The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1871-03-03
Our Commercial Downfall.

ives the report OF Joseph NlmmO, Jr.,
Chief of the Division of Tonnage, from
which it appears that of the total ton
mage entered at the ports of Great
Britain during the year 1869, GO per
cent. was British, per cent. American,
and 20 per cent. from other foreign
countries and also of the total tonnage
entered at the ports of the United
States during the year ending June 30,
1870, SO per cent. was American, Al per
cent. British, and IL per cent. from other
foreign countries. Thus the British
tonnage in the commerce of Great
Britain has risen from SO per cent. in
1855 to 68 per cent. in 1869, whereas
American tonnage has fallen off to
about one half of what it was in 1855.
We have but SO per cent. of the ship
ping engaged in our foreign commerce
under our own flag, while England has
about 70 per cent. of the shipping en-
gagged in her foreign commerce under
her flag. These facts are graphically
stated in charts Nos. and 9, which, the
author says, tell the whole story Of our
commercial downfall and Of England's
commercial triumph. 1t further APP
pears that, since 1860, American ship
ping in our foreign trade has fallen off
one half, and that British tonnage has
increased nearly 100 per cent. The
question, therefore, he remarks, in the
upbuilding Of our merchant marine, is
not how shall we protect our shipping
interests against foreign competition,
but how shall we protect it against Brit
ish competition. The causes of the
supercedure of American by British
ships in the international commerce of
the globe are: First, England was
about ten years ahead Of the United
States in establishing steam navigation
second, the policy of granting subsidies
to ocean steam lines has been main
tanned by England from the beginning
to the present time, and this policy has
contributed greatly to the success of her
ocean steam marine; third, very i'm
portant advantage possessed by Great
Britain consists in the higher rates of
interest which prevails in this country,
and consequently the higher rates of
profits required on investments. A
fourth cause of our failure arises from
the difference in the amount of direct
taxation in England and in the United
States. A fifth, and the chief cause at
present of our inability to compete with
building ships in the United States. a
sixth, and less important advantage
possessed by British ships, consists in
the rebate of duties allowed on i'm
ported goods used on shipboard and
seventh cause Of the decline OF Ameri-
can shipping consists in the direct and
persistent opposition of certain foreign
lines to American lines of steamers.
The foregoing facts illustrate the
practical workings of our relations of
maritime reciprocity. They have de-
cided the fate of our shipping interests
in a contest of equal privilege such as
that in which American ships engage
by virtue of these relations.
The report gives n brief historical
sketch of the establishment of princi-
pies of maritime reciprocity between
commercial nations. In this policy the
United States took the lead up to the
act of 1923, which proposed to all ma
tons the broadcast relations of trade.
England adhered to her exclusive mari
time policy of Cromwell until the year
lS49. 1t is clearly demonstrated that
the object Of that policy was to meet the
common wants of the shipping of all ma
tons in the random trade pursued by
sailing vessels. The principal part of
our ships sought freights in all parts of
the world, and oftentimes were thus en-
gagged abroad for several years. But all
this is rapidly changing. Steam vessels
are supcrseding sailing vessels, and they
can be prohtably employed only on
regular lines between large ports. Thus
commerce is centering at the great
marts of trade, and the random trade
formerly pursued by sailing vessels is
broken up. But as the radon trade was
the very object which the principles of
maritime policy were designed to pro-
mote, it appears that in regard to steam
navigation change Of policy is de
manded by the totally changed condi-
tons of maritime affairs The practical
results Of steam navigation thus far,
under the principles of free shipping,
are simply these England now enjoys
almost monopoly of the steam naviga-
ton Of the world, and her power upon
the ocean is as strong as when she over
threw the maritime power of Holland,
and made herself the commercial mis-
tress of the seas. The most striking
fact Of this point is, that in our trade
with Europe there are now 1873 foreign
steamers engaged, of which lOl are Brit
ish, and not one wearing the American
flag.
THE SOLAR ECLIPSE OF lS69.-The Blu
reau of Navigation, Washington, d. c.,
has just published " Reports on Obser-
vations of the Total Eclipse of the Sun
of August eth, 1862" in a square quarto
volume of 2lS pages, and containing
eleven large plates. This work gives
the reports of Commodore B. +. Sands,
Professors Simon NewcomD, William
Hardness, j. r. Eastman, Surgeon Ed
ward Curtis and other observers, at
Des Moines, Iowa. There are also re-
ports of observation of the same
eclipse made at Bristol, Tenn, at
Abingdon, Va, and near Plover Bay,