The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1896-11-16
NEW TRANS-PACIFIC LINES
III 4
BEING RAPIDLY ESTABLISHED UN-
DER PROGRESSIVE LAWS RE-
GENTLY ADOPTED,
OF ISaUIRY NEEDED.
United States Should Take Steps to
missioner Chamberlain.

ton for 1896, after referring to the
necessity for the passage of free ship
bill, states that our maritime rank on
the Pacific is now threatened by a.
new rival, Japan, which, under liberal
and progressive laws, has just estab-
Ashed a trans-Pacif1c steamship line
to the United States, and, with the CO.
operation of American capital. is pre-
pairing to extend rapidly the service.
In 1880 the tonnage of American YES
sells entering the United States from
the ports of Asia and Oceanica was
zS5,Ss6 tons, and of foreign vessels, 49,
261 tons. In 1895 the American tonnage
entering was S0S,4S tons, the foreign
657, zoe tons. The large and profitable
carrying trade, once conducted be-
tween Asiatic and European ports bv
American vessels, which seldom en-
tered American ports, has almost en-
tirely passed away. We have already
seen the American flag, the commits
sloner says, almost wholly disappear
from the mid-Atlantic, save that borne
py the mail steamers Of the American
IlIe, ana the figures presented tend to
snow that the carrying trade of the
Pacific is slipping from. us. Before if
is altogether lost, Commissioner Cham
pertain suggests that congress INQUIRE
into the conditions of trans-Paeific
transportation. For the control of tbis
trade the United States enioy obvious
natural advantages. Within the last
hVe years Japan's sea going steel
steamers have increased from thirteen
OF 27,7O1 tons to ffty-three of log 38s
tons. The number of. American steel
and iron steamers on the Pacific coast
IS forty-three Of $685. tons. The re-
port recommends an ~
IMMEDIATE EXTENSION.
OF the act OF 1882 under which the
steamships New York and Paris vera
admitted to American registry. and the
steamships st. Louis and st. Paul were
punt In the United States. Under exo
lstlng law it is impossible to establish
ON the Pacific mail service even an
pFoxlmat1ng our Atlantic mail service
on equal conditions with those found
i teSessaI y, 10 the recent creation of the
idttef The report opposes at Length
the proposition to impose 10 per cent
addit1onal discriminating duties on Ali
cargoes brought into the United States
Dy foreign vessels. 1t points out that
Tor over eighty Years the United States
nave followed the policy of reciprocity
IN shipping. Every other maritime ma
ZION OF considerable rank has adopted
and now pursues the. same policy.
our total Imports for 1895 were valued
at $I3l ,969, 965, of which $500, 53S5 1862 were
brought in foreign vessels. The dis
eliminating duty bill would put an adj
ditiona1 charge of $50, 600, 900 on our in
ternat1onaI exchanges based on the fig
ures Tor 1898, an amount approximately
equal to our entire ocean freight bills
on imports and exports In 1895 we i'm
ported $95, 100000 Of coffee, Of which $50.
o00,000 came from Brazil At least nine
tenths of the $60,000,000 coffee imported
into the country from Brazil, or s54.-
100000, came in foreign vessels. For
the extra sum, Mr.. Chamberlain saws.
which, under the discriminating DUTY
project the American people would be
required to pay for Brazilian coffee
alone, there could be established steam
ship lines including TWENTY-FIVE
steamers equal to the st. Louis or st.
Paul, or much larger number of the
class required for South American
Asiatic and African trade.
The report quotes articles from our
treaties with the thirty-five principal
nations in the world, all Of which it is
commended must be abrogated at the ex-
pense of disturbance Of our trade re-
lations with the world, If the policy Of
SAACNA dUtIFS $50 TO D0 aQODC0Q
by the United States. The report also
favors the enactment OF the omnibus
bills relating to navigation and to
American searnen ia the form favor
ably reported by the senate committee
of commerce at the lastnsession, rather
than in the form III which these bills
passed the house Of representative
1t renews the argument for the repeal
Of compulsory pilotage on coastwise
sailing vessels and points out that con-
gress has spent over $27 ,0o0,0 900 in the
improvements of seventeen harbors at
which compulsory pilotage is still ex-
acted from domestic sailing vessels
By the abolition Of useless registry
bonds, American ship owners have been
saved 100000 annually; and American
lake ship owners about $500 annually
in Canadian charges, imposed for years
in contravention Of the policy Of reci-
procity. The adoption of the measure
ment law, the report states, has effect
ed a saving of thousands of dollars to
American 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.