The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1900-11-28

one OF transportation by steel-screw
steamships. The purposes to which wood
en- tore and aft vessels and steel square
riEged vessels are adapted are important.
out restricted. The Suez canal reduced
opportunities for sailing vessels and the
Nicaragua canal. Il Is said will further
reduce them
IN the past ten years Great Britain has
built f23S steel steamers OF 9.a87OoO tons
while the United States has built i65 steel
steam vessels OF $4,000 tons. OF which los.
or 10000 tons. were built on the Great
lakes. Our entire construction OF the
decade II about half OF Great Britain's
output - 10000 tons during 1899. We
have built for the foreign trade since 1890
only twenty-four steel steamships OF 5000
tons. and OF this total eleven steamships
OF 5000 tons were built as mail steamers
under the postal subsidy. on August Is.
1900. sixty-eight merchant steel steam YES
sells. aRRregatinR $1,000 tons. and forty
seven naval vessels OF 1900 tons Ga 'splace-
menO. were building or contracted for
Contracts since that date bring the mer-
chant total up to 10000 tons. including
about 10000 tons on the lakes. Congress
has authorized f79.So0 tons (dsplacemenO
OF naval vessels not yet contracted for.
The current year will record much the
largest amount OF steel shipbuilding i'm
our history. The report says the coast
ing law and its recent extensions. our
heavy expenditures for naval construction
and the building Of vessels 20 replace
those bought for transports and the postal
subsidy law have given steel shipbuilding
Its recent stimulus
Mr. Chamberlain reviews In some detail
the bills reported 20 the Senate and House
~ Representatives known az the subsidy
bills and gives Illustrations OF the differ
ences In cost OF building and operating
American and British steamships at the
present time. BE says that the subsidies
proposed generally edualize those differ
eOces. A freight steamship carrying 900
tons % cargo now costs s275,000 In the
United states. compared with s2iieo In
Great Britain. though steel Is much cheap
or here than abroad. Besides labor cost.
the British advantage lies In the enormous
scale OF production. Great Britain being
the worlds department store" OF ship
ping. Monthly wages on the American
vessels are $500. against 500 on the Brit
ish ship
Comparisons are made with foreign sub
sidies 20 fast steamships. which aggregate
SO 100000 annually. and the report holds
that the subsidies proposed for similar
American steamships are not more thar
adequate TO secure American ocean mall
services 90 the great continents eduiva-
lent % those Of Great Britain. Germany
and France. In the past sixty years Greai
Britain and her colonies have spent ovei
ships. ON the basis OF foreign voyages &C
tuaily made by American vessels aggre
RatinR $4,000 gross tons during the veal
iSqa the report says the expenditures un
der the senate subsidy bill would have
been s2.ao7.Oo0 and under the House bill
q. Tpo00o. Details and estimates show tina
with the additional shipping eligible. tn
cost during the first year % the bills oper
alton would be about N.5oo.Oo0. The max
lnum OF toooo.ooo. II IL said. probabl,
would be attained during l9o4-05. when
reduction Of subsidy rates would be nee
. essary. by that time the building Of 90,
con tons Of ocean steamships and the nee
essarv Increase In number and extent o
, our shipyards. the report declares. woul
. have materially reduced the cost OF shir
, building In the United states. compare
with Great Britain and Germany. Unde
. the blli In FIVE years American steamship
, IN foreign trade. n II stated. would doubt
less reach 10000 tons and sailing vessel
I 10000 tons. sufficient 20 carry about one
third of our o can trade.
= Tonnage taxes were tSso.4S2. In view {
, our great expenditure for labor improve
: rncnts and lighting the coast. the repoi
n declares there seems TO he no reason wh
y our tonnage taxes should be so much les
a than for corresponding charges.