The Evening critic., 1882-12-15
ucp,u,,nr nj the Wrong End.

night
Bcgiuning ut the Wrong End.
10 is reported in tho morning papers that
the Shipping Commission have agreed TO
report bill allowing to any American
shipbuildcr who shall build ship of Ameri.
can materials bounty equal to the amount
of the duties on the aforesaid materials if
they had been imported from abroad. It
is not altogether easy to understand what
this means, but as nearly as we can make
il out, IL amounts to the rebate plan in q
new form. But whatever may be its in
tent, il falls far short Of the requirements
Of the case. Its effect would be first TO
institute perpetual quarrel between ship
builders and the Controllers of the Treasury
over the claims rendered for drawback of
bounty, and second, to pay, if anything at
ALL somewhere in the neighborhood of 10 to
10 per cent. premium TO the shipbuilder on
the first cost of the ship, leaving her owner
to compete as best he might with the ships
of England after she got into the trade.
We have often pointed out in these coll
umns, and have demonstrated the assertion
by facts and figures that are accessible to
everybody, that the great inequality in
competition between the United States and
England on the ocean is not in the first
cost Of the ships but in tho cost of
navigating her after she is put anoat
For example, john Roach or Cramp or
Cause will duplicate Clyde contracts for
any kind Of ship at fifteen per cent. advance
on Clyde prices; but no man or association
of men can be found IN the United States
who will undertake to navigate ship or
line of ships under our flag at less than %
per cent. advance upon the cost ofnavigating
the same ship or line of ships under the
English flag. 1t is the navigating Of the
ship that creates the commencement the
mere building OF. her and any one who
studies the question will ascertain that
England has more than double the al-
vantage in cost of navigating that she has
in cost of building.
The committee has done well in agreeing
to remove number of minor obstacles,
such as consular fees, port dues aRd State
taxation. But these, as we remarked the
other day, amounted to little more than
merc.nibbling at the edges of the subject
attending to matters of secondary moment,
leaving the great primary requirement.
untouched. This great primary require
ment Is the adoption oil policy by the
Government, which will give to capital an
assurance that money invested in ocean
ships will stand as fair chance of paying
dividends as mcney invested in railroads or
coasting vessels. Such policy can be
effected only by making such provision for
the carriage oil tue mails as Will wholly or
in part offset the subsidies paid by Eng
land to her own ships in the same manner
or, leaving subsidies out OF the question,
tend toward cqualizlng the difference be-
tween the wages of seataring labor in the
two countries. But our legislators arc
afraid that if they propose to pay American
ships for carrying the mails, the English
newspapers published in New York city
will denounco their proposition as sub
sidy" and accuse them OF conspirins with
that dreadful man, John Roach, to bank
rupt the Treasury
twill be observed that we draw it mild.
Thus 1T appears that our legislators, re-
strained by this fear from recommending
an adequate ocean postal system, which
would not bea subsidy IN any objec-
tionable sense OF the term, have agreed to
recommend bill that contemplatcs u
simple subsidy to the shipbuilder-which
means John Roach--ahd that contemplates
or rprovides for no aid, comfort or encourage
ment to the person or persons who are to
compete with the cheap sca-iarinS labor OF
England in endeavoring to navigate the
ship after she IS built! This is not only
beginning at the wrong end, but it is be-
ginning backward at that. If the mer-
chant marine OF the United states is to be
revived, 1t must be done by the adoption
oil puohc pohcy tnat wiil stimulate de-
mana Tor shlps' rms pili, II 1t had any
effect at all would simply stimulate the
building OF ships to got the bounty without
reference to any actual commercial demand
under our flag as impossible after they were
built ne hefore Rut tbe prohahility I,
80 ' s"o P,'D"''J
that lt would nave no elect Whatever