The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1882-03-11
SATURDAY MORNING, MARCH IL.

madam SIDE 1 desire to read a few words OF
it touching fees, showing the distinction be-
tween theirs and ours. Remember, their
coasters have the privilege of coming to our
ports continually. They bring lumber and
granite and coal and all the heavy freights
over into our ports; and see what they are
subjected to- He says:
am glad to know that at last a movement IS
about to be made to get the tonnage tax Off YES
sells running between the Dominion ana America,
Tor rather, United States ports)
here enclose official papers which answer your
first question for measuring vesseis. Inere Is no
charge for furnishing papers registry of the same.
Answer to second question: There is no charge
for entering vessels. There is charge of two GEMS
for sick mariners; that is hospital dues. Vessels
under one hundred tons pay this but once year;
over a hundred tons, tn ee times.
While ours pay forty cents man every
month.
No matter how many times such vessel arrives and
departs to or from any port in the Dominion. Yes
sells over 100 tons pay three times IN each year TWO
cen S per ton each time, no matter how many times
such vessel arrives and depart to from any port
in the Dominion. Those charges apply to all vessels
alike ours as well as foreign. If vessel over 100
tons comes in the Dominion but once IN the year,
she only pays two cents per ton to this fund; the
second time that she arrives two cents per ton more
is collected; and the third time two cents per ton
more is collected. Under any circumstances no
more than six cents can be collected from vessels
over 100 TONS and no more than two cents from YES
sells under 100 tons.
Our customs act does not require consular certf-
icate when vessel arrives from any OF your ports
DOMINION or United states VESSELS
read from letter which L have here from
another English consul, the consul at st. Ste
phen, across from Calais:
In answer to your inquiry as to the amount of
dues custom-house fees eXacted from vessels az
irving from ports in the Uuted States or elsewhere
in ports in the Dominion beg leave to inform you
that the only dues fee to Which they are subject
is two per ton, register tonnage this is paya-
BILE only once per year on vessels under 1Oo tons,
and three times pr year all vessels over 100
tons register. These dues are called the sick mari
ners' fund and go to the support of hospitals for
SICK seamen; and all vessels paying these dues,
matter what their nationality, are entitled to send
their sick seamen to the hospital to be cared for
AS example of the requirements under our
laws may give you that of the United States
schooner l.. A. Boardman-
The very one that named as paying the
enormous tax of $50 or $50 a year when
sailing from our port to hers
which entered here July 10, 1885, register 112
tons at two cents, $2.29 This was all the dues re-
CURED except twenty-five cents for furnishing
blanks. When these are furnished by the vessel no
charge is made for blanks.
Two dollars and twenty-five cents in place OF
about $50 that under cur laws we charge the
same Louise A. Boardman.
Mr.. President, believe fully and entirely
that it is the duty of Congress to do something
for the revival of American commerce. be-
lieve that it should do something that would
favor American steamship lines. believe that
it is our duty first, at any rate, to examine our
own laws touching sailing vessels, and see
further that it is our duty to examine the laws,
onerous as they are, affecting these coastwise
vessels. They being the nurseries entirely OF
American seamen to-day, being run entirely
by American seamen, and the only ships or
vessels that are run by them, 1t is the duty OF
Congress to inspect carefully the laws which are
burdens to them and repeal them SO far as
safety will allow.
Mr.. Hawley-Will the gentleman allow me
to make suggestion there? 1t is beyond our
hutT am hu M nnOaUQ0
business that a very large share of their bur
dens is imposed by State taxation, whereas the
British Government taxes ITS vessels only as
they shall make profit; vessel lying idle
and making nothing is taxed nothing, while
our State taxation along the coast varies, run
ming up as high as per cent sometimes. l am
told by commercial company largely engaged
in the West India trade that the total OF their
State and Federal charges amounts to per cent
upon their capital.
Mr. Beck-The Congress of the United
States by little persuasion, when we sought
to register all our foreign-going ships at the
port of Washington, succeeded by that move
ment in great part in inducing the State OF
NewYork to take off the d per cent tax on her
ships; and we may by some like persuasion in
duce other States to do the same thing or re-
move other burdens 1 hope Congress will ex-
ercise all the power it has to tighten these DUR
dens, whatever they may be.
Mr.. Frye.-The Senator from Connecticut
Mr.. Hawleyl touches upon the question OF
State and municipal tax on vessels. 1 have not
shadow of doubt that 1t is in the power OF
the Congress of the United States to relieve
vessels engaged in foreign commerce from all
taxation, State or municipal. | do however,
myself have serious doubt whether that is
possible or the best method for relief for these
coastwse vessels. Take, for instance, my own
-oifffis snrofFs the Bath. which
United States, and builds as many now as it
ever built. 1t built thirty-six thousand tons
last year. 1t owns very largely in ships engaged
in foreign commerce, and also in these smaller
and coastwise vessels.
If we should relieve these vessels from all
State and municipal taxation, it might be plac-
ing tremendous burden upon the city of Bath
which would not be an equally-borne burden
by interior cities and towns. That tax does not
weigh SO heavy as some of the taxes TO which l
have called attention, which are utterly unnec-
essary, doing no one any good, the Treasury of
the United States not needing Them at all, for
to-day it is looking around to see where it can
cut down and reduce the revenue.
Mr.. President, ask the pardon of the Senate
for occupying SO much time I did it, because
somehow or other the Committee Oh Commerce
has not seemed to investigate this subject.
1 ask that committee ID examine with care
this bill and the accompanying papers, which l
will send to the Chair.
Mr.. Beck.-I am not sure that am correct
ly informed but I received letter the other
day from gentleman in New York who said
the coastwise trading vessels had right to car
that is, ship from Maine going to New Or
leans and returning can sail into the port of
New York with her own pilot, but if she goes
to Cuba and brings a load from Cuba, she is
compelled to take pilot at an expense of from
800 to $3.50, although the pilot who takes her
into any other port is on board and can take
her in just as well when she comes from Cuba
as when she comes from New Orleans If that
is true. something ought to be done to prevent
that very burdensome tax upon her,
Mr.. Frye, President, bill to repeal or regu-
late the pilotage laws of New York has been
before the Congress of the United States for
ten years within my certain knowledge. There
committee Commerce on the part of the
House. The pilots of New York are a body of
immense power. They unite; they send their
delegates here to Washington; they make their
desperate fight to retain their privilege of pira
cy-for it is nothing on earth but privilege OF
piracy; and they still keep those burdens on
our commerce and compel our captains of
schooners, as the Senator says, clearing from
Cuba, who know every inch of the harbor of
New York just as well as the Senator from
Kentucky and know the way to the' United
States Senate-compel them to pay 500 or
$50 for New York pilot to escort them into
the harbor That is still existing; that is still
an imposition; and 1. thank the Senator from
Kentucky for reminding me of it, 1t is still
another thing that the Committee on Com
merce should look at.
do not OBJECT to their looking abroad and
seeing what can 10 done about our American
steamships L ask the Committee on Com
merce to taAe these papers that have, to take
the suggestion which the Senator from Ken
lucky has made, and to examine with care to
SCI 4 there is not infinite relief which we can
under our laws afford d our people without de-
ing any harm to the Treasury or infiicting any
wrong upon any one.