The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1882-04-27

MI. OudlflldDs WH6u 1ul dSAou WHdt Va
| it?" in the event that our ship-building inter-
ests are ruined, reply that the injurious re-
suits will be so far>reaching that shrink from
contemplating them.
There will not be simply the destruction OF
one of the most benefcent OF our great indus
tries; an industry employing, or that properly
encouraged would employ hundreds OF thou
sands of skilled workmen, who will be crowded
into other industries where they are. not need
ed Our free ship friends will also lind that by
the destruction of our ship-yards they will
have made it impossible to retain the control
of the commerce which they seek, and at the
same time will have struck a serious blow at
our commercial, if not political independence.
only repeat the teachings of history, when
say that no people ever became great COM
mercial nation that did not build their own
ships. The Egyptians, the Phenicians, the
Greeks, the Italians, the Carthagin1ans, The
Spaniards, and the Dutch held in turn the
empire of the sea; but each only as long as they
could build their own vessels. When our car
rying trade was thrown open to the world by
the civil war, England, France and Germany
wanted it. But the former secured it,
simply because she could not build
her own ships Experience has shown that
the nation which does not build her own ships,
will not have the ability to buy them after the
door is opened. The nation which confesses
its inability to devise any policy by which it
may build its own ships, and deliberately sends
its people into the market to buy of her neigh
places herself at the mercy of those nations
which control the ocean.
The free ship theory has been so persistently
pushed in and out of Congress for the last
fifteen years, that it has not only stood in the
way of the adoption Of some truly American
policy that recognizes the vital Importance OF
preserving and developing our ship building
interests as the essential basis of commercial
prosperity, but has also antagonized moditca-
lions of navigation laws, framed years ago for
an altogether different condition of things, in
directions that are necessary to make 10 posi-
Bile to successfully run American ships IN COM
petition with foreign vessels, after they are
| built.
The free ship remedy entirely overlooks the
| facl that the American carrying trade suffers
less from the alleged excessive first cost of Am
| lean vessels, than it does from the larger ex-
pense of running them after they are launched,
| have already stated that first class oak sail
| ing vessel can be built as cheaply on the coast
| of Maine as anywhere in the world. During
| the last year Ill of the finest wooden sailing
vessels ever launched, with "a tonnage of 5S,-
| 900 tons, were built on the Maine Coast-ffty-
| five of them in the Collection District of Bath
| in the district which l represent. Ii these
| ships could be run as cheaply after they are
| built, as the ships of other nations, our ship
| builders would have their orders doubled and
| quadrupled within few years. For in spite
| of the furore for iron ships, am confident that
first-class oak sailing vessels are to retain their
| prominence where freight is bulky, and spec
ial dispatch is not essential. The large mum
| Der of iron sailing vessels that have fo1ndered
! and become a total loss, the past year, has
| already caused a reaction, and there is again
an inquiry for the first class oak ships which
| are built on the Maine Coast. Even last year
two-fifths of tho exports and imports of this
| country, were carried In sailing ships
| But recognize the fact, that whoever COM
mands the ocean carrying trade must depend
| more on iron steamships than sailing vessels.
| According to statement of Mr.. John Roach,
| the eminent ship-builder, iron steamships can
| to-day be built in this country at cost of not
| more than Is per cent. in excess of what they
| can be built for on the Clyde, and that excess
| all goes to labor. If American iron steamships
| and vessels could be run as cheaply as foreign
vessels, the 10 per cent. extra first cost OF the
former, which is less than ! per cant per an
| mum, would not stand in the way OF their en-
| plovment in the foreign carrying trade.
| What American, who had bought foreign
| built iron vessels, would put them under the
| American flag, when by so doing he would
| make the taxes and running expenses much
larger than they would be If he kept them
under the English flag! The free ship pro-
| gramme, therefore, would destroy our ship
| building interests and at the same time would
| not increase the number of steamships carrying
| the American flag.
Mr.. Chairman, will the gentleman from
| Tennessee point out single one of the "pro-
| tectiye props Notwithstanding to him-"leg-
islation has devised to aid the American ship
| owner in competing for ocean transportation
| with British vessels? Not single one has
been devised on our part, while England has
| built up most elaborate system OF protection
| and encouragement to enable her ship-owners
| to successfully compete with the world. We
| have not only avoided the protection and en-
| couragement of American shipping, under the
| influence of free trade teachings, but we have
also neglected to modify our navigation laws
| SO as to remove burdens on the running OF ves-
| sells which England has removed from her
| shipping. Let me enumerata some OF these
| burdens which practically discriminate some
| of these burdens which practically discrimi-
| nate against the American marine engaged in
| the foreign carrying trade.
| l. Under al old law, enacted at time when
| the sailors of our merchant marine were all
| Americans, and recourse to the law infrequent
| an American ship which discharges any sea-
men in foreign port, is required TO pay him
| three months extra wages, a burden imposed
| on the ships of no other nation. The sailor
| may have been aboard but fifteen days; MS
| discharge may have been for misconduct or at
| his own request; he may be at the port where
| he lives, or within few hours ride, no matter;
| if his wages are $40 per month, the ship must
| pay $120. And the ship does not pay the mon
| ey to the sailor, but to the United States Con-
| sui at the port, who, after deducting q liberal
| fee, pays the balance to the sailor. Indeed, 1t
| appears from the official report that last year
| over 10000 of the three months extra wages
| exacted from American shipping, went into the
|
| fully abused by men who had melted sailors to
leave the ship in order to get hold OF the lion
| share of the three months extra wages. :,
| Is this law one of the protective props
| (which according to the gentleman from Ten
| nessee) legislation has devised for the encour-
| agement of American shipping?
O. Under the English consular regulations,
nearly all services by consuls to- English ship
| ping in foreign ports, are rendered without
| charge the English government paying her
fop hair carvica from her treasury
| Under our laws, consus are practically paid by
| fees exacted OF American ships and American
| merchants. Indeed, it has been made sub
| ject of congratulation, that the American con-
not only self-snpporting e. supported by such
! fees, but actually paid profit OF Szo,z43 into
| the Treasury.
| In the same period, England appropriated
| over 81, 100000 from her treasury to supp OFT
her consular service, a service which is main
| tanned in every part of the world almost exciu-
sively to aid British shipping and extend Brit
| ish commerce.
| Anl vet the gentleman from Tennessee as
serts that we have given 70 our shipplng the
or for special privileges could WISH" while
| England has left hers to stand alone
| 3. Under our system of measurement of yes
| sells the American ship pays one-third more ton
| mage and other dues than the competing Brit
| ish ship. British measurement includes only
that part of the ships space to be actually oc-
cupied by cargo American measurement in
cludes not only this, but also the room occu-
| pied by the ships engines, boilers and machln-
cry, and the quarters of the crew. Thus q
British ship has registered tonnage one,third
| less than an American ship OF equal freight ca
| pacity, therefore pays one-third less tonnage,
| light and harbor dues, wharfage and other
charges As ships tonnage means, or should
mean, its capacity for freight, is it not time
| that our laws relating to measurement should
| be modified SO as to net discriminate against
| American shipping?
Is this another OF the protective props to
| which the gentleman from Tennessee referred?
| 4. The requirements of existing laws as to
| life-saving apparatus and other fittings of YES
sells are greater than the requirements of Eng
| lish laws. Either our own requirements should
be reduced to the level OF English vessels, or
else all foreign vessels entering the ports OF
| the United States, should be required to come
| up to our standard in these particulars.
5. We impose compulsory pilotage, or half
| pilotage penalty on American vessels approach
| ing our harbors, Notwithstanding their captains
or mates are usually perfectly competent to