The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1894-08-01

do They need our soft wood lumber
and We have forests that yield 100 600. 900
feet TO the square mile They need our
kerosene, and in our country ii flows
Ike rivers from the bowels of the earth.
they need our agricultural implements
and other machinery, and no people on
earth can equal us in the merits Of these
articles of production. They need our
brushes, drugs. hardware, carriages,
canned goods, leather, tobacco, railroad
plant. clocks and watches, our books and
papers and a thousand other things OF
which we have a surplus In 1891 we
sold Australia S2,S6S,00O worth of hard
ware. lumber and railway appliances
alone Then il is plain that each coun-
try wants and needs what the other has
to spare, so an inquiry rs 10 the cause Of
the small and rapidly declining trade
should be Of interest to the people on
both sides Of the water.
Let us first inquire into the relative
accessibility of the competing nations for
the Sydney trade.
From San Francisco TO Sydney, the
Australasian metropolis, the distance is
less than 1000 miles, the run is less than
twenty-one days via Honolulu and Fiji,
and it is the safest ocean highway on the
globe. On the other hand, from London
or Antwerp to Sydney II is near 1900
miles and thirty-siX days run over one
Of the hottest and most dangerous sea
highways and through the Suez Canal.
is exacted for passing from the Red to
the Mediterranean sea.
Other things being equal except canal
tolls. goods could be carried between San
Francisco and Sydney for little more
than half what it would cost to carry
them between Sydney and London.
Now can it be said that we do not
want more Of this trade, or that we are
unprepared to compete for it? With
population but little over one-siXth as
great the United States has in operation
one-half as much steam power, and
manufacture one-half as many goods as
all Europe, including the British Isles.
Our steam power as compared TO the
United Kingdom is as three to two. En-
gland, or the United Kingdom, is pop
ularly regarded as the leading manufact-
uring country, yet in 1SSS-according 10
Mulhall-the United States manufact-
ured s7.215. 900, 900 worth Of various kinds
Of goods and the United Kingdom $4,1Ol,-
100000 worth. We manufacture more
goods than the United Kingdom and Ger
many-the two leading European nations
together, and almost as much as all the
other nations OF Europe combined. II
our manufactures are an Infant" crea-
ton is but a toy.
We produce nearly two-thirds of the
worlds cotton, four-fifths of its corn and
over One-siXth Of the wheat Of the globe.
Even in the per capita value of manu-
facturies the United States exceeds the
United Kingdom by 1920 per capita for
the United States to S107.50 for the Unit
ed Kingdom. We have, too. one-fourth
of the gold and silver coin of the world
to aid US. With at least 100000 unem-
ployed men in America and over 1000
900 people UnprOvided for, by reasoI Of
this enforced idleness and the goods nee
essary to supply their wants lying idle
in our shops. can il be that we care not
to extend our markets? We are smOth-
ering in our own FAT Our methods for
production have outrun our system of
exchange. Both countries have vast
numbers of idle men who are in want,
while each has a surplus that would re-
duce want and employ labor.
That we have people and firms in
America who desire this trade is evil
denced by the fact that some goods now
come and successful agencies are well
established. That there is a natural
tendency for American goods to seek
outside markets is shown by the fact
that our people annually pay at least
$50 900, 900 10 foreign ship-owners for
carrying our cargOes to the points where
they must compete with the people who
own the ships. Why, in this desire and
effort for outside trade which we must
have or soon deteriorate, do we ignore
this country, peculiarly well pre-
pared to supply one, at least, of our
greatest wants-woOl? Other nations are
not slow in approaching the wonderful
value OF the AuSlTdldSldu lTdues anu We
are outstripped in a competition where
we should be masters of the situation.
Every country but ours is reaching out
and making efforts to busy giddy minds
with foreign enterprises and to lure
them by foreign profits. We, who are
most in need of a foreign market for
stupendous surplus and who are best
prepared by wealth and strength and
skill and genius to challenge the world
for open competition, most need TO
broaden the fields of industry and to in
terset the ambitious and discontinued by
opening up new opportunities for COM
mercial enterprises.
AS an evidence that other countries
appreciate New South Wales 1 have 10
recall attention to the number of entries
and departures from her ports, chiefly
sydney. In 1898 there were $3.50 entries
and departures Of vessels. This shows
decline in the number from 1891, but as
the vessels in 1891 were about one-half
sail and one-half steam, whereas in 1898
over four-fifths were steam, the tonnage
varied less than the numbers would indi-
cate.
There are sixteen regular lines of mon
ster steamers plying between Sydney
and the British isles and various ports
Of Europe. China and Japan, besides hun
dTeds of tramp sailors and steamers from
all parts of the habitable globe. The ac-
tual tonnage is fabulous and the profits
of the trade are swelling the magnificent
fortunes of merchant princes and en-
blowing thousands Of persons otherwise
idle and disconnected. it, indeed, not Sc
dltious.
With all our necessities, opportunities
and ability for meeting outside compe-
tition, the nearer distance and
the greater safety of the high
way, our greater surplus and greater
wants. there are but two small steamers,
built for the Honolulu and San Fran
cisco trade, plying between the American
and the Australasian continent, flying
the American nag. Each makes four
trips year, so there were sixteen en-
tries and departures of American steam
ers in 1893 against 4,642 of other nations,
and but forty-Jwo American sailors
against 1,13O from other countries carry
ing other flags. What a humiliating
spectacle.
There goes from Sydney an average of
six steamers per day, some of 1000 TONS
flying the flags of different countries, and
most of them to points from 5000 to
1900 miles away through the paths of
nnonsoons and the heats of the Red sea,
while the two small steamers, the Ma
riposa' and the Alameda" leave sgd
ney each four times a year for that
greatest and nearest market in the world
the United States.
Most of the steamer lines making this
their terminus are heavily subsidized,
and this seems now to be a strong factor
in modern marine commerce. and whether
wise as policy or not,when one or few
adopt it, others must follow the example
or surrender the ocean carrying trade.
OF course 1t seems TO be against the policy
of the United States TO subsidize ocean
bod