The Republican journal., 1874-08-13
From the Progressive Age.
Foreign Competition in Ships.

We published an item, some weeks ago, from
one of the Commercial papers, stating that the
fact of a large falling off in both the value and
employment of American vessels, since last
year, chiefly attributable to the competition of
foreign vessels in our carrying trade; and that
the harbors of our principal export cities were
filled TO great extent with foreign vessels,
which We're resolting hither to find employ
ment and that, i'll consequence of the owners
of those vessels being able to sail them much
cheaper than the owners of American vessels
could do, the former were obtaining the control
OF the foreign carrying business.
As if this competition was not enough, our
ship builders are now threatened with areneW-
al of the Reciprocity Treaty one article of which
reads as follows:
Article Mi Of this treaty az years. vessels built
in the United States may be purchased by inhabi-
tants of Canada, subjects of Great Britain, and
registered in Canada as Canadian vessels; and re
ciprocally vessels of all kinds built in Canada may
be purchased by citizens of the United States and
registered In the United states as United States
vessels"
A writer In the St. John Telegraph in COM
munication commencing the treaty saws of this
article that it evil virtually, transfer the ship
wards of Bath and Boston to St. John and
Dorchester!
1t is well known that the price of labor and
all the materials that enter into the construction
Of ship are much lower there than they are
on this side of the line, and, undoubtedly.
were this proposed treaty to go into effect the
result would be very much as the writer above
predicts.
Who favors this proposed treaty which is so
prejudcial to the ship-building interests OF
Maine? The democratic party. It declares it.
self for free-trade, generally, which not only
throws open the ports of Maine to free-trade in
ships but to ali other products. And this
ruinous policy is advocated by all the democratic
papers of the State. All the principal demo-
cratic papers, the Argus, the Maine Standard,
the Republican Journal and the Bangor
Democrat. while they support the free-trade
resolve of the recent democratic conN entlon,
especially advocate this proposed treaty, and
predict that it will be ratified ut the next session
OF congress, as it doubtless would be if the
democratic party could have the say. 1t be-
hooyes the people of this state to interposc a
prompt negative as far rs they have the power.
The Age gives the impression that the
former reciprocity treaty contained . pro
vision adm itting provincial built ships to
ownership in this country. Such is not
The fact. The article quoted is one which
ON Dominion neighbors ash, TO have IN
corporated in the new treaty, if one shall
he concluded Put it is one thing to ask,
and another 70 grant. Certainly, as mat
tiers now are, We cannot afford such a
stipulation But put the conditions of
ship building back where they We're in
Democratic times, and we can compete
with and beat the provincials as we did
then and give them permission to sell
their vessels here. The Age states cor
rectly the reason why we cannot now
compete successfully with foreign ship
builders and owners 1t is because 1.-THE
price of labor and all the materials that
much lower there than they are on this
side of the line But Nhy are they so
much lower? 1t is hecause everything
here j. 50 unmerciiullv taxed. Taxation
increases the cost of all shir-buildine ma
teral Taxation enhances the cost oflabOr,
so that wages must be higher. All this
falls at last upon the cost of the ship. So
that when we send out on ships to com
pete with foreigners, they are weighed
down by this increased cost, owners are
discouraged, and withdraw from the bust
ness.
II the question lie asked why taxation
is 50 very heavy, the reply is that the cost
Of the government is enormous beyond
all precedent All the departments are
crowded with needless officials ut cnor-
nous salaries. A sample of this may be
seen in the case Of Portland Custom House,
as given in another column The thousands
Of millions invested in government bonds
have been foolishly exempted from taxa
ton, so that the tax they fail to pay must
be levied upon other property, and ships
among the rest So it will be seen, that
after having almost crushed the breath of
life out Of Anne rican ship-bullding by their
terrible burdens, the republicans now talk
about the ruinous democratic policy"
which tavors a profitable trade with
Canada, excluding the plil.l..-, ol their
ships
How ettectually the misgovernment Of
the party in power has DESTROYED Ameri-
can shipping may be seen from official
statistics. The story is as brief as it s
sorrowlll. The last year OF Democratic
power was 1860. In that year the excess
of American tonnage entered at our ports
over foreign tonnage entered was 1861 >
ga tons After the republican party had
been in power ten years, the entries of
foreign tonnage exceeded those of Ameri-
can tonnage, 2,523,704 That tells the
whole story. Republican papers may rave
about treaties until they are blind, the
logic Of thai simple statement is I'M
answerable