The Portland daily press., 1869-10-20

NECESSARY to preserve the navigation laws. and
give US materials free of duty, or nearly 50.
John Taylor, ship builder of Chelsea, was
next presented. What had been said of iron
ships by Mr.. Smith, he stated, was equally
true of wooden ships, as large part of their
constituents was of iron materials. There
was great depression in our shipyards. and
the cause of had been rightly stated. Have
been in the business thirty-fve years. and
have constructed 100 sail or more. Am build
ing but one ship to-day, and have made up nv
mind to build no more.
There is LOW ships building in Boston and
vicinity by men who are merely building to
use the material or keep their business going
in hope OF better day at hand. As things
now are, in six months from to-day there will
not be a single vessel on the stocks in the
whole of Massachusetts.
Pay mechanics of the first class, So to 1925
day, currency. In the ten years before the
war. 81 was fair average for first-class men.
My mechanics work ten hours. The Navy
Yard takes up most of the good mechanics,
because of less honrs. 1t tends to increase
the rate of wages in the neighborhood. Men
will seek work in the Navy Yard even at low
er wages. The formation of leagues to control
labor has had very bad effect. However, do
not think that the ship carpenters get any
more for their labors than they ought to, I'M
ucE OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES, Tue niSn
prices Of the necessaries of life.
The cost of many materials used in ship
building is at least 100 per cent. higher than
before the war.
Repeal the navigation laws, and there soon
would not be mechanics enough left to repair
vessels, and in case of war with England
we woald not have mechanics enough lett,
young and active men, to build our war ma
rine, OF keep it in order.
Paul Curtis, OF East Boston, a leading ship
builder, said that he had built but one shin
this summer, one of 141S tons. He had made
up bis mind to build none except on contract
In California times ship builders could gener-
| ally get $4,000 to $4,000 more than the con-
| tract price; and nowadays the reverse was
| the case. The present tariff had added about
$4,000 or $4,000 TO the cost of building ship
| OF 1000 tons. Such ship, fitted for sea to.
| day, would cost $4,000, and before the wal
| it would not cost over $4,000.
Wire rigging is now being used. Four OF
five ships have recently been fitted with il.
| But for the duties it would be more largely
used. Merchants can fit their vessels with
hemp rigging, use it several years, and then
in foreign port sell the old hemp rigging fol
| enough to put up wire rigging. Formerly
when vessels were built that we could no
sell here, we would send them abroad and sci
| them. After vessel is built an American
owner can run vessel as cheap if not cheape
than foreign owners. Vessels newly bull
that are going to Europe usually get their cop
per put on there, as it can be done 6 OFT cent
cheaper per pound
MIR. Tobey enquired how long the COMMITTEES
proposed to sit. There were several gentle
men, ship owners, and leading members o
the Board Of Trade, who would like to b.
heard.
| Hon. Mr., Lynch. chairman of the commit
tee, said that they proposed to leave Boston
tomorrow morning, and that they were read
to sit during the afternoon and evening.
Hon. E. FL. Derby was presented as a gentle
man who knew more of the commercial mat
tiers than probably any man in this vicinity
In 1861, he said, our tonnage reached $500,
600 tons, about as much as that OF England
now it had greatly fallen off, while Englan
had over 100000 tons.