The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1889-05-23
HOW GREAT BRITAIN's sHIP-BUILD
ING POLICY COMPARES WITH OURS


HOW GREAT BRITAIN'S SHIP-BUILD
ING POLICY COMPARES WITH OURS.
The aggregate of money subsidies paid
by Great Britain TO her merchants fleet
from 1S4S to 1882, inclusive, was $751;
1854, 900. This persistent payment Of an
nual subsidies to stea mship lines ranged
from So, 1870, 900 to SO, 107, 76l. Their an
nual subsidies aided by England's per-
sistent protection of her iron and steel
manufacture from 179U to 1S42, and our
neglect to protect ours from 1890 to 1860,
and our repeal of discriminating duties
in 1918, and of navigation restrictions 30
years laters, drove all transatlantic
American steamship lines off the ocean.
The result has been that the imports
and exports of the United States, in "a
years, in American ships, have been
S11, 1920, S32, 203 commencing in 1S4S
with $23S, 300 1853 and ending in 1882
with $242, S50,Sl5, an increase Of "a $780,
652, or 010 per cent.
The aggregate Of the imports and ex-
ports of merchandise, in British ships,
from 1S4S to 1882, is $1S 466, 2O3, 432, be-
ginning with lS4S at $70775, 1896. and
ending in 1882 with 81 1884 ASS, S6l, "a gain
of 81 ,231, 7l2, 065, or 1716 per cent.
The steam tonnage of the United King.
dom, in 1851, was s., 92l tone, against
g., 800 tons steam tonnage of the United
States The steam tonnage of the United
Kingdom in 1887 was 4, 0S1'000 tons, and
2,313, 900 tons in 1878, The steam ton
mage of the United States was 40, O10 tons
in 1878 and l76, 900 tons in 1887. 1.-The
United Kingdom" say the Commercial
Bulletin, while carrying three fourths
of the whole of her own immense COM
merce, carries over one-h half of ours,
Portugal's and Hollands nearly one
half of that of Italy and Russia and
more than one-third of that of Franc e
and Germany"
The Alabama war cruisers, that were
built in British shipyards and preyed
upon American commerce, were factor
in causing the change of American trade
from American ships to British ships.
The principal factor, however, was the
upwards of $3.50, 900 900 subsidies paid
to British steamship lines. Since 1916
there has been no protection to Ameri
can ships by discriminating duties, since
184S none by the navigation laws, and
since 1858 none by subsidies. They have
been for thirty years past on an absolute
Free-Trade basis, while Great Britain
has protected her numerous steamship
lines by subsidies, and up to 1882 by pre-
ferental dock and port charges. Until
1916 American vessels had this protec-
ton as carriers, that goods brought In
them paid lower duties than if brought
in foreign bottoms, and none but British
goods could come in British vessels
Until lS4S American ships still had the
second of these two forms OF Protection
and our steamers were beginning TO re
ceive subsidies, W hich President James X
Polk advocated. Since 1858 they have
had no subsidies, and only one sixth oil
the postage earned by them on the letters
they carried. The Collins line, and the
HaVre and Bremen American steamship
lines, were driven off the ocean by oul
withdrawal of subsidies and of all other
Protection, while Grert Britain, Ger.
many, France, and Italy continued pay.
ing, and still pay, liberal subsidies tc
their respective steamship lines.
If American subsidies should be pItteG
against European subsidies, this policy
alone would soon largely extend the for.
eign trade of our merchants. But if dis
eliminating duties, favoring goods
brought in American vessels, were en-.
acted and foreign chips were restricted
from bringing to us any but the goods
of their own countries, our shipping
would grow to five times its present d.
mensions, in five years, and England's su
premacy on the seas would begin to
wane. The product of our seaboardl
shipyards is now about $25, 200, 900 an
nually, disbursing nearly $40, 900, 900 il
wages, and in the country the product
of all the shipyards is about $62, 900, 900
disbursing annually nearly $23, 200, 00C
in wages. The building of iron anC
steel ships, in the United States, may
begin within a year, if Congress viii
have the brains and energy to stamp ou
Mugwump idiocy. Steel and iron. with
increasing production and competition
are rapidly becoming cheaper. Our
mountains and mines Of iron, large area
of coal and unlimited supplies Of lime
stone, are drawing nearer together every
hour, through daily cheapening trans.
portatiou. Quality considered, our grea
bodybuilding experts regard our iror
and steel every bit as cheap as the Brit
ish to day. Our immense demand, fol-
construction purposes, is fast making III
the largest producers OF iron and steel il
Jn6 WOIluI anu WIN cdCu tApdublOu u
dimensions our product falls in price
Great Britain's iron product, in 1882
was s, S56, $3.50 tons, against 124, $40 tons II
1895. The production Of iron and stee
in the United States will soon exceed
100000 tons annually. Every yea
increasing the output, and brings III
nearer to the point Of greatest cheap
ness. Four inches of protective legisla
ton, in the type used in this article, will
inaugurate an epoch Of iron and stee
bodybuilding, not only for our owl
ocean use, but for the use Of all countries
on the globe. Not an ounce Of original
ity is needed in such legislation. W.
need not be at the trouble Of drafting
even one clause of these statutes. Con-
gress can simply take them as drawn by
the hand Of Madison in 1870, with thu
concurrent advice of Hamilton and JEFF
ferson, and re-enact them. They will
do. The worlds requirements for ocear
tonnage over and above all losses annu
ally reach 500, 900 to 500, 900 tons, or g..
600, 900 TO 5000, 900 tons every ten years
All we need in order to set about supply
ing this is to ignore the sup'rcilion
e 10 do