The Portland daily press., 1881-01-04
Shipbuildlng and the Carrying
Trade.

Trade.
The PRESS with a large constituency of
ship-builders, ship-owners and merchants,
is interested in the revival of ship-buidiug
and the carrying-trade, two of the great fac
tors of American commerce. As a whole
and in its various parts the subject is des-
tined to receive q large share of public at
tention for some years to come, and the
spirit Of the American people viii not allow
the matter to rest until we have resumed
our position as commercial nation, and
the various industries that constitute COM
mercial success shall be restored to health
full activity. A determined effort will be
made at the present session of Congress to
solve the problem, and as preliminary
step proposition to repeal SO much Of our
navigation laws as prohibit the admission
OF foreign built ships to American registry,
will be argued before a Congressional sub
committee to-day. A discussion of this
and ali propositions intended to benefit our
commerce, is in order.
1t is significant that the most Jealous ad-
vocates of free ships belong generally to the
free trade school of politics. and their fol-
lowing is composed largely of those easily
deceived by sophistry. The meeting which
assembled in Cooper Institute, New York,
last Tuesday night t, reorganize the Demo
cratic party made free trade in ships a
prominent feature in its declaration of prin-
cipes. On the contrary the Commercial
Convention in Boston in October last sup
pressed resolution declaring for free trade
in ships and substituted one asking for
bounty on ship-building, by very deci-
sive vote. And this was not a political
body but gathering of practical men.
Some of the advocates of free trade in ships
assume that this is the main cause of Eng
lands maritime supremacy. This is not
true. Her present condition can be easily
traced to a variety Of causes, prominent
among which is our late civil war The SUI
periority of American wooden ships, in dur
ability, model, speed and improved meth
ods OF navigation over her own. contribu-
ted largely to the repeal of her restrictive
laws. Many of us can recall with pleasure
ships were snaching freights from her slow
craft aud carrying the products of China and
the East Indies to London and Liverpool
and almost monopolizing the English carry
ing trade between the island itself and her
colonies and Australia. England acted
promptly on the report ofa commission of
practical and dsinterested men and put
herself in 4 position to secure better class
of wooden vessels than her own mechanics
could produce
The most potent argument of the advocates
of free trade in ships is that it will give us a
cheap tonnage, without which we cannot
compete with England for the carving
trade This theory put il practice would
not go far toremove the difficulty complained
of. A British built vessel when put un-
der the American flag at once meets all the
restrictions that the American built vessel
contends against, and is worth no more to
her owners than the American vessel except
the difference in the original cost ofthe two.
Perhaps we can yet fiId means of equal-
zing this. The advocates of free ships do
not promise that free ships will stimulate
American shipbuilding Mr.. John Roach,
shipowner, says the true security of the
shipowner lies in his liberty to go where he
pleases to buy ships and where he can get
the best value for his money. If he thought
this object could only be attained by blotting
out every ship yard in the country he would
favor blotting them out. But when Mr..
John Roach, ship-builder, is lobbying for a
subsidy, he asserts that in order to display
the American flag on vessels of his own con-
struction in the ports of Brazil, China and
Japan, which are the only ones fit to carry
American mails, he must be REIN bursed
for the large difference in cost between his
ships and British ships; and whei an
American asks of Congress the privilege of
buying ships in an open market, Mr.. Roach,
ship-builder, vehemently protests and de-
clares that he can build better ships than
the people across the water; that English
iron ships, even are apt to be rotten, while
his material is of the best quality. This
illustrates, i'll a degree, the consistency of
the free ship advocates. One instance
more: An advocate of this doctrine ex-
pressed the belief in public lecture not
long since, that had we repealed our navga-
ton laws at the close of the war and built
up our merchant marine with foreign vessels
our ship yards would have found more en-
ployment in repairing than they have
received in the construction of new work
during the same time. Is this the ambition
of New England shipwrights; or the en-
couragement and protection hich we
propose ogive American industry?
Some who desire the prosperity OF our
commerce argue that we should copy Eng
lands ultra free trade policy. They forget
| that this is not practical because of the
difference in the political and industrial
condition of the two countries. We may
learn much of England and modify her ex-
| periences to adapt them to our needs. There
is one burden which our carrying trade has
| struggled under, and which has received
little formal attention, and that is excessive
| taxation The Boston convention in its
resolutions demanded that "as property in
| shipping is subject to taxation by the
| general government, it should be exempt
from all local and municipal taxation,
leaving the net income only subject to such
taxation" This is the English policy, and
| its advantages to the ship-owner over the
American system will be shown by the fol-
lowing example: A British built ship cost
ing 100000 and making profit of pei
cent. pays only per cent. upon the profit
while an American ship-owner with a ship
of equal value pays Il tax of from l.! to pei
cent. ON the cost of CONSTRUCTIONS diff
ference almost sufficient of itself to drive
an American ship from the sea. Our laws
regulating the shipping and discharge OF
seamen are unjust and burdepsome, and a
bill has been before Congress more than a
year for their repeal or modification. Eng.
lands consular service can be copied with
benefit; With machinery simplided, fees re-
duced and the posts filed by business men,
all goods of foreign production should be
taken out of bond free Of duty, when such
goods are to be used as stores on board
ships engaged in foreign trade. These are
some oe tho chief measures which will briu sr