The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1872-04-08
ENGLAND.

civil NtNOs
Decline of American Shi2pinR-A Manchester
View OF the Results Of tho Depredations Of
the Rebel Privatcers.
From the Manchester Examiner, March 2s.J
There Is one point incidentally connected with the
IL has hitherto received. We refer TO the per-
mahent effect which IL said to have been pro-
duced upon The mercantile marine oil the United
States by the depredations of The Alabama. The
immediate loss In the ships actually CAPTURED and
put down at some three millions sserllng includ-
ing cargoes as well as ships. This sum represents
II the tribunal Of arbitration should and us liable
The more proximate OF the indirect damages for
which indemnincauon is claimed include.first the
which the American merchants had to pay
on . their :, sea,golng ships IN order to cover
talned IN the transfer OF American ships 10
foreign owners. These two items fit into and sup
pemenJ each other. Ii every American vessel had
beep transferred to foreign flag there couia
have been no payment OF higher rates Of Insurance
against war risks, and the greater the number or
ships that were actually transferred the smaller
must be the amount Of money that was 50 paid.
effect or the war was to sweep the American
nag from The lace OF the ocean, it is difficult
TO see how there can have been mucn loss in
the matter Of insurance. the truth Is that
aoith the outbreak o. the acdr a sudden stop acds
put TO american commerce. The eGect o. me Nor
y1u TartE the sudden e1tltStD,en OF hundreds Of
thousands o. nlenJor military service, and NE t1a.
sneHse demand or supplies Jor me maintenance OF
the rast armies arhch Sent into the Reld.
put an e0ectstdt StopDdge TO trade The supplies re-
CURED from Great t, Britain were ere carried IN
bring back such small supplies OF American COM
mobiles as could be spared for foreign
lett with nothing to do, great part OF 1t was taken
into the service OF the government to be trans
formed into vessels OF war for coast service or to be
used as transport ships, while a smaller part was
soldio British buyers, who paid the market rate,
the entire number OF ships transferred to the
British nag down to the, end q 1864 was
an average Of $50 tons each. happens
5mat the r total number Of British ships
weather. in 1853 was 49, far more than the entire
number OF American ships transferred 10 our nag
BY STRESS OF weather. was total but the Americans
sold their ships. The comparison Is merely Incl
Ge " p Sa :. sv 70 a m
by the way, that during the three years which pre-
A. $3.50 tonnage were transferred to brush owners
and, assuming thai the same rate OF transfer would
met nSmser 20 Of nps @ of
gne var was Dol, with an aggregate OF AIS, 1872 ton.
mage. Mr. David A. Wells the United states Com
missioner, Informs that, according To the aver
age rate OF shpbullding IN the American yards from
1927 10 1857, the amount or tonnage built In 1867
ought to have been 100000 SO that the whole
amount Of American shipping transferred at price
30 British owners consequence OF the war was far
less than single years construction would have
been II the unwlse policy OF the American govern
ment had not prevented the natural growth OF
American shlpbulldLng.
nThese facts serve to illustrate the actual amount
OF damage which the American mercantile marine
sustained in consequence OF the war; ana Justify tne
inference that the American estimate or It's magnl-
tude as affecting The indirect claims for colaDenSa
estimate has been extended Still further The
Americans compare the statistics OF their mercan-
NE marine before and since the war; and ascribe
LIONS oil me Alabama. Their argument ls that the
american shipping having been swept from the
ocean through fear OF capture has never from that
Lime till now been able 10 recover It's former cond-
tion OF prosperity. The Washington correspondent
n na " tod lrnsn
placing the American Shipping statistics Of 1871 under
those OF 1852, declaring mat sum IN suDstracuon
would show how much we owed TO America In com.
pensation in one item alone. These calculations are all
built upon an extraordinary deiuson. The Aiaeri
absolutely Jasat to tneir shipping interest, ana
C0Oly make responsible Jor their oacn bluade1s
and the American tax on IRON keeps up tie price OF
that article 10 such height as to render competl-
ION with foreign shipbulders impossible. An
quoted by Mr.. Wells IN his report, says:-"If Con.
gress would repeal the law taxing imported
construction OF iron SHIPS, our American iron ship
yards would In single year rival Ia activity those
ships be ionnd IN every port In the world, as Eng
lish quilt ships are now, and the commerce OF our
country, without which no nation can rank as q
nrst class Power which to-day lies crushed and na-
tened. protected to death would more than
gain ITS former measure OF greatness" In 1867 an
enerprislng citizen OF Chicago conceived the idea
OF establishing an iron shpbuilding yard in
workmen and arrange for a supply OF materials;
but. on calculating the COST he found that the az
port would range from thirty-eght 10 sxty-six per
cent, and the enterprise had TO be abandoned. Mr..
showed tnat the derence Between n tne amounts
which q Liverpool and New York ship
builder would have to pay in taxes. direct and IN
commercial profit IN favor OF the former.
TINS IS the real reason why the American shipping
mas declined. Whue Tie americans are preUented
~ theT toriG rom building ships rieDeseioes
they are also prevented rom buying ships rom
ships, they have as many as they want Tor they
have no commerce, and without commerce ships
aggerated statement, but Mr.. Wells makes It IN
almost inc same words. lie says-"The
out of the Indiscrlminae and universal taxation
under the tarih, which we have thus shown to exist
every other branch OF production That II ships ayaa
bic for foreign trade were to-day furnished TO hand
without cost their use must he exceedingly limited
Tor the reason that the high prices Of ali domestic
commodities would efectualiy prevent that ex-
change with foreign countries which In itself con-
sttutes commerce.
These facts, which are presented to us on the
highest official authority IN the United states, sum
cently explain the decline IN American shipping.
Ii Is all very well for the Americans TO shuttle or
sight the plumbers OF their financial policy by LAYING
iis results on our shoulders and we DO not doubt
that TIE pyotecttonist and protected pg-iron manu-
tdctuers Of Pennsylvania hare found TIE Alabama
,cate,. These gentlemen have compelled all
sorts OF American consumers, from those who
10 od spe sps more 70 those yo make 10 los
sterling per ton Tor all the iron they have used Than
thcy would have had TO pay but for the Import duty
on British Hon and this excessive profit having
been made OF the cost of the national marine we
can wen understand how convenient II Is 10 exa9-
10 suppose that we are responsible for the present
state VI tue American snlpDuldng trade or that IL
ls IN the smallest measure the remotest degree
our fauit II the American mercantile navy Is
not at this moment lar larger than 1t ever was
~ one OF the gr0ssest decisions ever palmed upon
an intelligent people II the Americans are only
ondlng $4,000 tons OF shipping year instead OF
ooo 600 II 10 exclusively their own fault the natural
ano loreseen result OF the tariff when tney chose
70 set mp just AT the outbreak OF the civil war Inc
PRESIDENTIAL assent to having been one o! the last
omclal acts OF MIR. Buchanan. II they want com.
pensauon Tor the decay OF their mercantile
marine; " uiep rant To De tnden,ntHed I,r
~ dtSnppedrance or their nag nom me
ngh,raps ~ TIE ocean, UteU must terry q tar upon
-" toho h0ce gained bV the MorrW tartf ne
rue source or Their ma iionai losses. The wiser
plan. however wond be to reform their policy. TO