The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1899-07-26
A Game Well Worth the Candle.


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A Game Well Worth the Candle.
The activity now observable through
out American ship-building yards is
said by experts to be simply a sample
of what would follow the enactment
by congress of a shipping bill to protect
vessel owners flying the American flag
against the competitive cheaper wages
and consequently lower freights of
foreign lines. The reason why our
ocean shipping interests are compare
lively so small is clearly explained by
William L. Curtis in a letter to the
Chicago Record, in which he says:
Steamers can be operated under a
foreign flag at a cost of 80 per cent
less than under the United States flag
The same difference appears in the
cost Of construction, because of the
difference in the price of labor About
three -fifths of the cost of ship is in
wages to workingmen, and the wages
paid in the shipyards on this side of
the Atlantic are one-half higher than
in England, and as much as rs and so
per cent higher than those paid in the
continental shipyards of Europe. For
example, Mr. GriscOm, president of the
American Steamship company, testified
before a congressional committee last
winter that the steamships st. Louis
and st. Paul, which cost $5100,000 on
the Delaware, could have been built
in England for S4,000OOO. William p.
Clyde, president of the Clyde line, gave
a more detailed statement. He said
that the steamship Masconomo, of
1900 tons burden, $40 feet long and IS
feet wide, with a speed OF ten knots,
was built in England for $217 900. At
the same time bids were invited
from American shipbulders. The
lowest was $S35OOO, and the highest
was $350,O0O.
THE cost of maintaining an Amei-
can ship is 90 per cent greater than an
English shin, chiefly because of the
wages of the officers and seamen and
the better quarters and the better food
required by the Seamen's union. These
conditions have filled our ships with
foreign sailors. For example, on the
steamer Finance, of the Panama rail.
road line there are siXty-two men, all
told. fortY-seven of them being sea-
men. Thirteen are natives OF the
United States. -Four are naturalized
citizens. Eight are citizens of ireland.
shree each Of Germany, England, Scot
land and Norway, two each Of Finland
and Sweden, four of Austria, one of
Greece and one of jamaica. These
foreigners are attracted TO American
ships by the increased wages The
pay OF ordinary scamen on this ship
is S25 a month, coal-nassers $50 and
1remeR $40, On an English ship of the
same tonnage the same men would re-
ceiYe for the same duties $3.50,
hI.G0 and S25, respectively. on a Nor
wegian ship they would receive about
hait as much. The captain of an
American shin OF this tonnage gets q
sai@ry Of $500 year An English
Esatain would get about 81 600 a year
ard a Norwegian about $S5 a month.
A NorweEian sailor vino makes sS to
$40, 81 month considers himself we'll
pRic.
"A calculation was made some time
tgo from the actual facts, which showed
that the cost of carrying ton OF
freight from New York to Rio de
Janeiro IN an American ship was $3.50
IN an English ship s6, in a Norwegian
ship $40. That is the reason why
the American line to Brazil is with
drawn and the business is now done
by lines Of English steamers. For that
reason the Pennsylvania railroad com.
pany operates the Red Star line under
The Belgian hag, although 05 per cent
bf the stock Is held in this country
For. that reason money has found more
profitable investment in the United
States and has left the carrying trad,
to the English and Norweglans."
The immediate remedy for this re
luctance Of American capital to go int,
the ocean carrying trade is for con
kress TO increase the inducements. TIL,
Total amount of all the subsidies paic
asst year by the United States and tn
cost Of carrying the foreign mail b!
American ships amounted 10 sl,33S, ,s32
while. according to the report of tn