The Portland daily press., 1882-12-20
The Shipping Laws.
An Interesting Interview with a Promi-
nent Ship Owner.

Congress appears to have taken up the
matter of relieving American shipping inte-
rests IN earnest. The Bouse has passed the
Clafin bill, which, it is claimed, will do away
with many of the difficulties with which Amer
ican ship owners are now obliged to contend.
1t is also thought by many interested people
that law will be passed authorizing the gov
ernment to pay to the builder of ship an
amount equal to what he would have paid the
government as duty had be imported the ma
terial TO build his ship. "Should this be
done," said prominent ship owner. there is
no doubt but what we will then have ships as
cheap as any other nation, for though we
would stll labor under the disadvantages of
high-priced labor, the superior skill and energy
of our workmen would offset any advantage
the foreign builder would have in that re-
spect." In comparing the cost Of labor, he
sud: 1T is fact that though the English
builder gets 10 hours labor at about one-half
the price of eight hours labor here, the actual
cost of caulking and remetaling ship in Lon
don or Liverpool is nearly as great as 1t is IN
Boston. and the work is not so well DONE" VI
the proposed relief, he said: THAT the United
States should do this seems right and proper,
SO long as it retains high protective tariff
system In fact, we must do this, or settle
down to he conclusion that we will have only
that amount of merchant marine as will suffice
for the coastwise trade. Our manufacturers
are so well protected that but small proper
ton of their products can be export
ed to places where they enter into COM
petition with those of free trade coun-
tries and why should we expect more from
ships manufactured under the same system?
The same rules apply, and have no doubt
that the proportion of o1r foreign going ton
mage TO cur coastwise tonnage is about the
same as that of exported manufactures to the
amount consumed at home, Consequently, If
the country thinks it should have more ships
than are needed fOr. the coastwise trade, and
also sees fit 10 continue its high protective tar
if, it must pay the fiddler bq giving bounty
to the owner or builder. With the passage OF
the Ciaflin bill. and a wise revision of the laws
w hinh this hill ooos covor, and as generous
pay for the carrying of the mails % England
and other nations give to their merchant ships,
undoubtedly matters will begin to mend and
our shipping interests will gradually increase.
The growth will be slow, for we are long way
astern IN the chase, and everyone knows that
a stern chase is long one.'
DO yon think that capital can be attracted
into the shipping and ship building interests?"
'sYes. Que of the reasons for predicting sue
cess in the future of the shipping interests is
that railroad construction will scarcely prove
so attractive to capital in the future as it has
in the past. So large portion of the public
lands has been given TO railroad companies
that the part remaining will doubtless be care
tully guarded. Boston merchants were quick
to see that a handsomely SUBSIDIZED railroad
was better property than poor ships built un-
der protective tariff, with nothing to expect
from the government, and they will also be
quick to appreciate change in the condi-
tions."