The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1881-03-12

FREE SHIPS va. HIGH TARIFFS.

81 10 600 OOO ~ fOreIpn shin, OWnprS &c TIT
s,s,emen, ia bas.1 nj, IN. ..,,m,,,s of IN, sec
re,urv of the treasury in 1879 tho, the amour
WAS then no, less thau 500 600 900; IN tina, o
Can't Goldman In 1879. tina. the figures thel
were not less than sl3O 600 900: and on the Il,
ter and doubtless III rc reliable est m .tes OF Mr.
Henry Hall. s,a,Is,ciao of the New York Pro
duce EXCHANGE assisted bv DIR +. H. Wake,
in the atlantic W,nthlv for 1881, vino pn, III,
figures for 1880 at Sl33 600 600 As an cxac
accoun, ofall the freight shipped 10 and from
our shores IS kept, and Nh tx CT account of thu
foreign and home hlrpiny engaged in the bu
siness, an estimate If the relative amount paid
to American aud foreign ship owners can Ger
taiuly be made with REASONABLE. accuracy. and
on the figures given, $4,000 900 Annually Tor
| the last ten years Is surely no, AN unr,usunu
ble average
But as to the other and more important point,
relating to the responsibility of our harbarou.
navigation laws and .Iill more barmrous tar.
i'll exactions for the decline of American ship.
ing. our esteemed contemporary pleads lnno.
cence for the tariff enormi,y III toto, bur says
the decline Is owing:
Q) To depredaiions Of rc1cl privnt2crs dur.
ing The war, aided AMI nhc,tcd by the English
Government, aud (2) the change from wooden
to iron ships at II time when the whole attel
ton and energy Of the northern people" who
build all our ship,, were directed to putting
down the rcbelll on
Let US see. In 1860 lbo total American
shipping amounted to 5,530,8G9 tons From
1861 to 1863 S3l G52 tons, or more than one.
fourth, Of our shippnr Was transferred Ia for.
elgn hags-not sold, bu, !, Is well understood
tor the sole sake OF obtaining more complete,
immunity iron destruction upon The high seas
than The United States WAS at that time able To
afford. The statistics lald before the Geneva
Conference showed that from 1851 to 1860 not
over % American vessels, scarcely 100000 tons,
were destroyed by rebel cruisers, ST that wh n
in 1860 American shipping still footed up t..
0S6 $40 tons, II il seen how little the dcprcdat
IONS OF rebel privGeers" had to do with the
decline OF American shipping. Ia fact they
Cut no figure whatever.
But (?) The change from wooden 10 iron
ships" THIS change began IL 1880. At that
time our tonnage amounted 10 52l2,00l, our
ships carried 1872 per cent. of all the exports
md imports OF the United States, and ~ less
than 100000 ofou tonnage AT That time WAS
needed for that service the other three and H
half millions were occupied In earning money
carrying frcights between foreign ports In
The same year 1850 America built ships
to 5S3,4j0 tons; in 1868 to 3lS,2G0
ons, and In 1860 - 2l2,sJ3 tons, showing IA
'eouc'ioh OIL over w per cent. IN hve years.
Unqucslionahy our estecAed contemporary
IS correct IN atirhutng this decline 10 the
change from wooden to iron ships. The iron
ship industry began in England in earnest in
about 1854, aud although we have not the f.. |
lres before us showing the rate Of increase
rom 1854 onward, We have John Shcrman's
last report tor authority that the increase Of
ron ship building in Great Britain during the |
asst five years was 800, 1893 tons, and thar, a.,
he present time the ship building yaros Of
Great Britain are engaged with work for the |
entire year of 1891 so that prices. through the |
inability Of builders to meet the demand, have
considerably advanced" Moss & Co. alone
n their December circular, cav they have or |
iers Tor 90 vessels of 5000 tons and upward,
With "A full representation of smaller sizes !
With these "booming" ticlres Of ship building |
abroad how pi,aJle Is the comparison with
american figures, OF 100000 tons of new ship.
,uit Ia 1855, dwIniled down to lOi 600 tons
n 1850, without T. single iron sailing vessel
,uit IN all America from 1871 to 1880.
INV carro, ue hu,ld ,ro, china :, ,,o,,
nv mia 1874 &C.. hr,l, uno,or s,,,,. :. ~,
.o,ntrv FROM, tho D,,oworo :, M.;no an