New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1888-01-03
UAAlDEU AMERICAN phil ..
FORCED BY COMPETITION FROM THE SEAS.

REPORT or THE COMMISSIONER or MITIGATION
NEEDS or rng MERCHANT MARINE.
WASHINGTON Jan. 2.-Thc report of G. b. Nor
f,u, Commissioner OF Navigation. relates to tho
shipping not only Of the United States. bat ofthe
world Ii says that unless the American ship In
foreign ports. or IN is own, can take cargo ~
cheapIy or more chesply than tho English, Nor
wegian, German or Spanish vessel. tbs mcrchan-
disc will be transported by the foreign vessels Tho
Commissioner sets forth in detail the various
aids and advantages enjoyed by the shipp&ng Of
other nations and concludes that 1t is impossible
without change Of tho present conditions for
American navigation to regain ito lost supremacy
IN Tie foreign trade. BOunties or subsidies arc
paid by Spain, Italy. Germany. France, eic.. and
British vessels have been and are aided under ono
guse or another rss rep0fs alludcs to vasOns
facts relating tn the West Indiss and sonth Amer-
can trade which naturally belongs to ,ha country,
but Is almost monoDolized by Earopean ships
With regard to the coastng trade the Commits
sioner says the case Is different. and the ship
ping employed amounting to 3,09o.2s2 tons.
without including many craft not docn'
mented, is reasonably prosperodS espe-
cially upon the lakes, where tho coastwise
trade is developing rapidly, the increase in tho
American tonnage there during the year ended
June 80, 1887. being 2t,18l tons The gain upon
tho Pacific coast was S,781 tons, and 1t was about
the Same on the Western rivers The total doca.
mented tonnage of the United States Is T. 1Oj.SH
tons. ii being distributed as follows Atlantic snd
Gulf. 1886, 272 Pacific coast, 1856 AS; Northern
lakes. SS3.721; Western rivers, 327.4OJ. The
fore going registered tonnage is LOIS. 562 tons
Tho Commissioner recommends that the coastina
trade be relieved of its burdens as to potago fees,
the ground that shipping should receive tho
benefit of improvements In reduced charges tor
pilotage and that Congress should abolish the COM
pusOry features Of the state laws imposing pilot
age, half-piotage license fees on ccasfiDg vessels
SO that the prac lice may be Uniform 10 ali the
States.
To prevent the duplication of names of vessels OF
the United States there being for example, ex-
actiy sixty Susans names derived fhorcfr0ll, he
recommends that names OF new vessels be snb-
united 20 the Bureau of Navigation where 1t could
be determined whether tho name proposed would
be duplicate of those already In use
The report refers to tho lack OF system on tho
lakes as regards the punishment OF crime there on
vessels of the United STATES, and recommends tho
extension of the admiralty jurisdiction TO include
such cases At present some OF the counties ex-
tend to the middle of the lakes and often II Is al
most impracticable to establish the fact that an
dictiOn.
He suggests that the present practice as TO steer
ing gear should 70 made uniform, SD that an order
to- port on one ship would not as Is now tho
case, mean to "starboard on another vessel
whose chains are d fer 'ntly rove.
The COMMISSIONER expresses hImsef s.rrong,y .n
favor of Naval reserve aud concludes his report
with draft of a bill embOdying his IDEAS oi tne
legislation required this and other points calling
for prompt act ION by Congress.