Evening star., 1898-12-08
How TO INCREASE CARRYING TRADE
Suggestions as to Relations With
Our New Possessions.
TONNAGE TAN REVISION

foreign competition. the tonnage of vessels
entered and cleared at seaports of the Unit
ed States in foreign trade for 1897 COM
prised 7,2fS. 81 tons American and 81 6.S22 IL .
tons foreign shipping. If a line be drawn
everywhere 1,JOO nautical miles distant
from our seacoast trade between foreign
ports inside that zone and the United
States comprised 3.179.969 tons American
and 5,213.aa3 tons foreign shipping. In over
sea navigation to foreign ports more than
100 miles distant American shipping
amounted to only 20,iS $50 tons. compared
with 2t,419,O2o tons foreign.
The Courses Open.
Only three practical courses at the pres
ent time open to the United States
First. We may retain our laws unchang-
ed. ignore national navigation and continue
to rely on vessels under foreign flags for
the transportation of our exports and i'm
ports.
Second We may permit foreign-built yes
sells to register under the American flag
ship crews abroad and increase national
navigation.
Third. We may extend direct government
aid To vessels built in the United States.
and thus increase both national navigation
and national shipbuilding.
The last named of these three courses
Is suggest To very great extent by
new relations to the rest Of the world,
which expects the United States to become
maritime power. For the first time we
now hold and shall doubtless permanently
hold inhabited territory beyond the limit
OF the North American continent. If all
that Such possession involved We're the
physical force to keep those domains
against all cOmeTs. the vote of some extra
tens of millions every year To the army
and navy would be sufficient. The flag of
the United States should be more than
the token Of conquest by superior strength.
Our maritime position must correspond to
our pretensiOns and to attain this rasl1lt
GhIny4Tfs nd Ar7a -k;,
must he increased. and reasonable contri-
buttons from the treasury toward this re-
suit should not be begrudged.
Nations and individuals that dissent from,
the general theory of government aid to
private enterprise concede on political
grounds an exception in favor of shipbuild-
ing and navigation.
The Trade of the Pacific.
Largely through Indifference we have lost
the share in transatlantic navigation which
was once ours The growing trade of the
Pacific Is rapidly slipping away from US
Foreign nations are now skilIfulIy following
the policy of government aid to develop
their navigation in the Pacific We have
driuded ourselves into the belief that the
Paclhc trade will become ours without TAX
ing ordinary precautions to meet competi-
uon Liberal extracts are published from
The report on which the reichStag last vea r
increased to 5.j90.G0 marks subsidies to
herman vessels in the Pacific showing that
thdtaNBTiiEE
stall the United States in securing com
merciai control Of the Pacific
We must also take steps for the qualified
admission OF foreign ships to American reg
istry IN order to enter Immediately into ac-
tive competition for Asiatic trade The act
OF 1881 calls for 5.0oo-ton steamships of six
teen knots We have on,y ten seagoing
steamships of over 1000 tons TSonr ~
these are American transa tlantfC. liners and
two New York and Cuba mail liners. al
reaLF under postal contract. The Arizona
%" tons. sixteen knots is the only yes
sci complying with the requirements of
the act Of 1891, and she was admitted nv
congress last June to American registry
and bought by the War Department. The
China. admitted by Congress at the same
time. is 1910 tons, seventeen knots Tba
TWO remaining vessels are the civ Of Pc
King. 5.OsO tons, but only fourteen knOts.
built in 1874 and the FL Rio op-o-5 b,. ~
navy under the name Dixie.
II VIII require at least eighteen months to
i DuI-d vessels OF over 1000 tons and sixteen
Knots needed to meet new conditions in the
fdclhc Meanwhile combination of four
large German lines. aided by the raichstap
Is Fastening to completion steamships p
carry out German imperial policy in Asia
Relaxation of the Registry LAW.
\ relaxation of the registry law was nnc
essary to establish our transatlantic line
and similar relaxation is now necessary
TO meet conditions on the Pacific. II is
proposed that foreign-built vessels be ad-
mitted 10 American registry on condition
that equivalent tonnage be built in the
United States was done in the case Of
Paul. anu 81
The report considers differences in cost
OF construction and operation under the
American and British flags and CONCLUDES
that on the average for cargo st.ansbins
now generally in use by foreign nations
tfiS difference amounts 10 about one cent
Tor each l'D nautical miles. The French
is
one tenth cents. the italian one and one
half cents. and the JapaneS. one and ona-
quarter cents ON the basis considered an
average annual expenditure of about So
Gn.ts1 FOR twelve or fifteen years aided by
Industrial development. will give the United
States becoming maritime rank. This
sum Is substantially the expenditure for
sugar bOUntIeS under the tariff of 1890 By
Investing the necessary capital the United
States can become a shipbuilding power
Superior To Germany and a close competitor
With Great Britain. This autumn We ex-
ported plates for the largest steamship now
an the ways in Great Britain. Five years
ago We imported the plates from Great
Britain for our first large steel square rig
ged ship.
Restriction of Trade.
Trade between the United States and
Porto Rico now by executive order restrict
ed 10 American vessels should be so con-
fined by statute. This step is desirable not
chiefly on account ot the direct trade.
which is not large. but to furnish base
Of oFeratio for American navigation in
the Caribbean and gulf. incidental to our
newly won political prominence in that
sphere.
The restriction OF trade between the
United States and Hawaii TO American YES
seis is even more important for analogous
reasons. OF that trade, ~ per cent is al
ready carried on by American vessels,
and over 10 per cent of the remainder by
Hawaiian vessels, which will doubtless be
admitted to American registry by Congress.
American vessels now leaving in ballast
will suffice TO supply the transportation re-
guirements of the islands, if foreign vessels
are withdrawn Almost the entire value of
the annexation of Hawaii to the develop
naent Of American navigation in the Pacific