Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1879-10-15
Free Ships no Panacca.

How is this ? We have been told so long
and SO many times that the reason the
United States has Il small mercantile ma
rine is the restriction put upon the pur
chase Of foreign ships, that We had good
cause to regard it rs sound free trade doe
trine. when behold, the New York Com
mercial Bulletin starts off thus in an arti-
Gle =
1T is seldom that French sailing vessel
''is seen now in an American port. Nearly
''all the trade between the two countries is
carried il not in the steamships of the
''Compagnie Transatlantique, then in Ger
imam, English, Italian or Norwegian vessels.
THE same condition Of things obtains in the
''Angio-French trade. There are in fact, no
"French steamers running to England and
"a few small schooners in the Princes dock
''are about all that are 10 be seen in Liver
pool, that great rendezvous for all vessels
''of all flags. Still, there have remained the
French colonies much of the trade of which
''has been carried on by vessels from the
''mother-country. 4 letter from Nantes,
''however. gives a very discouraging view
''even Of this trade. Our ocean, going ships,
sit says, are in IA worse position than ever
''for freight"
The statistical reports show that the
statement as to the small tonnage of
French shipping entering and clearing
from American ports is strictly true.
During the year ended June 30. 1873, the
total number of French sailing vessels en-
tering our ports with cargoes was l02, and
their tonnage 1S7 ,7l3; in ballast, "A YES
sells and 1895 tons. The total was i76
vsssels and 224 sos tons. In number the
French vessels were less than one per
cent. Of all the foreign ships; in tonnage
they were about two per cent. They were
not equal to one-half the business trans
acted in sailing vessels between the Unit
ed States and the Atlantic ports of France,
The French shipping entering our ports
was exceeded by Great britain, Germany,
Norway and Italy, and was only very
slightly in excess of that of either Austria
or Spain. The showing of the steam ma
rine was little better, but only forty
French steamships entered our ports in
1918 out of total of 1919 foreign, and
their tonnage was l5S, sos out of a total of
4,112, $50. Not one of the French steam
ships sailed from any other than Il French
Atlantic port, and even that trade they di-
vided with steamships of other nationai-
ties. Nearly twice as many American
sailing vessels entered our domestic ports
from France and French possessions as the
French sailing vessels arriving from all
the world, but their average tonnage was
much below that of the French vessels.
The teaching of these facts and figures
is, OF course, not that our merchant marine
is large and prosperous enterprise, but
that it compares not unfavorilhly with that
OF another country, highly ambitious of
maritime Importance, which enjoys the
benefits which free-traders tell Us are be-
slowed by free ships policy. French
men may buy steam or sailing vessels.
built anywhere, and register them as
French. Nevertheless, the registered
French tonnage was only 10000 more in
1877 than in 1868, and it was less by So
90 tons in 1877 than in 1873. Notwith-
standing the encouragement given by the
marine policy of France, we have in thi,
country more. steam tonnage than France
has of sailing and steam combined. and
our total tonnage is four times that of
France. Now that there il a prospect of
larger and more profitable employment
Of shipping in the ocean trade than ever
before, we expect the universal Yankee
nation to step in and enjoy its share of the
business. We can do SCI on our own ac-
count without buying abroad, and the time
is ripe for beginning = ostom 4ldrn-
Hser.