The Republican journal., 1886-01-28
Our Deserted ShipYards.

STUBBORN FACTS FOR FEEE-rKADERS. TUE
UNITED STATES SECOND IN THE MANUFAC-
TuRE OF IRON STEAMSHIPS.
Mr.. David a. Wells, chairman of the late
Chicago Free Trade ConN erton, during his
address made the following statement in re-
gard to the ship building industry in the Unit
ed States:
Our >hpbuilIing industry has been protect
ed until il is now nigh deaths door. The tlag
of our merchant marine has almost vanished
from the ocean. Our ship yards are deserted,
and the art Of shpbuilding and ship using
seems almost to he lost.
Similar statements are frequently made by
the leading advocates of free trade in different
portions Of the country. That they are not
only cross perycrsionS of facts. but positively
untrue, will he readily discovered by a brief
examination OF the official report on Commerce
and Navigation for the wear 1881. This report
contains table giving the class, number of
vessels, aud tonnage constructed in the ntrd
States each year from ~, TO 1854. From this
table we ascertain that in the year lS>4 there
We're made i'll this country ,l9O wood and iron
vessels with Il total tonnage of 30 ,3l4 tons If
we compare the >hipbuding industry in this
country during the last four Years OF low tar
i'll with that of the first four years after the
high tariff went into operation in 1852, We find
that the high tariff period does not >ttltr i'll the
to 1861 We're about as nearly on free trade
| basis probably Us in any like period in the
country's history.
During the four wears OF low turll from lS1S
to 1865 inclusive, we find that there Wer" made
in this country 4,3+4 vessels with a tonnage
amounting to SO 20 tons. During that time
there We're sold to foreigners vessels of Amer
| lean manufacture with tonnage amounting to
| lO1 222 tons.
Under the first four years of protection from
Ia int.l her, II
country $50 vessels, with total tonnage of
+ | .29G, ,462.m tons. There We're sold during this
period to foreigners >hi p> with a tonnage equal
| to 1852 tons These figures show that there
Were made i'll this country during the first four
| years Of high tariff 25l3 vessels with tonnage
equal to Al ,lJJ.-1 tons more than We're made
| during the previous four Years under free
| trade, and that we sold to foreigners tonnage
| equal to 613iW more than was sold during the
| free trade period. Again during the four
years ending with 1881 there We're constructed
| in this country 4.931 vessels with tonnage of
| ,053 ,612.2S tons. This shows that during the
| last four Years made J93 vessels with a tom
| mage greater by 20i 3650S tons than we did
| during the last four wears of free trade or low
| tariff Now when we consider that the first
| four Years of high tariff were during the war.
and that the last four Years have been during
period Of great business depression brought on
| the country by the reduction of duties on for
| eign imports which took place in 1873, it will
| be seen that the statement made hv Mr.. Wells
! that "our shipping interest has been protected
until it is nigh deaths door" is very far from
| being correct.
The truth of the matter is. the United States
| is now, next to Great Britain, the largest
| manufacturer of iron steamships in the world,
| and if our Government would render much
| financial aid to her shipping industries as the
| English Government is rendering hers. we
| could soon >urpaSS even Great Britain in ship
| building. 1t is doubtless true that owing to
| large subsidies granted by Great Britain to her