Los Angeles daily herald., 1886-12-23

avenues Of trade by which it will flow
to our shores. There are, first of all,
well-established lines of steamships
fostered by the government in order 10
compete with the old-established Euro,
pean lines, until the trade directed by
them to our country will enable them to
take care of themselves.
"Th9e should also be telegraphic
communication between the two coun-
tries. To the energy of our own coun-
trymen we are indebted for the first
successful Atlantic cable. Why cannot
one be laid direct to Brazil?
"a bank. through which exchanges
could be favorably made, is also very
necessary for the easy flow Of commerce.
But especially it must be remembered
that frequent, regular and rapid steam
communication is absolutely necessary,
first of all, no matter how excel llent our
products of manufacture may be"
This extract from Commodore Sci
fridge's report of 1879 is about as good
reading as any one interested in our
South American trade would wish to
have, even now in 1856.
The world is full of those who are
constantly telling us how not to do it,
and that it cannot be done Writers
have for years past been treating ship.
building in the United States as ''lost
art" and yet Commissioner Patten, Of
the Bureau of Navigation, states in his
interesting report that there are upward
of 25, 600 American built steam and sail
vessels ahoat in American waters to-day.
Hn ba MI of ha ~
and tear of this immense feet and the
demands for increased water trausporta.
tion requires the construction of at least
1000 American built vessels annually.
l am showing what the American ship
builders are doing-leaving it to others
to tell US what we cannot do. The gun.
boat Bayaca that we built for the Co.
lombian government four years ago,
started out from our ship yard at Will
mington, Del, ON trial trip of IA. 600
miles down the Atlantic coast, through
the straits of Magellan, and up the Pa.
citic, and arrived safely at the Isthmus,
where it gave such satisfaction that the
government comes to us whenever it is
IN want Of anything in the line of ship
building or heavy machinery. There
are those who make it their business to
decry every American industry in face
of such facts as these. The sugar indus.
try does not by any means escape.
THE DELEGATION OF LOUISIANA SUGAR
PLANTERS.
That appeared before the ways and
means committee last March, presented
convincing evidence that with proper
encouragement from Congress the Gulf
States would be able to supply all the
sugar consumed in the United States;
anu yet we have "free sugar" party
among us-journalists who claim that
the tropical cane cannot be our main de-
pendence. and that Congress must "place
sugar on the free list" and depend upon
the nleagre bounty.fed beet root of Eu.
rope for our main supply.
Fortunately these croakers who spend
their time in decrying all our home in.
dustries do not repre- sent the public
sentiment either North, South, East or
West.
l have shown that the American
ship builders, speaking for the oldest
and one Of the largest firm, are able
and willing and ready to do their part in
bringing up American industries and
assistance from Congress.
wish as much could be said for the
unfortunate American ship owner, who
is compelled to sail his steamers under
our own Stars and Stripes. Congress
has indeed been "a cruel stepmother to
him." as was we'll said by the New
York Herald of May 30. 1883. In discuss.
:. ..s the needs Of our foreign mail service.
Other interests are properly cared for
by Congress while the unfortunate ship
owner is compelled to stand out in the
cold. The railroad corporations are
paid fair rate for carrying the mails,
while the ship owners are not. Until
the passage of the Frye -Dingley ship
ping bill, which has removed nearly all
of the most grievous burdens the ship
owners were compelled to endure, the
law made the carrying of ocean mails
on the part of owners of ves-
sely carrying our flag
If Congress will only make the neces.
sary appropriations to pay the owners
Of American ships for carrying the mails,
the proposed line from New Orleans to
Rio de Janeiro, and a number of others,
will be at once established.
"They order these things better" in
Brazil. / have before me two official
published by the Imperial
government. Touching the experience
of that government in creating avenues
OF trade, it quotes as follows:
''The Empire of Brazil does not profess
o policy of protection; nevertheless, in
of the question of freights
on coffee to the United States it saw that
the establishment of line of steamers
under the American flag, in compe ition
with English steamers, would produce d
reduction in freight rates. and therefore
to grant subsidy to a new
line. The result justified the expecta.
tions OF the government, and the rats of
freights, which eight years ago was sew
enty five cents to one dollar per bag OF
coffee by the Eastern steamers, has fallen
to an average of forty cents, and cargoes
have been brought as low as ten and
fifteen cents. 1t has been said of such
cargoes that it actually cost less to bring
them from Rio de Janero TO New York
than to transport them after their arri-
val from Brooklyn to the railroads in
New York or Jersey City. The truth is
that the expense of the subsidy has
been profitable one to Brazil, since it
brought about so marked a difference
in the freight rates, difference which
more than balances the tax laid to pay
the subsidy"
Touching the question of making New
Orleans the great distributing centre of
coffee, quote as follows:
Suppo ing freights from Brazilian
ports TO New YORK and New Orleans to
be the same, the consumers could then
decide whether to continue to pay the
excess of cost of transportation by rail
over that by river. Any one can com.
pare the cost of these different freights,
and the result of such comparison is SO
clear that it Is not necessary to enlarge
upnn IL