The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1882-03-16
"The Future of Our Sailing Tonnage"


EDITOR JOURNAL: The above is the head
ing of an editorial in the Boston Morning Jour
nal of Jan. 20, 1882. 1t is the only article have
seen in the press doing justice to the sailing
| ships, as compared with the steamers. There
are, the journal states, more sailing ships
| than steamers on the ocean. Then why should
the government pay subsidies to steamers only
and still further depress the sailing ships? This
| is absolutely unjust to men who have their
money already in sailing ships. think our
government should help to sustain steam mail
lines and establish them There should be fast
| mail and passenger steamers from the United
States to Europe, South America Mexico, China,
Japan, Siam, New Zealand, Australia, the west
coast of South America, the West Indies, and
perhaps Africa. But the government ought not
to subsitlize large freight steamers at the eX-
pense Of sailing ships and small steamers.
| ] believe Mr.. Roach is wrong in his policy of
building large steamers for mail and passenger
steamers. Two thousand tons is quite large
enough for Rio Janeiro mail and passenger
steamer, which would also carry samples, specie
| and light freight Mr.. Roach told me that he
|
coal for the return passage. and this was the
reason h gave for i $500 tor steamer on that
| route. This is poor arguments for all men in
| the business know that a sailing vessel could
carry coal out to Rio Janeiro cheaper than Mr..
| Roach could carry it in his own steamer.
| If the government is to pay for carrying the
mail, why pay for larger steamer than is need
| ed huS hn i,
Janeiro. of Roach's line. arrived in Rio Janeiro,
| the first voyage she made there, there Were five
American vessels in port that had carried car
goes out, and there was coffee enough in the
market to load them all. The freight was then
| about 30 cts. per bag. But now comes in port,
quite unexpectedly to them, this great 800 ton
steamer and takes all this coffee at 30 cts per
bag These five sailing craft all have to leave
in ballast and make losing voyage.
! Now is this just: Here is this steamer, OWL
| ed by heavy capitalists, running the small capi-
taliSts Of the sailing ships, and at the same time
asking for heavy subsidy from the govern
mcnt. This appears like monopoly and unfair
| protection.
| There certainly is no way YOU can so effect
ually ruin our general shipping interest as to
subsidize IA number of large freight steamers
There is a plan talked of of building Il line of
! fast steamers to ply between New York and Eng
land. to be strictly mail and passenger steamers.
Carrying mails passengers, specie, samples and
light frcight-not at all freight steamerS-an
| built on the best plans, strong, roomy and fast.
This is what we must eventually come to if pas
| tpl ~ hp baJ
| should be. At the same time there should be
great Improvement in the accommodations and
treatment of steerage passengers.
The mail and passenger steamer should not
be Il freight steamer Subsdizc the mail steam
er, if you please. then treat all other sea going
foreign tonnage alike.
Substituting mail steamers will never build up
our freightmg tonnage. These lines of large
steamers are already on the ocean, and have ali
| their depotS wharf>, and storehouseS fitted up
and arranged and are not to be driven OFF easily.
We can never build new steamers and COM
pete with them. There is not private wealth
enough i'll the hands of the people to do SO.
Capital is cheaper in Europe than in the United
States. These freight lines between the United
|
gineers and officers, at home for Il little more
than half what we pay, and carry them the
round voyage. They will scarcely employ a
man i'll the United States They handle their
cargoes with the engine on the ships. and simply
employ few longshorcmen. We furnish them
with their naval stores and provisions, and that
| is about all
Let Congress give the shipping interest the
! help asked for COR something like iD by MI.
! Blaine in his speech in the Senate Jan. $, 1881,
based on $50 per mile one way for all vessels
! for twelve annual trips for mail steamers ON all
| these mail routes, and all other steamers and
sail vessels in like proportion. and we would
very soon obtain position in which we could
| take care of ourselves.
If the plan that John Roach advocates in an
article in the North American Review should
be carried out it would ruin three fourthS of all
| the ship owners now owning sailing ships. 1t
is the most impracticable proposition | ever
heard. To build one hundred steamers and
put them in competition with the present feet,
| who have now the best facilities to be had IN
New Y lork, we'll regulated and with Il thorough
| knowledge of the business would be sheer folly.
There would have to be many millions Of dol
lars lost before the new feet would pay. The
only feasible policy is for the Government to
pay mtnct pr mile per ten for all foreign going
| vessels, large or small, steam or sail, wood or
iron, with compensation for mail service. Then
every man is treated alike. If an individual or
firm wants to establish IA line to any port in
| the West Indies. or elsewhere, help him the
same as the large iron steamer is helped. Then
you will see our ship yards starting up again
all along the Atlantic and Pacific coasts of the
| United States.
| had little experience III the law passed in
1872 giving a drawback Of the duties paid on
shipbuilding material to vessels in the foreign
| trade. We found on two ships that we tried it
| that the annoyance and cost more than over
balanced the rebate. so gave it up after that 1t
would be simple matter to arrange a law so
| that after ship of any class returns from for
eign voyage it could be figured up by her regis
tered tonnage and the miles made on the voy-
| age the amount due at Il fixed sum-
| have been very much interested and pleased
at the zeal the Hon. Nelson Dngley jr. has
| manifested in Names great ShipoWnng and
| shipbuilding interest. He certainly must have
| given the subject great deal of thought to have
| taken hold of it 50 soon and so ntelligcntly
| And | am sure if he continues as he has begun
that this district will send him to Congress as
long as he wishes to 60 II. Mct.
SHIPPING ITEMS. 1t is reported that the
| Hon. lIuN O GnSs of the wooden ShinhIil dino