The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1900-07-06
coAsrw1sE NAvIGATIoN.

The Globe has heretofore called at
tention to the immense disparity that
exists between the coastwise and the for
eign or ocean-going vessel interests of
the United States, and the Marine Re
view, Of Cleveland, has taken up the
same viewpoint and elaborated it. It's
Blue Book Of American Shipping is now
In press, and from advance notes it is
apparent that it will contain not only
tables, but editorials of value to the aver
age American who wishes to know some
what more than newspaper discussion
has afforded concerning our marine IN
terests. For 1t is a matter of very gen
eral regret that our shipping does not
ing trade, and of wonder that our capi-
talists have not seen proper to go into
shipbuilding on a larger scale.
From the Review advance sheets we
learn that the ship tonnage operating
under cur coastwise laws-thas is, be-
tween American ports-numbered, in 1899,
q, 397 vessels Of 4,015,992 gross tons-a
greater number and tonnage than that
engaged in the coastwise trade Of any
other nation. But the Review says: 1T
is a pity that there is nothing encourage
ing to report of our foreign-going ton
mage Last year American vessels car
ried a fraction less than 9 per cent Of
our exports and imports, the smallest
percentage ever carried by them
The Review advocates the ship subsidy
bill, as amended through the influence Of
Western members of congress, as prom
ising most for our ocean shipping. But
the Glob e calls attention to the fact
built on the Great Lakes last year, to
engage in the coastwise business alone,
exceeded in cost the sum of $40, COO 600, and
were nearly all vessels 400 to 800 feet in
length and capable of carrying from 5000
to 5000 tons of freight. In reality ocean
going vessels. If the coastwise business
Of the Great Lakes has done so much for
the lake shipyards. what may it not do
for the ocean-going business? Great
Britain handles over three-ffths of the
ocean carrying trade of the world with
vessel tonnage engaged In that trade ag-
gregating two and one-half times the ton
mage Of the vessels engaged in the Ameri-
can coastwise business Out Of her 49,
100000 gross tons doing foreign ocean
going business, Great Britain reaps up
wards of $500, 900, 600 in freight moneys per
year, and by the agencies Of the ships
engaged, including masters, factors and
all sorts of interested people, secures
and holds a foreign trade that can hardly
be estimated.
England's coastwise business Is exclu-
sively in the hanGs of English vessels,
just as ours Is. But English vessels
trade as freely between all ports of the
English colonies as between English
ports, with only slight tonnage duties
added. Her "coastwise' business is thus
practically a world business. For British
colonies are scattered all over the world
If the United States had but one of the
South American states of Importance IN
der its navigation laws, our coastwise
vessels trading between New York and
the ports of that particular state could
afford to carry many side lines of cargo
to other ports foreign in their character
in the same general direction of travel
and still make money in the venture.
In the Chinese trade, British vessels
have usually carried more than nine
tecr-twenticths of the ocean business
Sven of our Chinese business. Hong