The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-12-08
Navigation Commissioner Boosts the
Administration Policy.
OUR MERCHANT MARINE
MUST MAINTAIN OUR POSITION
AMONG THE NATIONS.
Can See No Way to
Promote Shipbuilding Except By
Paying Bounties to Vessels Built
In the United States = Hawaiian
Trade For American Ships.

| washington, Dec. THE annual re-
port of Navigation Commissioner
| Chamberlain is devoted mainly to sta
tistics and facts in support of the pro-
ject for the creation of the American
merchant marine recommended by Sec
rotary Gage. Excluding the great
lakes, practically shut off by Niagara
Falls from foreign competition, the ton
mage of vessels entered and cleared at
| seaports of the United States, in for
| eign trade for 1897, comprised 7,24S,
625 tons American, and 1852, 419 tons
foreign shipping. In oversee naviga-
ton to foreign ports, more than 1,50C
miles distant, American shipping
amounted to only 206S,656 tons, COM
| pared with p, 41S,026 tons foreign.
Only three practical courses, at the
present time, are open to the United
States:
F'irst-We may retain our laws I'M
changed, ignore national navigation and
continue to rely on vessels under for
| eign flags for the transportation of our
exports and imports.
Second-We may permit foreign built
vessels to register under the American
flag, ship crews abroad and increase
national navigation.
Third-We may extend direct govern
ment 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 suggested to a very great
extent by our new relations to the rest
of the world, which expects the United
States to become a maritime power.
For the first time we now hold and
shall doubtless permanently hold in
habited territory beyond the limit of
the North American continent.
If all that such possession involved
were the physical force to keep these
domains against all-comers, 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 con-
quest by superior strength.
Every maritime position must CORE
spond to our pretensions, and to attain
this result American shiDyards and
American ships must be increased, and
reasonable contributions from the
treasury towards this result should not
be begrudged. Nations and individuals
that dissent from the general theory
of government aid to private enter
prise concede on political grounds an
exception in favor of shipbuilding and
navigation.
Foreign nations are now skilfully
following the policy of government aid
to develop their navigation in the Pa
cific. Toward steamship lines to the
east coast of Asia. alone Great Britain
last year contributed $1,250,0O0; France,
S1,217, 600; Germany, S4S0,000; Spain
qss6), s416,OOO Russia. $4O50OO; Aus
tria, 100000, and Italy, s277, 600.
The United States paid only $4,000
to American lines to Asia at regular
mail rates. We have deluded ourselves
n he q
viii become ours without taking ordi-
nary precautions to meet competition.
1t will require at least eighteen
months to build vessels of over 5000
tons and sixteen knots, needed to meet
new conditions in the Pacific. Mean
while a combination of four large Ger
man lines, aided by the reichstag, is
Fastening to complete steamships to
carry out German imperial policy in
Asia.
A relaxation of the registry law was
necessary to establish our transatlantic
line, and a similar relaxation is now
necessary to meet conditions on the
Pacific. It is proposed that foreign
built vessels be admitted to American
registry on condition that equivalent
tonnage be built in the United States,
as was done in the case of the Paris,
New York, St. Paul and st. Louis.
BY similar policy Germany has
built UP within fourteen years it's great
shipyards.
An average annual expenditure OF
about $5,0OO,000 for twelve or fifteen
years, aided by industrial development,
will give the United States a becoming
maritime rank.
This sum is substantially the exoen-
dituTe for sugar bounty under the tar
if Of 1890. By investing the necessary
capital the United States can become a
shipbuilding power superior to Ger
many and a close competitor with
Great Britain.
The restriction of trade between the
United States and Hawaii to American
vessels is even more important OF
that trade go per cent is already car
ried by American vessels, and over 10
per. cent of the remainder by Hawaiian
vessels, which will doubtless be adj
mitted to American registry by con-
gress.
Almost the entire value of the annex
alton of Hawaii to the development of
American navigation in the Pacific is
involved in treating the islands as an
extension of our boundaries, brig ing
us from 1,500 to 1000 miles nearer the
markets of Asia and Australia.