The Arkansaw traveler., 1886-04-10
THE FREE SHIP QUESTION,

1
 ARkANsAw TRAvELER takes no part in la bored political discussion, but repro tluce> this article because the principles involved should interest every thinking man As colonies our people soon be came known as ship builders, but legis- lation practically destroyed the industry
 The select committee of the house on the ~hip-huilding and shipping interests of the country has divided on the qucs ton of admitting toreign.huilt vessels [" an American registry \ majority has reported in favor ot the bill providing that all vessels, wherever built owned l wholly hv citizens of the United states or bV companies incorporated under state laws, shall be registered as Amcr can vessels, and he entitled to all tn" benefits and privileges app"rtaining {" such vessels The bill also provides for tho admission free of duty ot all mater ials used in ship-building
 The majority of the committee regards the oceau-carryine trade, and not ship building. as the main interest involved Our foreign commerce now amounts to about $l ,600 ou0,WM annually, and the earnings of the vessels engaged therein are about 500 0NtkN, most of which go to the owners of foreign shipping There is one argument used to which there is no possible answer In order to secure any considerable shar" in the ocean-carrying trade our citizens must be able to obtain vessels as ehcaply and run them as free from burdens and rc striction as their foreign competitors If it costs materially more to build ships in this country than they can be built abroad our citizens cannot compete in the carving trade so long as they are compelled to have American-huilt yes sels or none They would start at such disadvantage that the business would not be profitable for them in compcti- ton with the cheaper foreign vessels But knowing this they do not start and will not until they are allowed to obtain their ships in the cheapest markets. This k sa obvious ns |" need na arg'l- ment. and it has for years been demon strated by the actual condition of things If 1t k important for Us to obtain Il share in the foreign carrying trade. which k not denied. we must permit our people to compete freely with others in the purchase of vessels for the purpose. The destruction of our carrying trad" certainly does not promote domestic ship-building, and it k impossible to point out single advantag" that k sc cured by our restrictive registry law
 The minority report, which treats the American ehip-building interest a- the chief object of consideration really torti- iies the position of the majority "t th" committees IL admits that on account of the cost of materials and labor in this country our ship-build"rs cannot com pete with those of foreign countries That is virtually an admission that If our citizens are restricted to American built vessels they cannot afford to take part in the occan-carrying trade This k in reality an argument in favor of Der hitting them to obtain vessels else where, but the minority of the commit tee uses 1t as an argument in favor of the existing restriction on the ground that admitting foreign-built vessels to regis try would destroy the shipmlilding in dustrv which does not exist and cannot exist under the present conditions The inevitable effect of the adoption of this policy, they say would be to transfer tn" building of such ships we might need to British ship-yards and British work men. It k difficult to see how n non existent thing can be transferred The position of the minority Is practically that if our citizens cannot build iron and steel steamships in competition with England neither shall they own nor use them in competition with that country If we cannot have a ship-bullding indus try we shall not have 4 part m the profit able business of carrying our own ex- ports and imports
 There is a peculiar lack of logic in the statement of the minority that the free ship policy would not materially increase American tonnage because ship-building and sniI-o., ming ;"us. go { together, and no nation ever maintained A prosperous merchant marine unless 1t built it- own vessels If this were true it would demoli-h the argument that the policy of free things would destroy American -hip-building If our mtr- ! chants did not buy and Use the foreign vessois to any material extent no mater lal harm would be done But. fl in a prosperous merchant marine ship-build- ing and ship-owning must necessarily go together II does not follow that in building up the prosperity the building of ships must come first The strongest incentive and stimulus tO -hip-building ! and the stlrest means of reducing its cost { Is the existence of business demanding vessels for use If WE had A considerar ble carving trade there would spring up at once a business of repairing and fitting which with free riaterials would almost surely lead to building in cornpe- tition with foreign -hip-yards The natural order of development |. the pur- chase )f foreign-buIit vessels the sstab- li-hment of "A business in ocean trans portation and then the building of yes @cl- when a demand Ina. been created To insist upon building iir-t + to main tain the barrier that make. any attempt to launch our enterprise upon the ocean impossible, and keeps our whole foreign ,rnLl. ir, haun. ihaf .r1. rlI.f inAnr1-.fl.I