The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-10-10

cation, foreign shipping contributes only
"A share Of the tonnage taxes levied for
the maintenance OF the marine hospital
service. This contribution for the fiscal
year ended June 30. 1896 amounted 10 only
$4,000. in round numbers, and for the
last fiscal year TO S660000
"A proposition from Great Britain that
an nations should abolish all charges on
shipping IN foreign trade would be read
lily ineligible British vessels undoubtedly
pay out in foreign ports a sum annually
larger than foreign vessels contribute to-
ward the saf~ty OF navigation in British
ports aud along the British coasts Ger
many might, without considerable loss,
make the same proposition. In 1886 when
the United States suggested the abolition
Of these dues by International agreement
II had, as maritime nation, virtually
nothing 10 gain by extending the invitation
ana by aboHshiug, years before, light
house dues and reducing tonnage taxes
much below these charged elsewhere II
had removed a practical inducement for
other nations to accept the invitation. In
so far as these charges may be regarded
as payable by the ship rather than as a
factor entering into the ultimate cost of
cargo transported by it, the national adj
vantage accruIng from the abolition of
such charges must be reckOned by the ex-
tent 10 which national vessels conduct the
trade relieved from charges
so far as our foreign trade is concern
ed, foreign vessels make three times as
much use of the results of our expendi-
lures for improvements in navigation on
the seacoast as do American vessels. As a
ruie steamships engaged in the transatlan-
tic trade are those which call for the
greatest depths of water in our harbOrs,
and the ratio of foreign vessels engaged in
this trade compared with American vessels
is many times greater than to /.
In any general project concerning
American shipping it is respectfully sug-
gested that our present law In regard 10
tonnage taxes may properly be reviewed
and the question be considered whether the
large amount of shipping in foreign trade
which enters and clears at American ports
should not contribute something toward
the maintenance of our light house estab-
lshment and other federal aids and inn
provements 10 navigation"
AT the coming session Of Congress sew
eral bills will be introduced looking to the
encoura cement of American shipping and
the abolition of the present discrimination
which, as American ship-owneTs declare
now works In favor of their foreign COM
petitors. One of these bills will relate to
the abolition of reciprocal exemption from
tonnage taxes. American shippers COM
plain that this law has never been fairly
enforced by other nations. Last year the
Secretary of the Treasury investigated a
report tnat the cities OF Germany, with
which nation the reciprocal arrangement
had existed for several years. We're charg-
ing American ships with lighthouse dues
and taxes for local improvements. 1t was
found that this charge was true in the case
of HamburR Bremen, and other German
ports. IL was found, moreover, that in
Germany these matters were In the hands
of the local authorities, and that the CEN
trail government was poweress to en-
force the reciprocal arrangement on which
it had entered several years before, and
the benefits of which its merchantmen
had enjoyed in American ports The result
was that this privilege was abolished in
the case of Germany by special act with
the result that about forty thousand dol
lars was added to the tonnage tax income
by the tolls paid in by the German vessels
during the remainder of the year.
This year an attempt will be made for
a general abolition of the reciprocal ex-
emption scheme Other bills which are to
be submitted to Congress will provide for
an increase of the tonnage taxes, and offer
of limited bounties to American built ships
and various plans for the protection of
American seamen There is to be a wide
spread attempt on the part of American
shipping interests to start our merchant
navy once more on the road to that COM
mercial supremacy to which the position
of the country entities it.