The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1884-10-20
The American Line Disappears.

1t is announced that the four steamers of
the American Liue, the only four steamers
flying The American flag engaged in the
North Atlantic trade between the United
States and Europe have been sold to the In
ternational Navigation Compa, y, company
which although the major part of its stock
is owned ia this country is practically for
egn corporation. It owns the Red Star
Line of steamers which sails under foreign
flag. The American Steamship Company
for which these four steamers were built and
which has owned them hitherto owns also
five steamers bought in England and sailed,
of course, under the English flag. These
five English steamers it has been able to
employ probably; but the American steam
ers have always been run at loss. Two
reasons are assigned for this, one of them
that the English built steamers of the same
tonnage and requiring an equal equipment
were so constructed that they would carry
larger amount of freight; but the principal
reason ass gned is that under the American
navigation laws it costs much more to run
the American vessels because they cannot
ship their crews in Liverpool where the
rates of wages are much lower.
Owing to these conditions, which are well
understooi, it is impracticable for Ameri-
can steamers to compete with foreign steam
ers in doing the ocean carrying trade.
This Philadelphia experiment which was un-
dertaken with considerable hopefulness has
broken down completely and is abandoned.
The same men owning both American and
English ships and managing them, so far as
the laws will allow, with equal prudence and
wisdom, discover that they can make money
by their vessels carrying the English flag and
cannot make money but must lose it, by
vessels sailing under the American flag
The company which has purchased the
American Line already owns ten steamers
carrying the English flag, land although it has
not so declared, there is no doubt that it in
tends to put these American built vessels
under foreign flag, that being the only
condition upon which they can be prof ably
employed, un ii we are willing to do what
Other nations have done and are still doing
TO encourage the maintenance of CONNER
cial marine.
That the men employed in the mel chant
marine of America, should receive higher
wages than those who serve nnder foreign
flag lie not the great evil. II ought not to be
expected that mariners should not partici-
pate in the higher wages which all labor
commands in this country. When the
American Congress is as generous in its en-
couragement of our commercial marine as
England has been, or in part as generous,
such wages will not be an insuperable obsta-
Gle to fair and profitable competition 10 the
ocean carrying trade. But Congress, especial
ly the Democratic and free trade element of
Congress is steadily against such protec
ton and encouragement. There is one
way for the United States to regain a just
share of the carrying trade of international
commerce and that is by reasonable subsi-
dies in some form which will overcome the
| great advantage other nations have obtained
| by means of government subsidies.
The whole subject of the difference in
wages paid to mariners in American and
| foreign bottoms, with much besides that is
very useful in any investigation of this sub
| ject was clearly set forth in speech made
| iu the United States Senate on the 30th of
| April and 1st of May last by Hon. William
| P. Frye. What has happened to this Amer
lean Line of steamers is just what it appear
| ed from the conditions stated by Senator
| FRYE must inevitably happen.