The Portland daily press., 1898-03-31

Plummer of the port of Bath, who opened
the subject "Our Merchant Marine; it's
decadence and restoration He said in
part;
Importance of a merchant marine was
recognized by all statesmen, the bold
recommendations of Washington, Madi-
son and jefferson being promptly adopted
by our first Congress, and the laws thus
enacted placed our shipping on SO firm a
basis that it remained unmoyed Tor haf
a century.
Those laws, the result of luminous dis
cussions whichfit would be well for the
substitutes of those wise old men to study
gave direct and ample assistance to ship
ping, their uncompromising motto being
"a merchant marine sufficient for the
transportation of American products. y
Their effect is shown by the facts that
while in 1890 we had but one ton OF for
eicn" shipping to 81 Inhabitants, we had
one pen to eight Inhabitants in 1910, and
one ton to 12 inhabitants in 1860. In 1870
we Rad one ton to 25 Inhabitants, but in
1890 the proportion had dropped to one
ton to 66 inhabitants. The loss from 1880
to 1890 was almost as great as during the
Civil War decade-a loss for which the
Rebellion can. hardly be held responsible
AS to our present conditions: The
Bureau Veritas (report of 1897, shows US
to stand fourth as regards modern steam
tonnage, England, Germany and France
leading u.s. Lloyds manages to squeeze
us into third place, crediting us with one
tenth the tonnage of England, while CIV
ing Germany lead over US of less than
half million tons.
England secured this lead by bounties
and other encouragements begun by
Elizabeth-and that she hasn't changed
her policy was once more brought out
with British frankness in the speech of
Sir Louis Davies in which he refers to
the trade benefits to be secured by the
new Dominion line of steamers for which
Canada is to ''pay subsidy OF $500. 000''
to which England adds $780, 300. The
same policy appears in Germany
The latest French law provides for q
builders bounty Of about Sl3 per Ten to
which sailing bounty is adned.
Japan, Americas great Pacific rival of
the future has even gone beyond France,
her bounties for a fast 5000 ton steam
er being some $4,000 (see law} and all
craft from 700 tons upward share in this
aid.
"Why should they do it?''
The answer appears in "Griffin's Essays
on Finance This recognized British
trade authority, with figures very close to
those of Mulhall, finds (page 74) that a
"total of seventy-six millions ($3S0, ,0O0,
UUUl Is U1S SDdE6 lOE CUSU vi lilttIIibb.Oudl
conveyance annually du9 the United
Kingdom earnings which have since
largely increased. The fact that Eng
lands annual receipts from her shipping
alone exceed by more than one hundred
millions of dollars the magnificent total
value of all our exports of manufactured
goods in the record breaking year just
closed, shows her wisdom in maintaining
this vast industry which enables her to
make labor itself au article of export.
Our legislators have not understood the
tremendous Importance of all Nthis and
England has taken advantage of our folly.
When the change from wooden to
metal vessels came the cost of material
made it impossible for us to move with
the current--and now we are far i'll the
rear. How to regain our old position is
the question, and the principal reason
why it has not yet been answered by Con-
gress seems to be that the first test put to
all remedies has been whether or not it
would prove satisfactory to England,
the effect on shipping being a secondary
consideration.
Flee ships have been proposed. but the
uselessness of this remedy is clearly
hown by Lloyds Register of Sept. Is, 1856
where il is explained that the more cheap
ly manned Norwegian craft are driving
the British (both sail and sUeam) out OF