The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1882-12-16
: OUR SHIPPING.
a Bill for It's Relief Submitted to Both
HOuSaS-Tha ViaWs of the Minnritu

HOuSeS-The Views of the Minority.
WASHINGTON, Dec. 15.-The joint select com
mittee on ship ing adopted to-day the bill which
the subcommittee was yesterday Instructed to pre-
pare. The bill was subsequently reported to the
Senate by Mr.. Conger and the House by Mr.. Dingley
and referred to the committee on commerce OF the
House. Report to accompany the bill is not yet
completed. but probably will be adopted at the
meeting OF the committee tomorrow. Mr. Cox
gave notice that he will when the bill comes up in
lhe house offer certain amendment in favor of
two additional sections to the bill.
The report of the minority is signed by Repre-
sentatives Cox ard McLane and Senator Vest After
giving the views of the minority to the causes of
decline OF American shipping the report gays
We must repeal our Navigation laws at least to
the extent of permitting our navigators and
dition as favorable as are enjoyed by their com
pettors who are merchants and sailors of all other
maritime nations. The first matter which con-
fronts us when we would defend our navigation
laws is the in isputable fact that under these laws
oar ship yards have run 10 grass. our ocean trade
dwindled to next to nothing and our American sail
are hardly five in hundred upon the ships that
are left. Every object of our nagigati N laws,
which were to protect and to enliyen American
smpbud1ng and shipping interests, is frustrated
by the laws themselves and their associate in re-
striction and prohibiton-the tariff. What worse
can be effected by their repeal than exists? If we
eould OILY buy we might begin, Germany did, to
repair, and repai ing here has led to building and
building to employment of labor and the use Of cap
ital.
Fiist let us use and then we viii have cause to re-
pair and then build
Second, if we are to build ships in the United
we can do SO the ships we may build will never be
voluntarily bought or used by own citizens or
any other either allow importation free of duty of
all material and stores that enter into the construc
ton and equipment of ships, OF reduce the ,ariff.
Third, il foreign competing maritime DatioIs do
not subject their ships to local taxation the United
States evidently cannot affo d to do so. If Con-
under the const tuition has the it should
exempt as instrumentalites of commerce all vessels
eng tged in foreign or interstate commerce from
every form of local, State or municipal taxation.
Fourth, reduce all expenses, taxes and ohter bur-
dens in shipping.
Fifth, repeal the shipping act of 1872. title SO
B.S0
Sixth, Reform and revise the tariff and natural
resources of country and intelligence our peo
pie are such that with reduction of the burden of
the taxes and prices cnsequent of low of duty
we shall regain in the next twenty years more than
we have lost in the last twenty and become the first
mari ime nation of the world.
The bill reEorted in both houses by the majority
de Is very largely with consular fees and methods,
duties of mast rs and makes changes in the laws
relah G to seamens wages. The bill makes it un-
lawful in any case to pay any Seamen wages in ad-
vance of the time when he has actually earned the
same or to pay any person except to the U. s. ship
ping commissioner remuneration fo- shipment of
seamen and prescribes penalty of fine and inn
prison1 ent for infracton of this provision. I he
bill provides that all imported material needed for
repair OF vessels in the foreign trade including the
trade between the Atlantic and Pacific ports OF the
United States and a l ship stores coal, may be
withdrawn from bonded warehouses free of duty;
that no vessel engaged in commerce with the Do
minion of Canada shall be subject to tonnage or
from the same; that the individual liability of he
shpowner shall be limited to proportion of auy or
all debts and liabilities that his individual sh are of
the vessel bears to the whole.