The Hawaiian gazette., 1900-11-30
Increase of Shipping
On the Pacific.
THE REPORT FOR THE YEAR
Navigation Commissioner Chamber
lain Shows Prosperity of
the Nation.

missioner of Navigation Chamberlain
which says:
The past fiscal year has been the most
prosperous period known to American
shipping for years. Returns for the cur
rent fiscal year promise an even more
satisfactory condition.
For the first time since the Civil War
the documented tonnage of the United
States exceeds 100000 tons. on June 80,
1900, American documented tonnage COM
prised 1888 vessels of 5,164,s49 gross tons,
vious year. Our maximum tonnage was
5,539,s13 tons in 1861. Our shipping, the re-
port adds, in 1861 was larger than that of
France and Germany and nearly equaled
that of the British empire. American ves-
sells are almost wholly confined to the
coasting trade, which employed last year
4,33S145 tons, or more than the total ton
mage of Germany and France. British
shipping now amounts to A,26l 900 gross
tons.
Our tonnage in the foreign trade was
only S16,795 tons, and carried this year only
8 per cent of our exports and imports. A
century ago American shipping registered
for foreign trade was 669,92l tons, while
this tonnage now in the thirteen original
states amounts to 4S2.907 tons.
The report says that for serious COM
petition with foreign nations in the ocean
carrying trade we are practically restrict
ed to ninety-seven registered steamships
Of over 1000 tons, aggregating 260,320 tons.
Single steamship corporations own great
er tonnage. Japan has eighty-three ocean
steamships of over 1000 tons, aggregating
2S6.200 tons. Besides these steamships we
have 125 registered square-rigged sailing
10 Of ha
sea trade. More than half of these are
over 20 years old, and as such vessels dis
appear their places are not supplied by
construction.
Our tonnage is distributed between the
Atlantic and Gulf coasts. 2,727,S92 gross
tons; Great lakes. 1,565,5S7 tons; Pacific
Coast including Hawaii, 612,904 tons; Mis-
sissippi and tributary rivers, 25S, ass tons.
The increase in our shipping during the
decade was 1892 tons, of which 1S4,512
tons was on the Pacific Coast, and was
due mainly to Alaskan and Hawaiian
trade. The effective carrying power of
the worlds merchant fleets has increased
60 per cent
The most notable change in the world s
shipping has been in the size of steam
ships. In 1890 there were 112S ocean steam
ships of 1000 tons or over, while now $50
such steamships, aggregating 100000
tons, constitute one-fourth of the worlds
steam tonnage. Increased speed, though
great, has been less noteworthy.
Concentration of the worlds shipowning
has been notable. The thirty principal
steamship companies of the world own
1000 steamships, or one-fourth in tonnage
and more than one-quarter in carrying
power of the worlds ocean steamships.
1t is estimated that during 1899 the gross
earnings of steam and sailing vessels in
the foreign carrying trade of all nations
amounted to 800, 900 900. The export trade
nF he tod at
of the worlds aggregate tonnage of the
steamships.
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 aft vessels and steel square
rugged vessels are adapted are important,
but restricted. The SueZ canal reduced
opportunities for sailing vessels, and the
Nicaragua canal, it is said, will further
reduce them.
In the past ten years Great Britain has
built 1928 steel steamers of $685. 900 tons,
while the United States has built 465 steel
steam vessels of $4,000 tons, of which 1875,
of 10000 tons, Were built on the Great
lakes. Our entire construction of the
decade is about half of Great Britain's
output of 100000 tons during 1899 We
have built for the foreign trade since 1890
only twenty-four steel steamships of $4,000
tons, and of this total eleven steamships
of $4,000 tons We're built as mail steamers
under the postal subsidy. on August %,
1900. sixty-eight merchant steel steam yes
sels, aggregating 27S,0O0 tons, and forty
seven naval vessels of 1900 tons Misplace
menD. were building or contracted for
Contracts since that date bring the mer-
chant total up to 100000 tons, including
about 100000 tons on the lakes. Congress
has authorized 179,SOO tons (displacemenD
of naval vessels not yet contracted for
The current year will record much the
largest amount of steel shipbuilding in
our history The report says the coast
ing law and its recent extensions, our
heavy expenditures for naval construction
and the building of vessels to replace
those bought for transports and the postal
subsidy law have given steel shipbuiding
its recent stimulus.
Mr. Chamberlain reviews in some detail
the bills reported to the Senate and House
of Representatives known as the subsidy
bills and gives illustrations of the differ
ences in cost of building and operating
American and British steamships at the
present time. He says that the subsidies
proposed generally equalize those differ
ences. A freight steamship carrying 5000
tons of cargo now costs $2I5OO0 in the
United States, compared with $4,000 in
Great Britain, though steel is much cheap
err here than abroad Besides labor cost,
he 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 $1,000 against $500 on the Brit
ish ship,
Comparisons are made with foreign sub
sides to fast steamships. which aggregate
$50 900 annually, and the report holds
that the subsidies proposed for similar
American steamships are not more than
adequate to secure American ocean mail
services TO the great continents equiya-
lent 10 those OF Great Britain, Germany
and France. In the past sixty years Great
Britain and her colonies have spent over
t2i0, 10000 for British ocean mail steam
ships, on the basis of foreign voyages ac-
tually made by American vessels aggre-
eating 10000 gross tons during the year
1888, the report says the expenditures un-
der the Senate subsidy bill would have
been o., COZ ,0o0 and under the House bills
8, fso.nuo. Details and estimates show that
sslth the additional shipning eligible the
- zzasxezsz ak&ysszzzzs41sz