The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1891-12-11
GALLANT CRAFT
Are the Products of YAM
kee Shipyards.
John Bull Must Yet Look
to His Laurels.
Commissioner Bates on
American Shipping.

WASHINGTON. December 10-Mr Bates,
Commissioner of Navigation, who has the
supervision of the laws relating to vessels
and seameh. in his annual report, says that
under free shipping the competition of our
marine in the foreign trade has perished,
while under the protective policy our ship
ping in the domestic trade has flourished.
Referring to the American marine, he
says: Beginning with about % per cent
of the carriage in the foreign trade, in six
years the proportion increased to 80 per
cent, and thereabouts remained till the war
with England in 1912. Recovering from
the losses of that war, in five years time
we had again about 90 per cent
of the carriage In our foreign
trade. Unfortunately, Congress began
to strip off the protection first put on. and
commencing in 1926. the American carriage
in the foreign trade began to decline.
Thereafter the course has been downward
to the present time. While the non-pro-
tect on Of oui shipping in the foreign trade
has been advantageous TO many foreign
nations, since 1849 it has been turned to
most account by Great Britain. While the
change of policy from protection to nor
protection by maritime nations may have
injured or hindered few nations in the pur-
suits of the sea, It has ruined the trade iOf
none but the United States: First, be-
cause we the longest adhered to IL; second,
because the social condition of our people
was higher than that of other nations
third, because most of those nations have
since returned to some kinds of protection
subsidies, bounties or other discrlmi-
nations"
1t has been supposed that our principal
losses of carriage occurred during the war
for the Union. this report shows that be-
fore the war we lost of the import carriage
3S 46 per cent and Of the export carriage,
IA 68 per cent. During the war, our losses
on import carriage were 3016 per cent and
on export carriage, 46 per cent. Since the
war we have lost in the import carriage
S.5 per cert, and the export carriage. II pt +
cent. The commissioner considers what
he calls ''the two leading remedies ad-
v0cated by the free traders, tariff reduc-
ti0n and free Ships" and says: THE
reductions of the tariff, without exception.
have been advantageous to foreign, rather
than American ships. The contention that
high tariff restricts commerce and thus
reduces our carriage, Is c0Dfuted hy the
fact that since the war, under the high
tariff complained of, our volume of foreign
commerce greatly exceeds the bulk before
the wal, under any low tariff we ever had"
In regard to the free importation of
ships" the commissioner says: "The es-
sence of this remedy is the idea Of cheap
SHIPS. Really, as this measure is of Brit
ish suggestion, it is the purchase of Brit
ish built iron or steel vessels that is meant
and advocated. Ii we could build even
cheaper than the British either in metal
or wood, the objection would still remain
to our having shipping not of British
build. An American built marine means
n Ropnhlf0an Hhaca i10
are not in the British interest, or in the
line OF free trade policy; because the, for
mer Is to rule the sea, and the latter OPP
poses the strengthening of protective "
ernmeDt Free ships would be deadly
blow to ship-building in the United
States. Such blow is so much in tue in
terest of England that no true American
can be found to deliver it,"
The report, dwelling on the comparative
durability of American and British built
vessels of all kinds. proves that on. almost
an points the American shipyard .excels
the British in its productions. AS for the
and sail with British iron, the superiority
OF the former Is 1Sl per cent. In regard to
marine insurance, the commissioner says:
''Syndicates or rings of foreign capitalists
already control the business of covering
the cargees of our exports to all parts of
our underwriting power is of national con-
Germ. Marine insurance is facility
and power for the command of trade, need
full In peace, essential in war;" The
commissioner recommends the enactment
of bill for marine board in the Treas
ury Department, composed of the heads of
bureaus. he opposes government inspec-
tion OF sail vessels, maintaining that if a
free board till be passed 1t will be un-
called for, and do more harm than good.
He recommends the passage of a bill to
protect seamen'S wages from garnlshee
Among other measures suggested Is one to
enlarge the ship room and increase the
comfort of immigrants. The commits
si0ner recommends the abrogation Of the
treaty with Great Britain, which prevents
the building of armed vessels on the lakes
and the repeal of the act of 1882, auth riZ
ing the naturalization of foreign vessels.