The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-12-06
TIME TO REVIVE AMERICAN SHIPPING
The War With Spain Has Emphasized the De-
mand That the United States Shall Have
a Merchant Marine'of Its Own.

Less than 10 per cent of the imports
and exports of the United States were
carried last year in American SHIPS.
At no previous time in American his
tory has the proportion of our foreign
commerce carried in our own ships been
so small. Such eminent American ship
builders as Charles ii. Cramp of Phila-
delphia and william T. Master of Bal
assert hat foreign ship owners
annually receive more than $500, 900, 900
for doing our foreign carrying. A for
mer United States commissioner OF
navigation has said that during the 30
a preceding 1892 IAN amount of
money not less than 1900, 900, 900, or
an average of $3.50. 600, 900 annually, has
been paid out to foreign ships" for the
ocean transportation of our imports
and exports.
A synopsis Of the nnual report for
1898 of our present commissioner of
navigation declares that the vessels
registered for foreign trade number
1.136. or 737, 700 tons. compared with
1.230 of sos. 5S4 tons for 1897. These fig
ures are the lowest since 1892" In 1892
the value of our imports and exports
amounted TO s1SS, zoe, 209; last year they
were 10 times more valuabl eand many
more times greater in volume This
shows by comparison that while our
shipping in the foreign trade stands
equal to that of 1882, our trade is 10
times more valuable. The Increase has
gone to foreign carriers.
Our shipping engaged in the foreign
trade was greater in 1905, 1906, 1907, 1908,
1909. 1910. 1911 and 1872 than ii was in
1898. Ninety years ago 30 per cent OF
u foreign was carried in
our own ships, and now but 0 per cent
is carried by American ships. In 1861
we a about 2.500. 900 tons of shipping
under our flag, while we have less than
one-third that mount now. While our
shipping in the foreign trade has de-
creased to one-third of what IL was
then, our commerce has increased three
fold-foreign ships have reaped all the
benefits.
This year our war with Spain will
not cost as much in cash paid out as
we shall pay to foreign ship wne for
doing the carrying that the great mass
of our people think we should do for
ourselves, in ships built in our W
shipyards, by our own people, out of
the abundance of native material we
possess.
The sentiment in behalf of a revived
American shipping is national and nom
partisan. The demand that we shall
have n merchant marine of u own,
approximately equal to our own needs.
has been emphasized nv the lessons Of
our war with Spain. When transports
were needed u people We're unable to
supply them. because they had been
driven out of owning ships adapted to
ocean navigation. III government
found that foreign ships could not be
l. 49, LA.- 900
purchased at exorbitant prices. Being
inferior vessels they now lie almost
useless upon the governments hands.
Eight or ten Of the most serviceable
merchant ships built in American ship
yards were turned into auxiliary cruis-
ers and did splendid work in various
ways, sometimes under the nemy's fire,
but in number they were far too few
for the nations needs, and, for this
service foreign ships would not do, be-
cause we did not possess the seamen
with which To man them. The navy
was sorely pressed for needed seamen.
unavailable because cur people were
strangers to the employments Of the
sea.
For these reasons alone IL will be OBJ
Vious that a home-built, hDme-owned
shipping, manned by our own citizens,
is more of "A military than n CONNER
cial necessity. Some people protest
against Ine utnldl OF american ItEASNls
to ~foreign-built ships and declare that
this prohibition is the cause of u
shipping decline. But there are no adj
vantages now enjoyed by American
ships in the carrying Of American for
eign that are not equally
enjoyed by foreign ships. But men will
serve for less pay and less and poorer
food in foreign han in American ships,
which advantage enables the former to
successfully compete with the latter.
Some three years or more ago Ameri-
can registers were granted to three
British ships in our trade with the
West Indies. but the act was finally re-
pealed. as the owners Of the ships
found il more to their advantage to
keep the ships under the British haE.
During our war with Spain. six British
ships in our trans-Pacifc trade were
granted American registers, in order
that our government might charter IN
stead of being compelled TO purchase
them. Their owners have DELAYED TAX
inging advantage of our grant Of Amer
lean registers until il is known whether
we shall retain the Philippine islands,
and then whether u trade Will be con-
fined exclusively 10 American ships, as
is our domestic carrying trade.
When we consider that u 10000, 900
people consume one-third Of all that is
consumed by the billion and a half of
people in the world. ID will be evident
that the low wages and poor quality
and small quantity of food. TO saw
nothing OF the rigors of the calling. fail
to attract Americans to s~ea-faring ca
reers. On his account many OF our
people believe that IL is the duty OF our
government 10 Great advantages, by
law, for American shins that will over
come the disadvantages that admittedly
exist. and enable them to secure the
carrying OF our imports and exports.
The great bulk of the people are I'M
concerned as to how American shipping
shall be restored 20 the carrying of our
foreign trade. but they are pretty gen
rally insistent that IL be done in some
way. Our people prefer. too, that
American-built ships shall be en-
ployed. This subject was much dis
cussed during the last national cam
paign. The old policy of discrimlnat-
ing duties-that is to say, the plan of
taxing imports in foreign ships more
than imports in American ships are