The daily news., 1900-03-24
THE AMERICAN SHIPPING BILL.
How II is Viewed 10y Prominent Eng
hsh Publications.

WASHINGTON, March 23.-While
some newspapers in the U..rsd
States are daily misrepresenting the
shipping bill pending before con-
gress, and declaring that it would
not help our merchant marine in the
foreign trade, and asserting tn at the
bill cannot pass, and so on, it is no.
ticeable that foreign newspapers
take very different view of the
matter. They know that the pas
sage OF the bill would result in build
ing up the American merchant ma
rIne ana enable American shipOwn-
ers to do large part of our ocean
carrying trade which is now in the
hands OF foreign shipOwners. While
some American journals deride the
proposed law the foreign newspa-
pers, and particularly those devoted
to the shipping interests, express
their great anxiety over the proba-
bic passage of the bill. The London
"Shipping World and Herald of
Commerce" referring to the bill.
says:
We know the story of the French bounty
system, and We can afford to smile at that.
But British shipOwntTs and shipbuilder>
Will commit a grievOus blunder If they II:
sune that American competitors are gOiug
TO depond entirely upon their subsidy sop,
and hecOms Indifferent to further prCht
and more substantial success. ship owners
will do well to take stock OF them and of
the manner Of men to be plLted against
them.
The Engineer" of London, a trade
newspaper of very high standing,
has this to say on the subject of free
ships which the free traders in the
United States assert would be good
thing for this country:
Free ships would be a good thing for
English shipouiiders, for whether 1T first or
At second hand the vessels purchased would
OF necessity be OF English build for the
most part. The Development OF a native
American shipbuiIding industry can be OF
advantage TO neither builders nor owners
here.
If free ships would be such a good
thing for England, as every we'll
informed men in the United States
knows would be the case, it could
not possibly be good thing for the
United States, and the Engineer"
is right in the expression of its anx-
iety over the development of the
shipbuilding industry in the United
States. The London "Syren and
Shipping" a well known organ of
ths shipping industry, in a recent
article on the shipping bill, says:
Clearly our American cousins are great /
ly in earnest on the subject of CONNIE rcial |
expansion, and British manufacturers and .
merchants would do well to take time by /
the forelock and strengthen the strong po- |
s1tiOn they ali eHdy hold in China as the 4
party in possession, 4 consideration of I
the American occupation OF the Philip /
pines. and tGc forthcoming effort TO secure /
share 0f the trade with China, brings us (
TO an examination of the means to be en-
plOS ed-the third factor which makes for
increased competition with Great Britain.
II the United states IL definitely deter
mined upon mOnOpOlizing. in who.e or in
part, the trade of the Philippines. and ex
plotting Il big business with China. then 1t
Is a necessity OF such effort that her mer-
camille marine be very materially augment
ed Needless TO say, this is duly recognized
by President Mckinley, and special aiIu-
SION was made to the matter in his address {
to congress. Last year" he stated, Amer
Ican vessels transported smaller share Of
exports and imports than in any former
year, and the measure OF our dependence on
foreign shipping was painfully manifested
TO our people from necessity From
this ii is patent that American competition
with Great Britain, both in shipping and
enterprIses will not h., re- /
laNed, but increased in the next few years
We do not wish TO imply that there is any
need for dependency at such prospective
we merely urge watchfulness,
and yet a closer attention to these persist !
ent and enlightened efforts which have en-
abIed British shipOwners and manufactur-
ers TO attain their present position.
The annual report of the Liver
tiOn for 1899 contains this statement
on the subject:
Possibly wnen the country sees the full
extent OF the development OF the mercan-
tile marine OF the United States, "a hich will
undoub: edly result from the policy upon
" a ont fnrFn
and means will be found to release the
British shipowners from some of the disad-
under which they have now to
carry GA tn -ir trade.
These disadvantages which the
British shipOwners complain of re-
late to certain fees and dues which
they have TO pay at home. The
- Herald of Commerce" of London,
has this to say in a recent issue:
The American shipping bounty bill,
known in the last congress as the Payne
h anna bill, has been before hp appropriate
committees OF the house OF representatives
and the senate. where speeches were mad
and evidence given in It's support. and We
may say. at the outset. that th-Te is good ,
reason to believe that the bill will pa s into
law. Every thoughtfuI BrltIsh shipOwner
ana member OF parliament viii appreciate ,
the possible influence and consequences of
this piece OF shipping legislation.
The reports of American cOnsulS
made to the state department based (
on data obtained from foreign shiI- 1
builders, the names of whom are {
given, show that wages in shipyards
and on board OF ships, are from fifty
To one hundred per cent lower in !
Europe than in the United States.
A comparison of the wages paid in
The shipyardS on the Cly de in Scot
and and those on the Delaware
liver in the United States show an
average difference of nearly a hun "
ired per cent. For instance, pattern
makers on the Clyde average $S.T6a
week, and on the Delaware SIS; ma
;hinfsts average IS 76 on the Clyde
md SIS on the Delaware. and so on
With other wOrkmen These facts
\ ill illustrate the following state
nent taken from a recent issue Of !
he Liverpool Journal of Con
nerce."
II viii be very many wears before the
nited States Is able to send sixty sew .
'nty nrst class steamships on TRANSPORT
work solely from one port without disIo-
atlng trade. Yet Liverpool is actually
aTrylng out this national duty TODAY, on
% gigantic scale. in order TO bring our
TOops to the front in the Transvaal. The
Ten US OF England is for the sea. and IL will I
- sad day for this country If ever their p
capitalists follow the lead set them by their \
rRtrIcidal civil war. Once a trade is lost
here is decided dIfTiPuIIy in ba oF I,