The daily gazette., 1882-05-10
ttaNlN q

erly The lower grades have gone into
cargo vessels mainly.
1t would be interesting to note the history
of these last, during the past five wears. /
have not the statistics by me, but think
that during 1881, more than twenty have
been lost by laundering on the Atlantic or
were never heard of after leaving their ports.
In general, when the English use the same
grade of material that we do, there is little
difference on the cost of the ships, not
enough to pay the expense of sending the
funds across TO pay for them, Labor per
diem IL less In the English yards than in ours,
but we supplement our labor by much labor
saving machinery that is unknown there,
and our day means ten hours, while theirs Is
nine hours, trades unions have kept out the
machinery and shortened the hours. OF all
this, ! speak of what personally know.
3. Timber in the United States il greatly
cheaper than In Great Britain All that is
used In the latter country is imported
Much Canadian and Southern pine and teak
from Hindostan are used, all costly in Eng
land.
4. As to cost of finished ships, the answer
can be deduced from the above. .ft
b. As to the amount of tariff duties, can
not from any data In my possession, give
/ you the exact per centage upon the cost Of a
| complete vessel but 1t Is large factor, and
am sure that with 1t abrogated ship build
ing in thts country, looking to furnishing
ships to the worlds market, would very
shortly be one of the most prafltable
branches of industry IN our country.
D. As to vlctualling vessels here AID at an
English port there is little difference, but that
little Is in favor Of American ports. tEngland
is not food-produeing country, You are
doubtless aware that no sailors I'm the world
| are fed so well and at 80 much expense Us
are the American, and with this in view it is
probable the expense to an English vessel Is
not greater than to an American who draws
his supplies from home. III nm
4 z. The pay Of officers and men ON English
ships is much less than American-English
receiving but 7.10ths the amount paid the
| American.
4. Answering generally upon the same
specification 1t Is difficult now to get quota
tions from good English builders lower than
American. A case in point came under my
| eye within three months. party at Vera
| Cruz wanted a steam vessel of 100 tons. MY
company made for him drawings and speci-
cations and submitted figures. lie said the
price was beyond his expectation and de
clined to order, remarking that he would 90
TO England where he could do better, and
asked permission TO take the plans and
drawings. This we gave, and he went.
He is now back, and | have his letter
| giving his experience. He found two par
ties who would build lower than we, and
four who wanted little more. All, how
ever, wanted to cheaper the specification
and give him a lower price,
He goes, in a few days, homo to consult
his associates as to whether they shall build
at at all. II they do. We shah have the
order. He don't want the English speciflca-
ton.
| This ship subject is q long one, and one,
| perhaps, upon which more is ignorantly
written and printed than any other.
That the Americans have lost the larger
/ share of the carrying trade of the world that
they once enjoyed is in no sense due to the
fact that their ships cost more If purchased
at home than abroad, for any difference in
this regard is so trifling an amount that It
can not possibly bear upon the question at
| all. ft 80
The causes In my judgment arc mainly
differences in rate of interest upon capital
| employed, difference ON rates of insurance.
Capital now (until very recently has com
manded 7 per cent, in England per cent.
Insurance here z per cent, then 5 per cent,
and after less.
Obnoxious legislation involves tonnage
taxes, inspection fees, hospital dues, laws
| requiring certain allowances 10 sailors, not
in the interest Of justice, forcing upon the
ship the necessity to purchase and carry
patented hnmbugs, and hundred other
things which only load the American vessels
and, and make the conduct of his business
so costly that she cannot t'compete with un-
trammeled rivals.
Almost everything ship requires to use
in way Of outfit and repairs, is ebhanced in
value by a tariff duty somewhere. All
these things add themselves together and
| prove an almost impassable barrier to the
American ship owner, who wants TO put his
vessel in the carrying trade OF the world.
Very truly yours,
tlT sU. WILLIAM q. GIBBONS.
The opening of the Suez canal created q
new demand for vessels fitted to II, and
while it has enriched British ship builders IL
has not benefited those of this country bo-
cause they were not In condition to supply
them. In the near future, when the canal
or ship railway across Nicaragua or Tehaun-
tepec shall be completed, let us hope our
ship builders will be able to take advantage
of the demand for the ncwly-modeled and
vast fleet of merchant ships which will be
needed to conduct the mighty, volume of
trade that will flow through the new route
of commerce.
OF our Navy we have not ship fit to go
into battle except IA iron clads. There is no
excuse for this. 1t is because our eyes have
been turned inland and not scaward.
After alluding at length to the necessity
discouragement TO shipping of fees and
charges at ports Of entry, and to the evil of
subsidies the Senator concluded as follows:
Therefore, l conclude that when we really
desire to restore our pre-eminencc as ship
builders and carriers upon the high seas it
can be done-by reforming tariff laws that
destroy commerce under pretence of "regu-
lating commercially repeating laws which
impose VeXatious and burdensOme fees and
costs for the entry and Recommendation our
ships-by paying for our consular system as
we pay for other departments of public
service-by creating navy That shall be an
assistance to commerce by scientific eXplora-
tion and be an active adjutant and prOtec-
tion to our merchant marine, and by invest
ing very moderate portion of the capital,
energy and enterprise, which has of late
Il years exclusively confined its operations to
the field of internal improvements and
abandoned our maritime interests to our
| foreign rivals. ,=5.a=s.r4 =5.-5#..5. s.
i 1t is also obviously reasonable and Just
that, before a completed ship is admitted
| free of taxation to American register, the
various materials which enter into her con-
struction should be allowed by law to be
purchased and brought In equally free of
tax by the American ship builder, for whom
/ would ask neither protection nor subsidy,
but simply that premium should not be
paid to his foreign rival by discriminating
In favor of foreign labor when combined
with material, in the shape of a finished
vessel, while heavily taxing the materials
when disconnected from that labor,