Waterbury evening Democrat., 1889-08-31
AMERICAN SHIPPING.

The decay of American shipping in- terests and the various plans suggested for giving them renewed life have re- gently renewed interest in subject that has close relation with the general prosperity of the country. MT Edward E. Parker, of Woburn, Mass, in reply ing to certain statements made by MT Hill, secretary of the American Shipping and Industrial league, shows that, though our protective system remains, our foreign carrying trade has left us, and with all the dependent industries is now in the hands of our rivals.
 It has been held by protectionists that this result is due to the ravages of con- federate couisers during the civil war, but the fact that the destruction has gone on with increased force ever since the war ended is sufficient refutation of this. It has been held, too, that Am erican ship owners, especially those sailing steamers of improved types, perfer to sail under the British flag be- cause English statesmen have found that it pays their people to subsidize. subvent, give mail pay, or call it by any term, in any way to appropriate millions annually from the British exchequer and omake special financial inducements to British ship owners or to those only who will fly the British flag" Mir Parker is very skeptical concerning these alleged British subsidies, and maintains that it has been repeatedly denied that England pays any subsidies at all to her ship owners. It is not long since Mir Tender son, the British consul at Boston, de- clared in newspaper interview that Great Britain does not pay a single penny in any way to subsidize her ship ping interests. Why our shipbuilders should be protected to the extent of pro- hibiting the importation of foreign built vessels, while competing products in all other departments of industry may be imported and used upon payment of duty, is explainable only on grounds of tion against ship owners. The builders are protected by the law which forbids any foreign built vessel, nominally owned by American citizens, to enter our ports unless it has been captured and condemned in war by the United States, forfeited for a violation of our laws, or wrecked within the waters of the United States, and purchased and repaired by American citizens at an expense of three fourths of the cost of the vessel when repaired. The penalty for bringing into the United States other marine property of foreign origin and American ownership is fine of $2 ton at each port she enters, if in ballast or laden with domestic produce; but if she has on board goods of foreign origin the penalty is confscation. This would seem to be giving the shipbuilding in- dustry protection with vengeance. And yet the industry so protected has almost ceased to exist! Could anything be more convincing of the utter uselessness, not to say injury, of the tariff as it applies to shipbuilding, and the articles that enter into it? An industry protected to the very ultimate limit, and yet passing steadily and surely out of existence!
 With everything that enters into the construction of modern craft taxed and foreign built vessels excluded from our ports it would seem that shipbuild-