The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-11-20
'0URM[RcHANT MARINE:
Navigation Commissioner Chamber
lain Makes Suggestions.
TONNAGE INSUFFICIENT
INSUFFICIENT
TONNAGE
SHOWS INCREASE, BUT LESS
THAN THERE SHOULD BE.
Report Makes Interesting Compare
sons With Other Nations That
Lead In Commerce-Sail Tonnage
Shows Large Decrease-Should
Extend Our Merchant Navy.

Washington, Nov. 19.-The annual re-
port of Mr.. Chamberlain. the commits
sioner of navigation, shows that Amer
lean shipping industries shared in the
general prosperity of the country dur
ing the past fiscal year. The returns
disclose more satisfactory conditions
than those of any former year in the
bureaus history The total document
ed tonnage on June 80, 1899, comprised
22,72S vessels of 1864, 23S gross tons,
which is our largest since 1865.
The tonnage operating under our
coasting laws, 21,397 vessels of 4.015, 992
gross tons. is the largest in our his
tory and greater than the coasting
tonnage of any other nation. Our
steam tonnage, 2.476,G11 tons, for the
| first time exceeds the tonnage of all
other craft. In the rest of the world
steam tonnage eleven years ago ex-
ceeded sail tonnage. Our tonnage reg
| iStered for foreign trade remains small
and last year American vessels carried
/ a fraction less than per cent of our
exports and imports. the smallest per-
! centage in our history. Based on bu-
reau returns, the worlds sea-soing sail
/ tonnage in the past quarter of a CEN
| fury has decreased from 14,1S5,SS6 tons
to 1858, T69 tons. a decrease of 40 per
cent. The decrease in the United
| States has been at the average rate.
( The worlds sea-going tonnage in the
same period has increased from 4.S2S,-
1913 tons to 1S,SSI,132 tons. or 1856 per
cent. The phenomenal increases have
been Norway's 200 per cent and Ger
many's nearly 200 per cent. The in
crease of the United States has been
only IS per cent, and the increase of
of American tonnage registered for for
eign trade on the Atlantic and Gulf
coast has been only 3S per cent The
development of Alaska within the past
few years has caused a rapid increase
in the Pacific coast tonnage. Within
the past few years the United States
in sea-going tonnage has dropped from
the second place next to Great Britain,
to the fourth position below Germany
and France, ard if steamships in for
eign trade alone are considered. below
Norway and Spain, and only slightly
ahead Of Japan.
Merchant Shipping.
The report reviews briefly the legis-
lation of other nations in behalf of the
merchant shipping, showing that last
year European nations and japanese
expended over s26.O0o.000 to promote it
in various forms, while the United
States spent only s29S,221 On their
steamship lines to China and Japan
foreign nations expended about $780,
900. while for the same purpose the
United States expended less than S49,-
600. The establishment Of two or more
fast American steamships on the Pa
cific coast to connect with Asia Will
furnish the CAPITALS of western Eu-
rope with closer mail and passenger
connections by from three to five days
than is now possible by the heavily |
subsidized British German and French |
steamship lines through the SueZ canal |
The reasons which impel other ma
tions to develop their merchant ship |
ping, says Mr.. Cham berlain, apply with
equal force to the United States. Among /
them are first, the relations of the !
navy to the merchant marine as an
element of national defense; second, /
relations of merchant marine to insular /
territory: third; its relation to new
markets in Asia, Africa, Australia and
South America: fourth, the necessity
for the best ocean mail facilities under
the flag: fifth. the relations of the
merchant marine to exports and the
imports. and the value of the carrying
trade: and finally, the promotion OF
and contrfbutory indus
tries. BY various methods of compu-
tation the annual value of the ocean
carrying trade of the United States is
estimated at about s1I5000.00O, ii.clud-
ing passenger and Immigrant fares and
payments for ocean mails to and from
the United States. The argument that
American shipping in the foreign trade
is handicapped by tariff duties is met
by reference to progressive legislation
beginning in 1872, by which for the last
five wears all materials for the con-
struction of American vessels in the
foreign trade. and all Supplies for such
vessels have been exempt from duties.
Tonnage taxes which are imposed
on foreign and American YES
sells are the only form of federal taxa
ton of American shipping. The propo-
sition to repeal tonnage taxes would.
therefore. in effect by equivalent to a
bounty of about s75o.O0O annually to
foreign shipping and would relieve
American shipping Of only $4,000 taxes
annually The report then takes up
he methods which have recently been
suggested for the promotion IF the
American merchant marine. 1t IS
pointed out that discriminating duties ]
m cargoes in foreign vessels or on the
.onnage of foreign vessels are an i'm
u acticable remedy on account of
reaty provisions. The same objections
,lso apply to the proposition to grant
counties on exports in American YES
'els. The proposition to grant Ameri-
an registry to foreign-bu vessels in
he foreign trade is not regarded as
easible, in view of the fact that the
.ost of operating vessels under the :
American flag is concededly much
,reater than the cost of operating for !
ign vessels.
Not a Full Solution.
The proposition to develop the mer-
liant marine through ocean mail sub !
idies is only a partial solution of the I
question. While the need of at least
wo fast mail steamship lines to Asia [
nd one to South Africa is indisputabie, '
he establishment of ship lines would q
lot suffice to put our navigation and !
on a satisfactory basis. /
The report is in the main devoted to
he consideration of senate bill $3.50. re-
orted by Senator Frye at the last ses-
ion as a substitute for the bills intro y
uced by Senator Hanna and Repre- !.
entative Paine. 1t is pointed cut that =
he maximum expenditure under. that V
i'll for any one year is fixed at So y
DO. Oo0. from which, however. should be q,
educted s1.5o0.000. the present cost of :
arrying our ocean mails on American !.
essels, which will continue, whatever II
ne fate of the bill may be. The actual c
Maximum annual expenditure proposed Il
Y the bill is thus in effect fixed at ST. h
No. COO Assuming that all our vessels "
sgistered for foreign trade were fully h
coupled throughout the year at the il
resent time, the new expenditure I'M o
er the bill would be, in round num- c
ers. So. 900. eco. Before the maximum is Il
cached, the capacity of our ship yards S.
ust be increased many times and the a
image under our flag engaged in the Il
,reign trade must be multiplied sew
al fold. This increase in the capac- "
v of our ship yards and in our tonnage h
foreign trade will show ability on ~