was taken off Of it, We can build ships now.
believe great deal cheaper than IS comhon,y sup
tho have been here think cannot build iron ships
at present well as they can abroad
There have been as good ships built here OF iron as IN
@ not OH be desirable use American materials
IL you could get themf Yes. Sr Our American ron
better and our shipbuilders prefer IT, we better
ship with it. There Is no doubt H
this to my mind sn We We. Wo0 tSe Go V
service general Inspector OF the ironelad steamers
during the war built iron ships In pItIsprgn; na
ton, Delaware. and Chester, Pennsylvania. by the
ChalrmanDoI understand you to say the same mate
ala ia
aronclads as in the construction or merchaht yes
sesi Yes Sir just the same; only IN the "
iron IN the emergency Those ships built during the war
have been foundered upon sandDars without making
any calculation the amount or the TAX on ma
teras used In the construction OF an iron shpf NO. sir
/ do not know how much 1t is. II was stated here
yesterday that the insurance was less on EngIsn IRON
lust the same In all respects, with the exception OF d
ties could compete with them We cOuld make money
Won can get more labor out of American mechanic
than English. Our machinery Is not mucn superior
In Isl tbeT was inferior ours bnt at the
present time fully good as ours The difference IN
the construction OF iron ships or wooden ships just
wS SShe S house BY Mr. you would
have difficulty IN supplying ships II you coaid nave
the demandf No. Sir. We could supply any number
BY the sae-What you want is TO be put on an equality
with English ship budersf Yes, Sir Let US pc put on
a par with English builders and rival them BY
the same-You would prefer TO do that with American
materialsi Yes Sir. They are mnoh better than ior.
the yesses built during the tho Government
too high to make them available for building merchant
labor in this county The finances better state
now. think We can make ship that VIII pay better
profits than English ship they are more profitable 10
run We have always led AL NATIONS IN vessels en
both naval and merchant ny MI MorEsl s there no,
Yes Sir. 1 think that an after consideration that
should be kept in view. During tne war we lOuhd .
one OF the Committee-f you relieve ship from duty
and at the same . ePea tre eyT @ sh T would he
bought abroadf Yes probably in the nrst year great
found that they could be built here cheapiy,
the demand would cease BY member OF
in the right OF foreign vessels engage In the American
coast trade or would you encourage American shipsi
would throw IL open to all ships under the American flag
By member OF the Committee-Do you think II the
duties RENTED you could bnd iron ships Ia New
THamesi Wy Yes, Sir; think we could supply them
throughout country We have several establishments
produce a vessel quicker than they abroad We
have rolling mils that are ready 70 supply materials
Of monitors built OF American front Yes. Sir there
not pound Of English iron used: BY one OF the
Committee-According to your idea OF building ship
nothing used in her construction that Is not
S IN AN ~ one OF @eS pSst fSp
win be on the iron. mostly and the stores that 80
into ship. Yes Sir
Mr. T. +. Rowland, iron shipbuilder, Greenpoin was
the next person called He the constructor OF the
Monitor Passaic Montauk. and Catskil ironcads. He
testified as follows: built the Monitor In 1Oi days.
had men employed In building her who had worked for
me three years When received the contract to build
the Passaic. Montauk, and Catskill men struck for
higher and discharged them all and hired boiler
makers mac hinists and Others there a man
employed In the construction OF those ships with the
oeption OF myself that had ever struck blow on an iron
ship Within the three four years the English
introduced the iron planning machine and other
shin great dea cheaper than We can II from
R6 to currency per tun to build sailing vessel and
from a2l to 924 currency TO build steamer. have,
when building monitors left order for iron Ia the
morning downtown, and when reached Greenpoint at
found rolled sheared and delivered in yard from
the works in Jersey City Now, do not think could
not the Insurance Company discriminate between good
iron and poor front No. sr AT Lloyd's an iron ship
whether Is good or poor ron They make distinc
ton between good and poor iron will put ship, built
block under the center without fear Of her breaking In
Our ships, ON account OF the superior quality OF
weigh eights less than English ship BY OF
the would be required in order TO revive
making the Pennsylvania i people come down in their
prices BY OF the Comnitee-Do you not know that
many Americans negotiating abroad for ships, and
many OF our merchants have purchased ships and are
sailing them under foreign fagsi No, sir; do not know
that build ship within ten per cent OF what they
can in England. On Loyds specifications II would cost
about ten per cent more. Machinery can be built for
would pay more for snip built in Wilmington, Della
Sn iT s a4s
lines to divert freight In their channels whereby foreign
where they can et freight the cheapest The vessel that
carries for the least money viii get the work BY one Of
the Commtsee-In your opinion adopting the drawback
would encourage the building Of ships here do not
know whether would not That would make q ship
sl4 SIS tun less The English iron Is considered
good IL . square inch will sustain weight OF n
American iron costing tho considered poor II IL
will carry 10000 to the square inch There is
in this State that win carry 100000 che square inch
Now Llyod's rules compel us to put rs much !
OF that iron in q ship rs EDglishman puts
In OF iron sustaining 10000 TO tho square inch |
The English iron costs about u cents per pound gold
and the American iron costs or cents currency. &c.
II the real value taken into our iron does
not cost great deal more than theirs. We build
vessel upon Lloyds rules at exceed ten per
cent of the cost In England. We beat them In
labor They pay less day than do. but do
work In day than they do In two A ship that you