The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1889-09-11
AMERICAN SHIPPING

Inc PRESIDENT IN his speech at Bath,
Me-, gave more than hint as to one
of the topics to be treated of in his first
message to Congress. He said:
I'm every way that 1 properly can,
whether as a citizen or as public
officer, / shall endeavor to promote the
rebuilding of our American merchant
marine, and the restoration of that
great carrying trade which We once
possessed on every sea-"
The National Economist of recent
date calls attention to few facts and
figures which we intervene with some
reflections of our own in support of the
Presidents determination to endeavor
to arouse Congress to action In the
matter of rebuilding our merchant
marine.
And, first, it cannot be rebuilt with
ont return TO that liberal system of
subsidies under which at one time 1T
was gaining pre-eminence. No nation
has or ever did have great merchant
marine that was not the creation OF
vast subsidies, bounties, especial priv
ileges, or direct gifts. England Is,
Spain was, Germany is growing to be,
a great maritime power, solely because
of special bounties or subsidies or mon
opolistic privileges given to its mer-
chant vessels. Until the United States
abandoned its policy of bounties and
subsidies it was growing into maritime
eminence. In 1913, Lord George Ben
timex said, in the British House OF
Commons: There were thirteen sea-
going steamships of 600 tons and up
ward built and launched at New York
In 1917 and these exceeded the ton
mage of all vessels built in the United
Kingdom for that year" 1t was but n
few years until our Congress foolishly
withdrew its comparatively small sub
sidy from the Collins line of Atlantic
steamships, and in the same year En-
gland largely increased its subsidy to
the Cunard line, and from that time
our carrying trade on the Atlantic has
grown small by degrees and beauti-
fully less" until it now is well nigh
an invisible and imponderable guam
tity.
And, in the second place, the loss
which this country annually sustains
by payment for freights to foreign YES
sells is vastly III excess of any subsidies
which might be granted for the rehabil-
itation of our merchant marine. We
yearly send about $3.50, 900, 900 of
American money to Europe, and mostly
to England, as toll for ocean traffic in
foreign vessels. This tremendous sum
might just as well be paid to American
vessel owners and spent by them in
America. 1t would support many
thousands of seamen, many ship car
penters, and would give such an impe-
tus to the lumber, iron, steel, and sail
making trades as would call for the
employment of other thousands of new
operatives.
1t is said by the free-traders that we
do not have the requisite skill for ship
building. The answer is that when we
were encouraged by subsidies we built
the crack vessels of the world; even
now we build the fastest yachts, and
such war vessels as we build for our
own use are not excelled in their kind
by those of other nations. The Ma
tiondL Economist reminds its readers
that the ship-yard of Sir William
Pearce, Baronet and member of Parlia
ment, made net profit to its owner of
$1,3l6,3S in the four years between
and including 1885 and 1883, and that
yard only constructed one forty-second
part of all the vessels launched in
Great Britain. The British Govern
ment gave Pearce title of honor in
recognition of his services to the coun-
try by the construction of 60, 944 tons
of shipping in four years; an Ameri-
can Democratic administration drew
John Roach into bankruptcy and
sought to smirch his character as a re-
ward for like services. We trust that
a return to old methods is near. We
believe that it is becoming apparent
that it is wise to spend few-say
five-millions in order to save $751;
100000 a year. We think that it is
becoming plain that it is better to have
few American ship-builders who can
employ few thousand American oper-
atives than to enrich English baronets
and members of Parliament by Ameri-
can custom. Inter ocean.