New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1871-02-03
AMERICAN COMMERCE.
MEASURES FOR IT'S REVIVAL NOW BEFORE
CONGRESS.

p,i,te at uis time So review tho principal
features Of these projects. and their claims TO
Government aid. The necessity Of taking measures
10 restore our maritime carrying trade and to
revive the once great business Of shpbuildng seems
10 he At last taking hold Of the general mind in Con-
gresS Hh1sDccna digicut task to rouse members to
any real appreciation OF the magnitude as well national
importance Of these great interests Nor this be fairly
claimed yet 10 have been fully accomplished, but at
least some long strides have been made In that direction
The narrow jealousy which, combined with ignorance,
bred contempt fOr facts not understood embar
RAISING positions assumed, materially aided to de-
the Wen arranged report Of tho special committee
that had patiently aud carefully Investigated the whole
subject and earned Tho debate thereon into wrango for
committee precedence This condition OF sentiment seems
I'm large degree 20 have passed away Two things hin
der action These are tho brevty Of the period remain
ing of the present Congress and the growing greed and
unwisdom Of the special interests that seek mail
subsidies.
The measures designed 20 restore maritime inter
ests may be- divided two heads. The first is repre-
scuted by he modified bin MI Lynch has IN charge
snd 10 which his Committee and the majority OF the
standing Committee Commerce have agreed. II pro-
vdes ior drawbac, imported materials used In build
ing ships that exclusively employed in foreign trade
and also for equivalent bounty whore American ma
tcra used. shpsOrcs and fuel also 10 De allowed
be shipped free Of duty by vessels about TO sail for
foreign ports. Mr.. Morrill, proposes that Congress APP
point a commission to devise an American system OF
rating Tor insurance, and TO pay some small allowance
vessels using the On tho other ide-that Of the
Tree Tr1tcre-thore number OF bills penang an
proposing TO abrogate the navigation laws in whole or
part; but is quite certain that no such PROPOSE
tons VIII De listened 10 In either branch OF congress
Tho "Frcc ship" seem 20 have choctualy " playco
out" senator Chandler TO be the only public man
who vigorously opposes American mechanical skin ana
enterprise so far as ship-buildiug is concerned.
the other class OF relief measures Is generally fouhd
Tho 10f IN
20 aid commerce by encouraging capital TO emulate the
great Ell gsh and steamship lines the former Of
which, especially belt the world in all directions, enter
ing nearly every important port and form by their enter
prise complete and regular circuit except across TIC
Pacific Ocean, round the nayigabe globe The various
schemes presented are generally crude and idgesed,
as a rule their number and character are likely to
prevent the establishment of any whatever The detaIs
Of the bills pending before the Senate are here
given TIE first is the most moderate, and promises
good results.
THE NEw-ORIEANs AND MEXICAN MAIL STEAMSHIP co.
This bill bears such names as Philip r. FoulEe and Col
NJ K.bhen. both known former representatives, In
Congress, and both officers in the late McKi1ben
has had large amount of practical experience in steam
ship business. The proposed service is semtmOnthly
the contract ten years and the subsidy or pay
10 be at The rate OF $3.50 900 per for the first five
years and 100000 FOR tie last ve making of
S250O per annun, or total Of Sl25so0o for the ten
years tits claimed by the advocates of this bin that the
subsidy than fair compensation for services
REQUIRED The vessels Of this line are 10 make q
pete circuit Of the GULL 5000 miles, entering 10 or p
Mexican ports beginning with TampcO and ending with
Sisa touching at Havana the circuit, SO 9s to
mako complete the communication 70 and from New
York. II IS claimed that while the voyage from
New York 20 Vera Cruz would make the mails 20 days
en- route Il so carried by the Gulf line the Mexican mails
could be brought from Vera Cruz, landed In NewOreans
5ynd thence by rain to NewYork, within seven days As
IAN evidence the amount asked is not too large is
stated that the Government pays $4,000 for mail service
from New-Oreans Key West not more than one-third
OF the Mexican route in length and for service from
Baltimore TO Key West, $4,000
chief commercial argument used for this project IL
that affords easy, unfaing, and natural market for
the eercais -four, and all other products Of the Miss
sipp Valley, making immense reductions in freights
whether transported to New-Oreans by rail, or Coated
down in the system OF iron barges coming into use
as grain carriers 1t is estimated that the establishment
of the English and French service the Cuff has i'm
Intensely increased the foreign carrying trade and CORE
spondngly decreased ours. The Hon. Erastus Wells in
report TO the House this BILL says that in 1858 the
trade OF Mexico was estimated at 100000 Of which
three1ths controlled and carried by British steam
ers while only oneseventb with the United States.
Vera Cruz exports IN 1864 amounted 20 nearly
tOOOOOe onewentieh came TO this country. III 1868,
they were SG.9C0OOO. Of which one-tcUth TO the
United States. Tie English steamers consume &C days
round trip while New Orleans is within thnrc and
onehalf DAYS Of Vera Cruz and within 10 Of Europe.
The entire trade Of the United States with Mexico from
1850 1882 amounted to S63697,so of which S3l47533
were for imports and for exports. From
IL 1869 it amounted TO sl27 9229jO Of which S6402l&
FOR imports, while the remainder S1,i3o75G,
Tor exports leaving difference against Of Si93s5C2
"a considerable increase over the preceding period
But il the carrying trade that decadeuCe is
most appar In the first 10 years named only $1453
gG the total trade carried in foreign bottoms. In
the years S57,G7s57O carried, nearly
unc-half OF tho whole. Great Britain pays at least
Ie5OODo for mail service TO and from the ports OF her
colonies on the Gulf Of Mexico and in the West Indies.
MAIL SERVICE BETWEEN CALIFORNIA AND AUSTRALIA.
BY the OF this b introduced in the Senate by
Nr Cole the P0stmasereneral Is directed 70 contract
for mail steamship service between san Francisco and
some ports Australia. touching Honolulu and other
points the Pacific. The line Il to run in four
weeks O. trips per annuml. These TO he frstcass
vessels Of not less than 1900 tuns burden Vessels
hereafter built are have register OF not less than
800 The contract If TO continue y years, the pay
ment to DC $4,000 per But this includes the
present Sandwich Island service, S75OOO which be
merged the contract The chief movers in this
sre william II. webb and Ben Halliday, both Of whom
have been long time working up this enterprise The
proposed line is represented here by Mr. Bell Of San
Francisco the agent o. the Chamber OF Commerce Of
that city. From pamphlets and reports, the following
statements are cleaned The population OF the
five Australian colonies, Tasmania and New-Zealand,
{. set down at l,999,929. These are the figures Of
1855 Other estimates make the present population
OOo Of which il is fair 10 estimate that the colonies
Of NeW-Zealaud Tasmania New South Wales, Victoria,
and Ouceuslud-he colonies TO De at once tapped by the
,ropo.ed contain al least four-hths The imports
oI the seven colonies IN 1869 were SSO2O54Z; the
ports Sl75sl571; making total commerce Of $ij609
ss During the same year there cleared 79O vessels Of
l5256 uns 1851 10 1863 the gold exports Of these
roones amounted to sCl9565S The number of passen-
or arriving chiefly from Europe from 1913 to 1862