Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1891-12-11
COMMISSIONER OF NAVIGATION
Makes His Annual Report ON Condition
OF Our shipping.


co mi. sivuer OF navigation, Who hss
supervision of lass relating TO vessels and
.esmen. in his snnusl report, says; Under
free Shipping con petion our marine IN the
foreign trade ha. perishe1, While under he
prot. ctive p hey our Shipping in domestic
trade has Il 4urished, Referring TO the
American msrine, he ssysi
Beginning -nh about 25 per cent car
risge In III foreign trade Ia liz yesrs the
pt toporuon Increased 10 30 per o.nt Ard
thereshou' rematbed til the war WIN Ens-
land In 1912 Recovering from iossss Of
that war, in nys yests time We hsd gam
Of about 30 per cent carriage in our foreign
trade
Uafor,uuateIy. Congress begsn to strip . n
the pro,. eli n fret put on. commencing In
l.26 aid American carriage IN foreign
trade began to decline. Thereafter the
course has been downward to present time
While the non. protection Of our shpping
N foreign uade has been advsntageous 10
many fore ga nalioB- ,iDcs lS49, aud has
be. u turoed to the most account by
Ora Britisu. While change OF
policy from protection TO Dop-
pr.,sction by maritime nation.
may have Il jar.d or hindered . few naJion.
ia pursuits Of the sa, 1t has ruined the
trad Of none bu, lhe United States! Frs,
because we longes, adhered to it; second.
becsus. the social condition Of our
people is higher than those OF Other
nations; third, because most of those
nations have since returned t, some kinds
IT projection --sub.Idiss, bouuties, or other
DETERMINATIONS, Il has been supposed that
our pri ripai losses In carriage occurred
during the war for the U ion, but this re-
port shows that hefo'. the war se lost OF
Import catrisse 81 &C per cent ard Of e1-
plrt carriage, "a 6s per cent Darins thu
~ar our losses of import csrrisee rss 3o.l6
pr cent AID export csTrisgp 4G per cent
ii O. the war We lost in imp1u o.r',sgs
: 5 PER ceut, and export csrrisge II per
en-.
The commissioner considers what he
call. the 'ue o LEADING rene dies advocated
bs f ee trsdprs; tsrif retnc ion and f'e
sh ps "spi ssIs tue r.ducai0h OF 'sfh
sitGout reception. have been advantageous
70 fore On rather than American ehips, sni
most so IN 1886 when smother bad aot, the
care ou.iog law was passed. 10 the single
wear sfter that act foreign shipping gained
and AmFr rioan lost 10 per cent of impor,
csrii.ge and IL pc, cert of export car
tead Of the marine 10 fJuui witbsut IN
history.
The contention that high tariff restricts
conn erc- and thus reduces our csfrisse,
i. Coz fuled b, the fac, hat since the war.
under the high tar n complained OF, our
lume of foreign commerce greatly *
ceeds the bn,k before the war and under
an, la- tariff that We ever had L. regard
l. nm ~ xhtps tho
mi sioner says he essence Of this remedy
ia he idea Of cheap ships Really, as thi.
measure is Of Bru sh suggestion it is the
purchase Of BRUSH built iron or steel vss-
sells that lie meant AID advocated II we
could build even cheaper than the British,
| either 10 metal or wood, the OF ctiUn
| iu d still remain in cur having Shipping
n IT Of a British build.
An American built marine means a Re-
publican naval porer ihsss things are
| rot il British ittsrests, or 10 the iine Of
the fr.e trade ,licy because the former
| i. to rule the seas, and the latter oppose.
The str-n nghtsnios Of our protective govern-
msn., Free n ps wonli b. = deadly bIov
,bip building ~ tue UnItsd States Such
.blos is 50 much ip the interest," Of EngIsnd
| ,sss no trus American can be- found ~ de
liver 1t
Tn. report dwelling on the comparative
durability Of American and British built
vessels II all K d. proves that, on almost
81. lints, AmericAa ship ySds eIc4ls the
| Brush IN productions As for the man
c, mp.fisoD, that OF American wood ~iih
| Bfi ish ron the superiority Of the f,rmsr
il 10 and half er cent. II regard TO
marine insurance, the commissioner says
| 2ypai, atss or rngs o. fore g. capitalist.
slrPsdy control 'he business Of covering the
c,rgoes Of our exports to al paris Of the
word
The manifest dscadence Of our uader
vritiug poWer il Of national concern
Mari1e insur.nae is facility and possr
for the commsnd of trd snd IL needful
IN peace ard essential 10 war The u Il =
wri,ing Of our enemy is not to be though,
of that Of rival nsvsr should be depended
On The commis.ior er recommends the
susctmtn; OF q bill for = maine bosrt In
the trsasLry department, comDossd of hsa1'
q bureaus He opposes the governmeh
inspection Of sail vessels msInlainit thst
- free board hill b. p,s,et il viii b. no
called for and d. more harm than good
/, Il. recommend. ths pa.sags Of . bill n
pro. ect .esnea's wages from sarnishee
AmJug other mss'ures Suggested /, 9ns 10
enl.rss the ,h room and increase ih'
comfor, OF Immigrants The cemm ssi0n
er rec mDsn8. the abr asaoo VI th- treaty
with Great Britain which pYsveats to'
building u sruet vessels IN ths axes snc
the repeal Of he act OF 1852. sushofizins
| tba nst,1ualiz .liau II fore zU vessels