Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1870-03-17

Prom the Portland Advertiser


sent for Mr.. Lynrl,s bills Tor the relief |
of our navigation interest. Last year
circumstances drew my attention to the |
condition of affairs on the other side the
Atlantic. and | sent You the result OF
nv observations, as ii seemed IT, me to |
bc important that onr people should |
realize the strength al the opposition
they have TO encounter and the immense
impetus trade i constantly receiving
towards steam. Since tli"n have
noticed from time to time The gratifying
evidences in influential quarters that
this important branch ol national in
dusiry is beginning Ia receive the share
OF attention it deserves at the hands of
our public men. The President and
Secretary Of the Treasury. in their an
nual communications - Congress.
called the attention Of Congressman to
ii n ono ot the thing, that ought no
longer to be neglected. aud the press
generally responded with evident hearth
ness.
Mr.. L,nch's report from his selec,
/ committee i, not YET prinicd. but judy
ing from the extracts from it that have
seen in the papers. The committee seem
Ia have done much intelligent labor aud
/ the renewed prcscntnent they have
made OF the condition and prospects of
this right arm of our prosperity" can
not tail 10 have a beneficial influence.
But the mode Of relief indicated i in
! some respects "a -criou- disappointment
/ t. inc. and it j. because deem the pro-
/ posed law, detrimental t" our Maine
| interests that call your attention to
: them very briefly
! And first = n, liz. f.uuu4sn t.tN lDur-
ing the war, when the committee OF
WAYS aud mean, was lcvying upon
! cNcrybod, and everything within the
boundaries OF The Republic. shipping
! dill not escape them. They taxed vessel,
on the stocks. gross rccrips for freight,
and bu. Il tax OF ten cents per ton on
vessels afloai. Subsequently they re-
leased other taxes on the condition that
the tonnage tax should bc increased Ia
thirty cents whep. il now stands. and
20 all vessels. irrespective of value. are
annually taxed thirty cents per ton by
the collector OF each port where they
enter or are registered.
The objections 10 this law are obvious.
IL j. level tax upon property Of greatly
unequal value. OF cour.c bearing the
hardest upon those lca.t able to paw In
many instances it is full three per cent
Of the actual :alue. and in some cases
even NOR" than that. Two or three
wears ago | had letter from well
known vessel owned in Brooksvillc in
Hancock County. Stain. that there
were twcnty-two vessels owned in The
harbor aud but two of them vcntured
10 sea in the winter. The others lay by
during boi>terou- weather. aud carried
their freight in the inildcr portion Of the
year And It'll they paid the same tax
a. the steamer often times their value.
amounting. no doubt. on the average to
at least two per cent of the actual valu-
alton and this in addition to large local
taxation. onr vessel, run from ten
dollars 10 Il hundred and fifty dollars in
value per ton and still the tax remains
the same. J. j. about "a unfair a, a tax
ol five dollars per house IN Maine ire
-pcctiyc nt size OF locality. ! notice III
iRaiti'jiFir ,.t'i it'itf.if' vi" hc counties
average about thirty dollars per ton.
This would make the tax in such coun-
tir~ one per cent OF the full value
This unequal and in many instances
burdensomc tax. the bill propose, 10
refdtn. pom what ground this is done
! ain not aware. Possibly il NAV be
because foreign vessel, pay the same
tax. But thi, can hardly be deemed
conclusive by those hotiing that species
~ property. No doubt thew would like
Ia zee foreigners taxed, but isn't it
rather hard 10 punish them 50 severely
III order TO bring about TINT desirable
result: Besides, there is another way
OF getting AT the same thing. suppose
the law should provide that no vessels
should pay the tonnage tax except those
entering from a foreign portl In that
case the old coasters would go clear and
the more expensive vessels engaged in
foreign trade would share the burden
with foreigners. Wouldn't that make
a more equal thing of it. Certainly, in
the aggregate. by such law. American
shippln. would pay less and the tax
would be borne by class OF property
much better able To bear il. la the
most fiourishiug part of our CONNER
cial history we had no tonnage tax at
all.
II may he that the committee had an
idea that by retaining the tonnage tax
the two or three millions thus received
could be judiciously distributed in
bounties and thus promote the prosperi-
tv OF tonnage already afloat as well as
the ship-building interest. But if 20,
the end hardly justiiies the means. 1t
Is not fair TO tax the cheap tonnage Of
my Brooksville correspondent for the
advancement of other peoples interests.
And the attempt to do SO il necessarily
n failure to secure equitable results.
call your attention TO section 3 of the
bill, providing that upon every steam
er running to and from the ports of the
North American Provinces one dollar
and fifty cents for each registered ton"
shall be paid annually by the Secretary
, OF the Treasury to such steamers ''as
shall lie engaged for more than six
months in the year in that trade. By
this section the international Steam
ship Company" owning some three
thousand tons Of steamers running be-
tween Boston, Portland, Eastport and
ST. John, would receive annually from
the Secretary Of the Treasury about five
thousand dollars, and that without
making an additional turn OF these val
liable boats. Some of nv neighbOrs
have the good fortune to be stock hold
ers in that company and they tell me
the dividends are exceedingly satisfac-
tory. They will be surprised to learn
that Congress proposes 10 tax our Marine
coasters for the purpose of adding any
thing to the large receipts they are ac-
customcd to get from that investment.
And doubt if the Maohias aud Mount
Desert line, in its struggles to live aud
develop the business OF the coast, would
be quite satisfied to be overlooked when
its weather. neighbor was receiving
such generous donations.
Whether the other bOunties proposed
in the bill would in practice work any
more equally is matter do not pro-
pose to discuss. It's quite certain that
any business built upon u system Of
Congressional bounties has precarious