Morning journal and courier., 1885-02-12
Thursday, February I2, 1885.
  PROTECTION FOR sHIPPING.


 Senator Cameron's plan for reviving the merchant marine has at least the merit of be- ing understandable. He begins by recogniz- ing the greater cost of constructing, fitting out, manning and sailing American ships as compared with the cost abroad, and places the difference in cost to the credit of our wage rate. The cost of constructing first class ships of iron steel hero is found to be from twelve to fifteen per cent. greater than abroad while the cost of cheaply built vessels ranges from thirty to forty per cent higher here than abroad. This difference in cost is much more than accounted for in the wages paid here and elsewhere, which are seldom less than fifty per cent. in excess of those paid in the old world.
 After the ships ready for use the cost of sailing them presents itself fatal ob- stacle to successful competition. The cost of sailing ship of a thousand tons under Am erican colo1s is estimated at $1,OOO per month. The cost under British colors is s725; German, $675; French, $675; Austrian, S625, and Italian, $475 The cost to us, then, is twenty-five per cent. more than it is to the British shipowner, and rather more than double that to the Italian shipmaster. Taking the average excess of cost to us, the Senator concludes that the protection that ought to be afforded to our marine should be ct least forty per cent. to equalize the cost of labor. He would stimulate the shipbuilding interest by offering bounties. and he would encourage the establishment of trans-Atlantic lines by paying remunerative prices for car rying the mails. Briefly, the Senator advo- cates the policy pursued by England and France in sid of the resuscitation of our merchant marine-a policy of discriminating in favor of our own shipbuilders, ,shipowners, merchants and sailors.
 MT. Cameron will doubtless, as the Phila- delphia North American points out, be asked what protection has done for the various in dustries now languishinQ, and hence what may be expected from extending protection to our merchant marine. The North Ameri- can answers this question as follows: Protee- tion has given the most valuable plants to be found on the face of the globe. and these plants are exactly to the nation what an in- vested surplus fund is to a corporation, or well appointed appliances to the farmer. If
  preached and sneered at because his reaper is idle2 If when winter comes the farmer contemplates bis ploughs and harrows in the tool house. does it follow that some surface philosopher may come in upon him and ask him of what avail are his idle implements? Such philosophers may jesr at him, but the sensible farmer can shrug his shoulders and wait for the springtime. It will come to our industries and the tools are in waiting and ready for the work. Protection arms a coun- try against emergencies and nothing can avert the disabilities of unreadiness beside.
 The plan proposed by Senator Cameron will find hearty support we'll as much bit ter and scofing opposition. Some change is certainly needed. so that the shipping of this country may have the relative rank that it once did, say thirty years ago.