The herald., 1895-02-12
OUR FOREIGN COMMERCE

ume of international trade, Great Britain
being first and Germany second. British
commerce appears larger than it really is,
through duplication of accounts. When
raw materials are imported they are car
| ried to the import side, and when manu-
factured and exported the value OF the
fabrics are carried to the export side.
Great Britain produces comparatively
| little raw material besides iron and tin
ores. The raw materials that country
consumes in her manufactures come from
her dependencies and from other nations.
Much of the cotton consumed is obtained
in this country. We're duplication of ac-
counts eliminated, her foreign commerce
would appear considerably less.
Great Britain has advantage over other
countries, and especially over this, in the
immensely of her shipping interests.
Their tonnage is greater than that
of all other nations combined. The United
States has, less tonnage in proportion to
population and wealth than any other
maritime nation. Our foreign trade is
| about 81, $50 900, 000 including exports and
imports, three-fourths of which are trans
ported in foreign ships, and for that SER
vice we are paying annually to foreigners
not less than 500, 100000, and it is
paid in gold or its equivalent. The
cost of transportation on the Atlantic
Ocean alone to all nations is $40, 900, 600
year, not including our coastwise trade,
which is done in our own ships.
The expense of transportation which is
paid to other people is not the only dis
advantage from which we suffer The
people who conduct their own transpor-
tation can better develop trade than those
who must depend upon rivals. Every
English ship captain and owner is solic-
itor of trade for his country. 1t is nat
ural and proper that it should be so. 1t
is to their individual and national inter
ests. If Americans had ships and sailed
them, the owners and officers would do as
ians do, which would appreciably increase
our commerce with foreign countries.
To own and operate ships to the extent
of doing our own work, would not only in
crease our commerce and prevent an i'm
poverishing expenditure, but it would
give employment to a large number of
our people. 1t is one of the things neces-
sary to be done in the solution of the
labor problem which now so perplexes the
country.
The first question is how are we to get
the ships? The answer is in one of two
ways, either build them or buy them.
The objection urged against building them
is that other people can do that at less
cost than we can, and therefore it would
be cheaper to buy them. That ships can
be built on the Clyde cheaper than on the
Delaware is undoubtedly true, but how
much cheaper, is a matter of dispute.
Senator German of Maryland little more
than year ago stated in the Senate that
we can construct naval ships at no greater
cost than 8 per cent excess over
Clyde prices, We have an abundance
of shipbuilding materials, and in that
no people have an advantage over u.s.
While we have some shipyards, we have
not facilities to do very large amount of
work, which are possessed by the Scotch
on the Clyde. This and the higher wages
in this country constitute the reasons why
we cannot construct ships as cheaply as
some other people. The question is
whether it would not be better for us to
build our own ships, even though they
would cost a little more than to buy them,
as it would afford employment to our idle
population. Were we to buy them, an
other difficulty would confront us, and
that is the wages of American seamen
would be higher than those paid by
foreigners.
The subject is not without difficulties,
but obstacles must in some way be sur
mounted if we would save our money and
become prominent maritime power and
have foreign trade to which our rank in
territory, population and wealth entitle
us, and if we would do all those things
necessary to give our people employment.
To buy ships merely will not remove the
difficulties, especially as foreigners al
ready occupy all the important fields of
transportation. There is only one way
in which it can be done, and that is for
Government in some way to afford en-
couragement and aid. Other govern
ments have been in the habit of grant, ng
subsidies or tonnage bounties.
Great Britain has adopted what she
calls postal estimates, or in other words,
to some of her lines she pays more than
what is merely compensatory for carrying
the mails. Such compensation is only
granted to lines established between the
principal seaports and where competition
is great As no American nation has a
large merchant marine, there is not ne
cessity for aid as there is to lines plying
between this country and Europe. Our
competition is mainly with the ships of
Great Britain, Germany and France.
Consideration of this subject cannot long
be postponed for our pecuniary and labor
interests demand it. Nothing would tend
more to develop our export trade than to
have a sufficiency of American Ships
commanded by American officers and
manned by American seamen