The Republican journal., 1881-10-27
How Our Ships Are Taxed.

LOW Our ShlpS Are Taxed.
EDITOR JOURNAL; About week before the
shooting of the President | had collected some
facts which then intended to send YOU thinking
you might find something new in the argument
tor Congress and the shipbuilding aud shipowning
States to consider. But the sad tragedy at Wash
ington so engrossed the public attention that
have deferred writing until now
we want relief from taxation more than anything
ese-from axes of all kinds, and there are many
kinds of taxes on ships wish to call your attic
ton to one ship. of which you know-the Levi G.
Burgess, 1916 tons, Capt Starrett. Her compulsory
pilotage at New York is at least s29s per voyage
arfage-allowing 30 days which is less than the
average time for such a vessel-S352 % harbor
masters fees, s2l,22. This ship | think, made
four voyages from New York to London about
1873 and during these four voyages she paid com
pulsory charges under New York laws to the
amount Of 81, G5ilS Now as to pilotage What
does the ship get in return for the money | firm
~ Deieve mat Capt Starret, if free to take pilot
or not, would seldom if ever take one | also be-
heve the ship would be safer under his charge
than With pilot as the ystem is now conducted
Every ship captain knows what Sandy Hook pilot
is and how much responsibility there is in them.
Then, how long is this pilot employed The aver
age time, inward and outward is less than day
50 that for less than eight days work he gets 81 .
| ~ What business can live under such extorton
as this! Wharfage. What recompense is there
for the 80 per day for laying at piers most of
which are unsafe i'll gale, both for ship and
cargo 1t is well known that the New York piers
are the worst III the world, and that the city re
ceiyes an enormous revenue from them and all
from tbs vessels, while in most ports goods pay
the greater part OF the wharfage You pay the
harbor masters fees and that is all there is to that
In the case of ~ vessels ont of every 100 that 20
to New ork, the captain does not see the harbor
master and nine times out OF ten that official is
man who knows absolutely nothing about a vessel
and does more harm than good A good homes
capable man, who understood his business, would
be Of great service Now it is rare thing for one
to be called npon to move or moor ship but the
money is collected all the same
Here have the sum Of 81 h5i Is collected
from this ship for pilotase wharfage, and harbor
masters fees IN one year at the port of New York
ana at time when it required the utmost economy
to enable the vessel to pay her running expenses
and Insurance. have said nothing about other
expenses say towage, 500, steveGores bills at
least 5000, &c, dc. Then you come to the GOV
eminent charges towage dues, 9lSl So custom
house bill, 500, or more, shipping commissioners
&c. Then locd! taxation in Maine This ship
would be assessed at not less than $4,000, and
think the average tax would be about per cent
making the tax $500 Here we have 4 tax on The
ship Of n3J - at least three fourths of which is
extraordinary, as compared with the taxation of
other property Can expect ships to pay the
owners anythingt When we look a, tins matter as
it really is it seems strange that any man should
invest ~ ships for the foreign trade All our ports
it may be added are as BAD as New York with re
gard 70 piIotage
few day ago had letter from my brother,
now master Of ship Wachusetts Of Boston, dated
at Bombay, India Sept. I'm, in which he says his
i the only unrn4aged sailing ship port and that
he exp cts to be obliged to go to Calcutta to load
for home while thirty five steamers are loading
at Bombay for Europe ana getting cargo as fast as
they want it, He SAYS he is informed OH good au
thurIty that these steamers can afford to take car
goes cheaper than he can Now is not this proof
positive that some change III our navigation laws
IN needed zee that John Roach says Id the
North American Review thai it costs more to sail
our SHIPS than the EnsIish sailed under the
English Tag tonr Years and know he is mistaken
at least 50 far relates to the ships Of the two
countries while at sea. As a rule the captain and
mate Of an American vessel get larger wages than
those of other nations But all the other men on
board get about the same pay, while our ships car
ry smaller crews and are more easily handled.
Americans buy better provisions, which are cheap
er il properly looked after as know from expert
euce Oar ships make better passages, SO that we
have less time 70 pay our men for. But when we
get into New ork oar custom house and shipping
commissioners bills will be twice as much at least
as the British Consuls bills including shipping and
discharging crews. For example, on one voyage |
shipped mate i'll New York at 500 per month for
voyage to China and back. When got to sea |
could With him until got To Shanghai, where |
took him to the British Consul and told my story
and the mate told his SAID to the Consul that
knew the man had family, and | wanted to do
the best | coUld for him, and would like him dis
charged as mate and shipped AS saimaker at 80
per month 1t was so arranged and the fees were
either two or four shilIings sterling An Amer
can Consul would have refused to do ANYTHING OF
the kind, and if possible would have put me in for
one or two hundred dollars costs | have Consuls
bills II my possession in which charge of five
dollars Is made for arreStlng and putting on board
a deserted sailor while | have several bills in
which two shillings sterling about fifty eents-is
charged by the British consul for the same work
When my brother, j. W. MEG, was in the ship
Republic, while at Hong Kong one voyage during
Consul Bailey's time, the consul forced him with
out any good cause, to discharge six men and pay
the three months pay, making loss to the ship
of about 500 He was unable to see Mr. Bailey
At all personally while in the British consulates,
the captain Of Ship if he is worthy il treated as
gentleman
mention these things to show how poorly our
navigation is protected abroad | am sure know
Of hundreds of eases similar to that of the Repub
i" above mentioned intend by and by to make
All examination Of the article by John Roach in
the North American Review for August
lIallowell. Me Oct 20 II McG
The last special report Of the Department OF Ag-
rculture contains reports of The condition Of crops
on Sept LIST The corn crop of New England is
an average Of 30, but the general condition of this