The Republican journal., 1892-03-31
Navigation Notes.

A FREE SHIP ORGAN KNOCKED OFT.
In a long article on THE Question of
Ships the Providence Journal falls into
a series of errors which should be correct
ed in the interests of historical accuracy.
1t is not true that 1.-THE privilege of buy
inc his vessels in the cheapest market is
the only privilege the English shipowner
asks If his ship carries the mails he asks
and secures bigger subsidy than will be
received by any American shipowners UNI
der the Postal Aid law. If his ship is a
sailing vessel or ''trampN it is protected
against American competition by Lloyd s
arbitrary insurance rates, which answer
, the purpose Of a subsidy. Nor does he
always pay higher wages or feed his sea-
men better than his Continental neighbors.
German sailors are nearly as we'll paid and
better fed. And, when in Eastern waters,
John Bull wants to hire Cinnamon and
Lascars for few cents day he does so.
There is no law to prevent it as these is
in the United States. English shipowners
We're permitted to buy American ships, not
because they were cheaper, but because
| they were 30 years ago. as they are now.
fasterand more seaworthy. This privilege,
however, was not fully and Internationally
granted until the iron steamship had be-
gun to supersede the sailing craft, and the
English shipyards, fostered by mail sub
sides and naval contracts, had become
able to defy competition. The decline of
our ocean carrying began not in $4,000,
but 30 years before, when our wooden
ships were as cheap as any, and were be-
ing largely bought by foreigners. In
1880, 90 per cent. of our imports and rs
per cent. of our exports were carried in
American vessels; and in 1850 only 81 and
90 per cent. That is, foreigners could
come here, buy our ships, put them in
our carrying trade, and underbid us for
business. 1t was their low wages and
mean fare ON shipboard which enabled
them to do this. just as the same things
have enabled the Scandinavians to drive
the English out of some lines of trade
they once monopolized. In fact SO seri-
GUS has Scandinavian competition become
that the English sailors unions are
shrewdly trying to induce the sailors of
Norway and Denmark to organize and
strike for higher pay SO as to put the ma
tons on an equality. Boston Journal.
THE LATEST NAVIGATION PROJECT.
New England seafaring people will be
somewhat interested and good deal anus
ed at the latest navigation project which
emanates from the interior. 1t is nothing
less than the building OF a fleet of ships
out in Iowa for the European and South
American trade. The pioneer vessel is al
! ready under construction at the iron works
in Dubuque. This vessel is to be built
after the Ducas plan, so-called. 1t will
have one bow, but two sterns, each with a
screw and rudder, and an adjustable CEN
treboard. With length of 300 feet and
:}}5 feet beam, this novel ship is expected
to carry 60, 600 bushels OF grain on a
draught Of five feet of water. That is
she will carry the cargo of an ocean steam
Ell with the draught of water of a small
tug. If such results can he secured it will
be something phenomenal. But most of
our New England seamen do not care TO
undertake an Atlantic voyage on ship of
such extremely narrow and shoal dimen-
sions. 1t is fatty contradictory to all
principles of naval architecture as they are
understood in Maine and Massachusetts,
The new vessel will be able to load in the
heart of the continent. Then she can go
down the Mississippi River, and if she
proves to be seaworthy it is proposed to
send her to the Amazon. She can ascend
the river to the heart of Brazil, discharge
her corn and flour and receive a return
cargo direct from the coffee plantations.
1t is daring project, worthy of Western
pluck and ingenuity. But salt water sail
ors will not believe until practical tests
have convinced them of it that a freight
steamship modelled after lead pencil can
! NIL l.,
or West India hurricane.
AMERICAN SHIPS STILL LIVE.
! ''It is some consolation" remarks the
Transcript, anent the arrival of three fine
American ships in Boston Harbor from for
eign ports within two days, ''to think that
! if we have but a small fleet in the foreign
carrying trade, what we have is made up
of the speediest, smartest vessels atloat -
| This is well said and true every word of
it. BY the way, our fleet is by no means
| so small as it is often pictured. We are
still, as we were 30 OF 10 years ago. the
first maritime Power after England 1t is
| preposterous to says, as Well-meaning peo-
pie often do say, that our ships have evan
! ished from the ocean. We had, of ships
engaged in foreign commerce exclusively
1900, 600 tons in 1855, the year which saw
the high water mark of our deep sea ton
mage. We now have something over a
million tons of shipping employed in for
eign trade. 1t is a large decrease, to be
sure, but no disappearance" More
over, according to the latest figures, our
| fleet engaged in long foreign voyages is
now increasing. There was gain of no
less than 60, 600 tons last year. The big
gest and finest sailing ships which Yankee
N oniaS 1,1Ii " oIaI l,t
year, besides number of large, swift
steel steamers. In view Of these facts.
John Bull is beginning to look askance at
Cousin Jonathan.
Regarding Land Problem No. ..