The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1900-11-19
SHIPPING is GROWING
Commissioner of Navigation
Makes Annual Report.
PLEADS FOR SUBSIDIES
SAYS A FEW MILLION DOLLARS
SHOULD BE GIVEN AWAY.


Washington. Nov. 1S.-The report of
Commissioner Of Navigation Chamber
lain. made public today. says the past
fiscal year has been the most prosperous
period known to American shipping for
some years. Returns for the current fiscal
year promise an even more. satisfactory
condition,
For the first time since the civil war
the d0cumented tonnage of the United
STATES exceeds 5.00GCJJ gross tons. On
June 81. $50, American dOcumented ton
mage comprised 1888 vessels of 5,t64, $40
gross tons, an increase of 5G0,Gj0 tons
over the previous year. The maximum
tonnage was 3-5S9,Sl3 tons In 1861. Amer
lean shipping, the report adds, in 1851
was larger than France and Germany
and nearly equalled the British empires
American vessels are almost wholly con-
fined to the .COasting trade. which en-
plOEed last year 4,33S.l45 tons. or more
than the total tonnage of Germany and
France British shipping now amounts
to 14261, coo gross tons.
American tonnage in the foreign trade
was only S16,7Y5 tons, and carried last year
ago American shipping registered for for
eign trade was 669 sZ1 tons, while this ton
mage now in the thirteen original states
amounts TO 4S2,90l tons.
American Steamships Few.
The report says that for serious compe-
titiOn with foreign nations in the ocean
carrying trade this country is restricted
to nineUy-seVen registered steams hips of
over Lee tons, aggregating 269325 IONS.
Single foreign steamship corporations own
greater tonnage. Japan has eighty three
steamships of over 1900 tons, agSregating
2S6.z0e tons. Besides the steamships the
United States has 125 registered square
rugged sailing vessels over LOCO tons each
for the deep sea trade. More than hair
of these are over twenty years old. and
as such vessels disappear their places
are not supplied by construction.
The tonnage of the United States is dis
tributed between the Atlantic and gulf
coasts, 2,727,S92 gross tons; Great Lakes,
1,565,5S7 tons; Pacific coast. including
Hawaii, 612.9Q tons; Mississippi and trib-
utary rivers. 25S. 456 tons. The increase In
American shipping during the decade
was I4O3O2 tons. of which lS45l2 tons was
on the Pacific coast and was due main
ly to Alaskan and Hawaiian trade. The
effective carrying power OF the world 5
merchants fleets has increased 50 per
cent.
The most notable change in the world S
shipping has been in the size of steam
ships. In 1880 there We're LIS ocean
steamships of 4.0oj tons or over. while
now $50 such steamships aggrega ting
100000 tons, constitute One-fOurth of the
worlds steam tonnage. Increased speed,
though great, has been less noteworthy.
Concentration of the world. $ ships own
ing has been EOtable- The thirty principal
steamship companies of the world own
l.61J steamships, OF One-fOurtn in tonnage
and more than One-quaTter in carrying
power. Of the world S ocean steamships,
Of these only nine of the 1900 tons class
owned by the international Navigation
company, are American
1t is estimated that during 1899 the gross
earnings of steam and sailing vessels in
the foreign CARRYING trade of all nations
amounted to S700, 100000. The export trade
OF the United States requires about 70
per cent of the world aggregate tonnage
OF the steamships. coo.
Steamers Crowd Out Sailing Ships.
The problem of ocean transportation at
this time, the report says, Is essentially
one OF transportation by steel screw
steamships. The purposes to which wood
en- fore and art vessels and steel square
rugged vessels are adapted are important
but restricted. The SueZ canal reduced
opportunities for sail vessels, ard the
Nicaraguan canal, it IS said, will further
reduce them.
In the past ten years Great Britain has
built 4,23S steel steamers OF 1881 900 tons,
while the United States has built $50 steel
steam vessels of $4,000 tons, of which 19S
Of $4,000 tons were built on the Great
Lakes. The entire construction of the
United States for ;.le decade is not much
more than one-haf of Great Britain S
output of 1.340 eco tons during 1893. This
country has built fer the foreign trade
81. 900 tons. and of this total eleven steam
ships of $500 tons We're built as mail
Stea ueTs. under the postal subsidy acTS.
on August .. 1900. sixty-eight merchant
steel steam vessels aggregating 2I8OO
tons and fOrty-seven naval vessels of i3,-
600 tons (diSPlaCement} were building or
contracted for Contracts since that date
bring the merchant total up 10 50900l
tons, including about 10000 tons on the
lakes. Congress has authorized 10 soe
tons fdlSpla cemenO OF naval vessels NOT
yet contracted for The current year VIII
record much the largest amount of steel
ship building in our history.
Pleads For Subsidies.
The renort saws the coastine law and
its recent extensions. the United States
heavy expenditures for naval cOnstFuc-
ton, and the building of vessels to re-
place those bought for transports and the
postal subsidy law, have given steel ship
buildinS its recent stimulus.
- Mr.. Chamberlain reviews in some detail
the bills reported to the senate and
house or Representatives, known as the
subsidy bills, and gives illustrations OF
the difference in cost OF building and
operating American and British steam
ships at the present time. He says that
the subsidies proposed generally equahze
those differences
A freight steamship carrying ortJ0 tons
cargo now costs $4,000 IN the United
States compared with $4,000 in Greai
Britain, though steel is much cheaper
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 81, 200 against $500 on the Brit
ish ship
COMPARISONS are made with foreign sub
sides to fast steamships, which aggre-
gate $4,000 900 annually, and the report
holds that the subsidies proposed for sim
liar American steamships are not more
than the adequate to secure American
ocean mail services to the great CONT
nents equivalent to those Of Great Brit
ain Germany and France. In the pas
sixty years Great Britain and her colo
MES have spent over $4,000. 900 for Brit
ish ocean mail steamships.
Cost Would Be Millions.
On the basis of foreign voyages actu
ally made by American vessels aggregat
ing $4,000 gross tons. during the veal
1899 the report says the expenditures up
on the senate subsidy bill would have
been 81 9O7. 900 and under the house bills
s. 7q0. 900 Details and estimates show tina
with the additional shipping eligible. TIT
cost during the first year of the bill'i
operation would be about ST. 90. Thu
ably would be attained during 1915. whel
necessary. BY that time the building o
200 an ions of ocean steamships and tn
necessary increase in number and exten
of American ship yards. the report de
cIareS would have materially reduced tn
cost of sniD building in the United State
corY,-ared with Great Britain and Ger
many. Under the bill, in five years, Amer
lean steamships in foreign trade. il i
stated would doubtless reach 1,200. 90
tons and SAIL vessels 650.000 tons. sufficien
TO carry about oDe-thiTd Of our oceal
trada