The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1871-08-10
For Governor
CHARLES ?: KINbALL:
OF PORTLAND
ShipbuiIding Again.

the Boston Post is doing the shipbuilding
interest of Maine such excellent service,
will be found on the outside of to-dav's
paper. The facts brought ont in the Var
mouth letter are very important, as show
ing the disasters wrought with our ship
ping by the radical tariff and party policy
generally. The only possible objection
that can be made to them on any hand, is
that Capt. Blanchard is a Democrat, and
may therefore be suspected of prejudice
against high tariff.
But the testimony which we publish to-
day is open to no such objection No cry
of party prejudice will avail against the
declarations of James p White and Co
lumbia p. Carter, concerning the causes
which have conspred to ruin their bust
ness. Among the first in the Original
foundation of the republican party, they
have always been its most Jealous promo
ters and supporters. They do not state
the damaging facts which we record from
any desire to aid the Democratic party. as
such. But they are wrung from them by
the peril5 OF their position, as drowning
men shout tor help One of the most
significant facts stated by Nh White is
that even the repairs upon American ships
are made abroad. We know that it was
contemplated to bring the ship Charlotte
w Whito To ala e., -
making some extensive repairs upon her.
Shp-carpenters who needed employment
had counted on getting perhaps months
work on this vessel. But when the own
ers had counted the cost OF materials here,
the rulnous tax exacted at the Custom
House and all the discouragements w it'll
which a foolish administration loads the
business, it was found that the ship could
be much more economically repaired
abroad And SO the money that under
Democratic administration would come into
the pockets of shipbuilders in this city, un-
derradcal management goes into the hands
of foreigners. The ship owners are not
W ~ k)pN tllSIICtl HIS llltf juSi-
ness become that it is necessary to count
the cost in every instance, and use the
utmost economy in equipping and sailing
ships.
Now these are no far fetched argu-
ments. The facts are right here among
us, and can not be disputed They must
icrb+ bn l,I, Of
Maine, who will give to them few mo-
ment's consideration.
The argument has been made that the
falling off in shipbullding is owing to the
employment of steamers largely in the
carrying trade. 1t is true that freight is
carried TO a larger extent by steamers
but why should not the United States in
crease its steam marine as well as other
countries The only reply is to refer to
the same crushing, destroying tariff
An interesting statement, based on re-
cent statistics, has Just been prepared and
published which shows that in the year
1860 there We're running from New York
to foreign ports the Pacific Mail Line, to
AspinwalI, the Atlantic Mail, to Aspin-
wall and Havana, and the Havre Steam
Navigation Company, in all eleven wood
en- steam vessels, aggregating about &C.
600 tons. There were twenty-five iron
and five wooden vessels running to Liver
pool, Glasgow and Galway, under the
British flag belonging to the Cunard, In
man, Anchor and Galway lines The
North-tierman Lloyds ran two, and the
Hamburg line ran four iron steam packets.
In the transatlantic trade alone the
United States had in 1860 five steamers.
Instead of increasing in proportion with
other countries engaged in the same trade
during the succeeding ten years, we
actually declined to zero, having in 1870
not single steamer in the trans Atlantic
trade On the other hand, the number
of British steamers above mentioned in
creased to sixty-four and the German
steamers to twenty. Even France, which
had not a single steamer running to
America in 1860, had five in 1870.
| The documents from which this intorma-
ton is derived were prepared at the Urea
sury Department in Washington for the
report of Mr.. Lynch's Congressional Com
mittee. 1t was up to January /, 1870.
There are now about one hundred and ten
large iron vessels making regular trips
between New York and Europe, and in
| the whole United States the regular line
steam vessels number about one hundred
and forty-five, and the tonnage foots up
| about three hundred and fifty thousand
TONS This is very near the exact num-
Der and record of tonnage between our
country and Europe. OF these the Gun
ard line has %, the Inman 10, the Nation
al 10, Liverpool d Great Western Z,
Anchor 13, Mediterranean & New York 8,
French Transatlantic 4, Bremen 13, Ham
burg 10, White Star Gall large iron