Evening star., 1900-11-19
OU+ MERCHANT MARINE
REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONER OF
NAVIGATION.
American Vessels Confined Almost
feet of Subsidies to Shipping.

tons. On June 80, 1900, American document
ed tonnage comprised 1888 vessels of
5.164, ,S39 gross tons, an increase of 300, 600
tons over the previous fiscal year. Our
maximum tonnage was 5,539, ,S13 tons in
1861. Our shipping was then larger than
Great Britain's and nearly equaled the
British empires. British shipping now
amounts to 14,261 600 gross tons)
American vessels are almost wholly con-
fined to the coasting trade, which employed
last year 4,33S, 145 tons, or more than the
total tonnage of Germany and France.
The Foreign Trade.
Our tonnage in the foreign trade was
only SIG, I95 tons and carried last year only
per cent Of our exports and imports CEN
tury ago American shipping registered for
foreign trade was 66992l tons, while this
tonnage now In the thirteen original states
amounts to 4S2 9O7 tons.
For serious competition with foreign ma
tionS In the ocean carrying trade we are
practically restricted to 81 registered steam
ships over 1909 tons, aggregatng 26O325
tons. Single foreign steamship corporations
own greater tonnage. Japan has SO ocean
steamships of over 1900 TONS aggregat ating
2S6,Ooo tons. Besides these steamships we
have 125 registered square-rigged sail yes
sells over 1000 tons each for the deep-sea
trade. More than half of these are over
twenty years old. and as such vessels dis
appear their places are not supplied by new
construction
Our tonnage is distributed: Between the
Atlantic and gulf coasts, 2727 S92 gross
tons; great lakes. 1,a65,5S7 tons: Pacific
coast, including Hawaii, 612,904 tons; Mis-
sissippi and tributary rivers. 25S456 tons
our steam vessels amount to 1851, ,797 TONS
documented canal boats and bargeS to 622,-
Vo tons and the remainder, 1,SS4, ,S42 tons
are sail vessels and schooner barses
The increase in our shipping during the
decade was I4O,342 tons, of which 500. .523
tons stand to the credit of the great lakes
The Increase III ten years on the Pacific has
been 1S4,512 tons, due mainly to Alaskan
and Hawaiian trade, and on the Atlantic
and gulf coasts only s9,297 tons, while the
tonnage on the Mississippi and tributaries
has decreased $4,000 tons.
Operations of the Past Decade.
In the past ten years Great Britain has
built 4.63s steel steamships of 9,793, ,ooo tons
while the United States has built 4G5 steel
steam vessels of 743 600 tons, of which 19S
of 4J0,Goo tons We're built on the great
lakes. Our entire construction for the dec
ade is not much more than half of Great
Britain's output of 1,3i0000 tons during
1899
We have built for the foreign trade since
1870 only "a steel steamships of ST, 600 tons
and of this total IL steamships of -, 900
tons were built mail steamships under
the postal subsidy acts. If the outlook for
the nttsd buSing sats Of steel steamships in the
promising than Of late years legislation for
the development of American shipping
would probably prove futile. On August 15
1890, 6s merchant steel steam vessels ag-
gregating 2ISOOO tons and A naval vessels
1l3.0OO tons (displacemenD We're building or
contracted. Tor. Contracts since that date
(some since election. not included In the
reporD bring the merchant total up to 3JO,-
o09 tons. including about 100000 tons on the
lakes. Congress has authorized 1880 tons
(displacemenD of naval vessels, not yet
contracted for Part of the merchant con-
or more, but the current year will record
much the largest amount of steel shipbuild-
Ing In our history.
The coasting law and its recent extern
sions, our heavy expenditure for naval con-
struction and the building Of vessels to
replace those bought for transports and
the postal subsidy law have given steel
shipbulding Its recent stimulus. In the
United States the conditions have now been
established, abundance Of capital. cheap
materials. practical experience, constructive
talent and skilled labor which. if brought
together by demand for American vessels
created by legislation. guarantee the coun-
try's future as maritime commercial
power
Ship Subsidy Bills.
Mr.. Chamberlain reviews in some detail
the bills reported to the Senate and House
Of Representatives, known as the subsidy
bills with illustrations Of the difference in
the cost of building and operating Ameri-
can and British steamships at the present
time: 1t is shown that the subsidies pro-
posed generally equalize those differences.
A freight steamship carrying 5000 tons
cargo now costs $275,OO0 in the United
States, compared with $4,000 in Great
Britain, though steel Is much cheaper here
than abroad. Besides labor COST the Brit
ish advantage lies in the enormous scale
of production, Great Britain being the
worlds department store Of shipping.
Monthly wages on the American vessel are
200, against $500 on the British ship.
Foreign Subsidies.
Comparisons are made with foreign SUBJ
sidies to fast steamships, which aggregate
S200OO,00O annually, and 1t is held that the
subsidies proposed for similar American
steamships are not more than adequate to
secure American ocean mail services to the
great continents. equivalent to those of
Great Britain, Germany and France. In
the past sixty years Great Britain and her
colonies have spent over $40, OOO,0O0 for
British ocean mail steamships.
On the basis OF foreign voyages actually
made by American vessels, aggregatinS
so9OOO gross TONS during the calendar year
1899, the expenditures under the Senate sub
sidy bill would have been 81. 90I 900, and un-
der the House bill s2790.O00. Details and
estimates show that. with the additional
shipping eligible, the cost during the first
year OF the bills operation would be about
81, 500, 600. The Maximum of Sc. 900 600 would
probably be attained during 19O4-5. when a
reduction of subsidy rates would be neces-
sary. By that time the building of over
100000 tons of ocean steamships and tho
necessary Increase in number and extent Of
our shipyards would have materially re-
duced the cost of shipbuilding In the United
States, compared with Great Britain and
Germany. Under the bilR in five years
American steamships in foreign trade would
doubtless reach 1,2O0. 600 tons. and sail ves-
sells 65O.000 tons, sufficient to carry about
one-third Of our ocean trade.
The act restricting trade between the
United States and Hawaii to American ves-
sells is important in developing our ship
ping interests in tho Pacific. The new
Australian confederation is likely to adopt
the American coasting principle next year.
Movements of Naval Vessels.