New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-01-19
AMERICAN SHIPPING.
ARE AMERICAN FARMERS INTERESTED IN
ITS PROSPERITY?
SOME FACTS AND FIGURES FOR THEN TO pom
DER-wHAT THE REVIVAL OF TIE MER-
CHANT MARINE WOULD DO FOR
THEN As WELL As FOR OTHER
DOMESTIC PRODUCERS.
TBY TELEGRAPH TO TIE TRIBUNE.

DOMESTIC PRODUCERS.
rBY TELEGRAPH TO TIE TEIBuSEl
Washington. Jan ls.-The friends Of the shipping
bill in the House have been compelled by Dcho'r"u'
libustering TO refrain from pressing the considers"
ton of that important measure during the last zen
DAYS but they have not lost hope or courage ara
some of them believe that the bill has gained lriehu'
rather than lost any support in the meantime -
j. the in regard to every important pubIc measure
the success of which means tile adoption oil a new
policy a good deal of the opposition i due 40 'd'k
of information and good deal more in this case 10
the amount OF misrepresentation and instrumentation
which has becn 80 cOpiously bestowed upon Repro
sentatives who have not studied the subject by 'o
representatives not only of foreign sip-"wer' anu
slpbudcrs. but Of foreign governments as "ei WIZ
are able quietly to exert powerful influence throus"
experienced and discreet agents and counsel NO
means lave been neglected to prevent the success
of a policy designed to restore the prestige OF the
American merchant marine, and foreign pad agents
and LOBBYISTS are marching shoulder 10 ShOuuer WIFI
equally jealous frce-tradcrS, who style themselves
American pariots" in this crusade against American
interests Britain, of course, has more at STAKE
than any other nation. The building in American
shpyarS in the next ten years OF hrstclaSs IRON anu
steel steam vessels with an aggregate registered ION
mage OF 100000 tons would deprive Hritish snip
builders and ship owners not only OF large snare Oh
the foreign carrying trade Of The United states, bu'
also Of construction business and profits amounting TO
at least $4,000, O0O-9O per cent OF which would
go into the pockets of American laborerS ana me
chanics and be used by them TO buy the products Oh
American farms and factories and skill
In a recent letter TO Chairman Farqullar of the Com
mittee on Merchant Marine the superintendent OF NaV
CATION estimates that, if the pending bill becomes
law and the number and capacity of American snip
wards doubled and the number Of men employed therein
tebled the frsclass steam merchant tonnage OF the
United States in the foreign trade in the year looo
will be $4,000 tons. the hrstclass sail tonnage VIII
be 10000 tons, mostly new and that the toth
amount of bounties required 10 produce this result IN
the period named will be 81 So O0O-an annual aver
are below the yearly of subsidies now paid 10y
the British Government merchant ships carrying The
British flag into tue ports of the United states and
other countries.
Democratic prairie and backwoods statesmen who
oppose the shipping bill doing their worst 10 array
Western and southern farmers against the bill by
appeals TO their scliishnc,s fortified by statements
which are misleading and untrue There is, or recently
was living in the harbor of NcwIork new sailing
vessel the biggest Que ever built in American ship
ward. She is the Shenandoah Of which Arthur se"ell'
leading Maine Democrat. was the builder. In con
versaton with Tribune correspondent yesterday, Il
man who is thoroughly familiar with the subject said
DO you suppose that many OF the opponents Of
the shipping bin understand what the binding Of that
ship meant 10 American farmers; She cost 200
600 10 buiid which, estimating The average wage al
~ per day, meant 10000 days wages for the labor
bestowed upon her, including the preparation aud
posed. Every who worked upon her had "a cit,
and that there was an average Of three other
mouths TO he fed 10y each workman. Now, 10000
DAYS work is equivalent 10 the work of 800 men for
100 days, or one year Of working day, or to M
support Of /. 200 persons during that period. idr
daily allowance of food of all kinds. in ts unprcpared
state for each person i two pounds the Loo per
s7G0OO pounds, or 43s tons, OF bread stut, meat,
fish vegetables, fruit and other products of american
soil and American waters while TN, AjoOt1u Amer.
Jean ship building IN Maine ~h.pyaid In that
j. ali. The ship /, rated FOR lVch'y two years. and
Of 40 officers and men, who, with their
families must cat. say tina, each officer ana seaman
leaves two mouths to be fed ASHORE during In, voyagc>
amount Of meat, breadstuiis and other american
products will be consumed ON BOARD TINS American
20 Won see that tie American farmer j., directly
and personally interested in the prosperity ~ to
American Shpbuder, and Interested niuch more deeply
than he sometimes snspeCt' Ine buiidhE ana , iln
ming OF ;},jOOtOn sailing sap during her hdlIi'I
lifetime means a market for about $500 tons Of Amcr-
can food nr,duct, OF course the persons who con
sumo that food must have cothe, 10 wear, roof, -
shelter them. bed, 10 sleep n fuel to COOK tncr i1h
and keep them warm, ana we thoi,a,d alu Gr o'
able to obtain and enjoy. Now TINS may seem 10 nc
an extremely elementary view to tahe OF The suJeIt,
neglected aud which ought 10 receive more attention
Of Representatives.
OF course the cost Of building. manning and main
tanning "A fr,t-cass iron steel steamship j, proper
tonaly much greater per ton than that OF "a saIiuI
vessel but the proportion Of labor 70 Tie total cost OIL
and repair remains dDDUt INC 'iI'' WIZ"
IAN T. CLYDE Of New York: Charles H. trimp OF
philadelphia and other competent judge c,umate at
so 10 % pcr cent Of the total cost 81 such steamship
reprc-ents labor skilled and uu-killcd; Labor ~ ti'
mine, and forests in the furnace and iron ana >''l
mills and machine shops. and in tran-portto a. ven
| n shin ward. Mr. Craup c~tluid(c- lldi "H'
hall Of the cost OF building Il ,lhp atef an 'I n'
terals are i'm the yard, Represents labor 10 D"'" '
ocean grey hound like the SWlft"~t Wlch cr"-- w.
! Atlantic between Ncw-NOrk and LNcrpOOi. u - ''b
| mated would cost 5000 per ton IN the lh'"d Ntt
. Al ,f -ss( al ~iND
rrpre,rnt wages paid 10 American labor: and at ra,t
81 600 600 Of thai sum would be paid for food rlot ~
fuel and other ana comOft, oi ne. ~ -,
ftjr 10 estimate that considerably more tlhh one i"uI'
| of that amount would find IT, way INTO the ilahp- n,"
rnclefs of American farmers ard II must be- IcI'H-
hered that during tie " life Of such a snip. lmIt
wears she wond continue to furnish = convenient anu
| s,cady market for the product, of American lrH@
| fock. herds gardens and orchard. The huidlhS %,
| Zen such ships IN American -hpyartS would mean Al
farmers AT the outset and would mean FJOOoDO more
| IN them every during long Scrl", 81 Ndl> 10
como II the ten ships. with an aggregate 81 looV,
tons capacity. be multiplied by lch We Pr,,.lut ~,
and increaS the annual revenue, Of American lilHc''
from home markets by at least SG0OOoooo III the next
decade. ,. A., ,, ,,.,ror
| huildcr and the manufacturers j. personally ana p
1unarlv interested the success oi the pon'N ON
bodicd in the hill pending ~ the ionec q" hepIr
, sentative All OF them are interested not uuN ~"
| cause of the de,irabiv Of extending ana mere ~ II e
sale Of American products in FOREIGN markets ~ 40
bcrause of the still greater deeirahity OF increasing we
| home demand and domestic consumption 0 suoh
products
| Az OBJECT LESSON IN TIN PLATE.