Evening journal., 1896-11-16
JAPANESE OUR RIVALS.
They Threaten Our Maritime
Interests on the Pacific.
NECESSITY FOR A FREE SHIP BILL.

The Annual Report OF the Commissioner
Of Navigation show. That our shipping
Trade Is Not What It should Be-Reo-
ommendation to Congress.
WASHINGTON, Nov 16.-The report of
che commissioner Of navigation for this
year, after referring to the necessity for
the passage of free ship bill, states that
our maritime rank on the Pacific is now
threatened 10y new rival, Japan, which,
under liberal and progressive laws, has
Just established transpacitic steamship
inc TO the United States, and, with the
cooperation OF American capital is pre-
pairing 70 extend rapidly the service.
In lesO the tonnage OF American vessels
entering the United States from the ports
OF Asia and Oceanica was 3s3, 895 tons
and Of foreign vessels 442, PSI tons, In
1875 the American tonnage entering was
sOs, lsl tons the foreign tonnage 65T20
tons. The large and profitable carrying
trade, once coifducted between Asiatic and
European ports by American vessels which
seldom entered American ports, has al
most entirely passed away. We have al
ready seen the American dag, the commits
aioner says, almost disappear from the
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steamers OF the American line, and the
figures presented tend to show that the
carrying trade OF the Pacific Is slipping
from US. Before it is altogether lost, Com.
missioner Chamberlain suggests that con-
grcss Inquire into tho conditions Of trans
pacific transportation For the control of
this trade the United States enjoy obvious
natural advantages Within the last five
years Japan seAgoing steGl steamers have
Increased from i3 Of 27,70l tons 20 53 of
lO6 Ss5 tons The number OF American
steel and iron steamers on the Pacific coast
is 40 Of s,G25 tons
The report recommends an immediate
extension of the act of 1892, under which
the steamships New York and Paris were
admitted to American registry and the
steamships St Louis and St. Paul in the
United States. Under existing laws it is
impossible to establish on the Pacific a
mail service oven approximating our At
lantic mail service on equnl conditions
with those found necessary 70 the recent
creation OF the latter The report OPP
poses at length the proposition to impose
10 per cent additional discrimination du-
ties on all cargoes brought iRto the United
States by foreign vessels. 1t points out
that for over 50 years the United States
have followed the policy of reciprocity in
shipping. Every other maritime nation
of considerable rank has adopted and now
pursues the same policy.
Goods Brought In Foreign Ships.
Our total imports for 1895 were valued
at S73i, 969, $50, OF which $500, 53s, 1862 were
breught In foreign vessels The discrimi-
mating duty bill would put an additional
charge Of 900, 00O 600 on our international
exchanges based on tho figures for 1895,
an amount approximately equal to our en-
tire ocean freight bills on imports and ex-
ports. IN 1895 we imported 500, OO0, 600
Of coffee, Of which $50, 000, 900 came from
Brazil At least nine-tenths of the $50, !
600, 600 cuffee imported into the country
from Brazil. or t5f, 900, 900, cnme In for
eign vessels For the extra sum, Mr.
Chamberlain says, which under the dis
eliminating project the American people
would be required to pay for Brazilian
coffee alone, thero could bo established
steamship likes, including 25 steamers
equal 20 the ST. Louis or St. Paul. OF a
much larger number of the class required
for South American Asiatic and African
trade.
The report quotes articles from our trent
tics with the 80 principal nations of the
world, all of which it Is cOntended must
be abrogato9 at tho expense Of a disturb
ance of our trado relations with the world.
If tie policy of discriminating duties Is to
be adopted by tho United States The ~
port also fa~ors the enactment Of the ON
nibus bills relating 60 navigation and To
American scanen in the form fdvorably
reported by the senate committee on COM
nerce at the last session, rather than I'm
tho form ia which these bills passed the
house Of representatives. 1t renews the
argument for the repeal Of compulsory
pilotagc on coastwise sailing vessels and
points ont that congress has spent over
az, 600, 600 in the improvements Of IL har-
bors, at which compulsory pilotage is still
exacted from domestic sailing vessels.
BY the abolition OF useless registry
bonds American shipowners have been
saved $4,000 annually, and American
lake shipowners about $3.50 annually
in Canadian charges, imposed for years in
contraventioH of the policy of reciprocity.
The adoption Of the measurement law, the
report states, has effected a saving of thou
sands of dollars to shipping in foreign
ports and in domestic licenses and charges
based on net tonnage, besides bringing our
law on this subject abreast of the laws Of
the progressive maritime nations