The Hawaiian gazette., 1873-11-05
HAWAIIAN GAZETTE
Iron shIpbuIldInE i'm the United
States.
wonderful Progress OF the Business.
rrron ID. \. 7. Journal Of oonmerce,l

WOOD 10 iron is uldttTlal LOT COhsliH'
ton, and the advanced price of material
and labor consequent upon protectiv
tariff, drove the magnificent America
wooden clipper ship from the sea and pu
in its stead the Clyde iron steamer. Gu
shipbuilders became ship chambers, an
their employees became factory operal
ives and mechanics, because every ar
fourished but the one in which they Ia,
been reared.
A representative of the Journal Q
Commerce has gathered the following in
teresting statements IRON conversation
with Mr.. John Roach, who is now tn
largest iron slhpbuilder in the Unite,
States. Let him tel the story of irOI
shipbuilding, for he tells it we'll Ii,
/ leads us from its recent infancy to it
present great prosperity. In manutactur
! ing ships, he was asked,
CAN WE COMPETE WITH ENGLAND?
"Certainly," said Mr.. Roach.
"But howl"
"Take this list, and see. have at my
works on the East river (the Morgan
works. and at Chester on the Delaware,
$500 men employed. working as hard as
they can, with j prospect of work for
their lifetime and desire on my part to
employ more men. Here is what l am
doing. No such ships were built two
years ago. Within eighteen months l
have put In the water, or have now III
the way OF construction, the following
vessels: Two immense steamers, eacu
AIS feet long, As feet beam, 80 feet depth
of hold, speed Is knots, tonnage 5000
tons each. Two just finished, length
$40 feet, depth %, beam ~, Tonnage
$500 each. Four, length 2GJ feet eacu,
beam 81, depth y, tonnage l,7UO each.
Que vessel 26u feet long, beam SO, depth
II, tonnage l,7uo. One vessel length z2U,
beam 70, depth IL, tonnage l,2JU. One
vessel l9j feet long, beam SO, depth 10,
tonnage 1000. One vessel I9J feet long,
beam SO, depth Is, tonnage LOO making
IN all 27,4UU tons OF iron shipping. Do
you suppose | could get the orders Tor
those vessels unless could compete with
Shlpbuilding on the Clyder Aud you
must remember that while am doing
more business III my line than any one IN
the country, L am only one iron shipbuilder
There are several others, aud think they
are all doing well. consider THIS great
achievement on the part Of the iron saip-
builders, especially because they receive
no aid from the government.
But the tariff ON ships, You know, is
absolutely prohIbitory. unly two classes
OF things are prohibited under our GUS
toms laws: One, ships; the other, articles
OF an obscene NATURE"
Il know that practical shipbuilders
cared little about the tariff"
How then did you & along SO well:"
You must first understand that
CONGRESS BOTHERED Us To DEATH,
and then | will tell you how We succeed
ed. The government needed vessels dur
ing the war, aud bought or hired them
indiscriminately. Once an officer Of army
Or navy got his spyglass on vessel 1t
was pressed into service. The owners,
Is rule, did not complain, because they
were well paid. But the government,
'ne way or another, did its part to wear
,ut our merchant marine. Ot course,
great principles OF decay did the rest
following this, scheme alter scheme was
brought before Congress to aid lines Of
teamtrs anI aid shipblldiny.'
Bat you were one OF those who had
Yes, and why l saw that there was
LANCER of Congress passing bill admit
ing ships free of duty > and why should
he shipbuilding interests be sacrificed
when all others were protected by a
arif'? Our industry died; all others
'rospered. My whole object was to de-
eat free ships. 1 had no idea that any
ill | framed would pass Congress, but
oped that l would draw the minds of
he members off from the iree-ship bills
v debate that would ensue on the bills
I aid. l did not expect aid from Com
rcss. / never feared anything but the
assage of a free-ship bill"
Suppose they should pass free-ship
i'll nov 7"
"TJ PASS FREE-sHIP BILL WOULD NOT
HURT US,
Mess the Clyde men should make a COM ,
:
" What do you mean by that?"
mean that it is usual for the large ,
of Great Britain to under :
IL Americans who seem prosperous even ,
money is lost in large sums, because it
ecreases competition and the loss is made
, by high prices Immediately following :
you let us alone few years you may f
polish all the navigation laws and we e
m compete with the world. We're IL I