The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1873-03-01
The Decline OF our Shipping Interest.

the last twelve years-wbile farms have been
opened in the West, and thousands OF miles
OF railroad built to carry the products OF them
to the seaboard-the shipping that should
have taken these products abroad has near
ly vanished from the ocean. Twelve years
ago American shipping was pride and
glory-the ocean symbol Of prosperous
and powerful people. Now 1t is shadow.
Or the seventeen million tons OF shipping
that entered and cleared in the ports OF the
United States in 1860, seventy-one per cent.
was American. or the twenty million tons
that entered and cleared in the same ports
in 1901, only thirty seven per cent. was
American. In 1860 the total tonnage en-
gagged in the direct trade between the
United States and Great Britain was 953, lt4
British, and 1906, $50 American, ours being
nearly double that Of our great rival. In
1871 the British tonnage engaged In this
direct trade had increased to 4, l86, ,87l, and
the Americans had dwindled to l, 103, 842.
In 1860 the clearances OF foreign bound
American vessels from the ports OF the
United States were over 5000, 900 tons, and
those OF British vessels over 4,000,0 900 tons;
in 1871 the American clearances had been
reduced to three and three.quarters million
tons, and those OF the British have Increased
to twelve and three-quarters million tons.
In 1860 American shipping was Is per cent.
OF the tonnage OF the whole world; In 1871
it was only per cent. During this time oi
wonderful comm ercial and industrial activ-
ity, while England has doubled her COM
merce, France Increased one.hali, Germany
one-half, Italy one-hali, ard Austria has
doubled, the foreign commerceof the United
States has fallen cE. Tnis decrease OF our
shipping involves decrease OF the profits
OF the carrying trade. In the three years
preceding the war, the freight profits on the
direct trade between the United States and
Great Britain were s52, s92. Ala, OF which
we secured seventy-one per cent In the
three years ending with 1870, the freight
profits OF this trade have increased to S72,-
4I9, 972, OF which we secured only thirty
seven per cent. 1t is estimated that by the
destruction Of our shipping interest we have
lost in freight earnings, in twelve years,
s454, lis, PA; In the same time We have lost
in the transportation OF nearly three million
immigrants, at SS5 each, slO2, OBJ, $40;
and we have lost in the transportation OF
outward bound passengers $4,000, 900;
making a total loss OF profits since 1861 OF
s649, ss4 s20.
These figures give an idea Of the calamity
we have suffered In the destruction Of our
sbip-building interest, and demonstrate the
necessity OF wise and vigorous measures for
Its revival. Our great need is for ships of
our own, to earn the profits on the trans
portation OF our own products. II we can
not build them now, we ought to be allowed
to buy them until such time as we can build
them, for we are losing annually fifteen 10
twenty per cent. on ST., 900 by having
no vessels to carry our trade. But the
permanent revival OF our shipping inter-
est must be sought for in removal OF
the burdens that crushed it-in an abolition
OF those protective duties on ship-build-
ing materials, which have sacrificed the
American sbip.builder to the American man
ufacturer.