New-York tribune., 1900-11-19
AMERICAN SHIPPING.
ITS MOST PROSPEROUS PERIOD FOR
YEARS WAS THE YEAR 1s99-1eOO-THE
QUESTION OF SUBSIDIES.

porous period known to American shipping for
years was that Of the last fiscal year covered by
the instructive annual report Of Eugene T Cham
oerlain. Commissioner of Navigation. and returns
FOR the current fiscal year promise an even more
! satisfactory record
For the first time since the Civil War broke out
the documented tonnage OF the United States ex-
ceeos ooooOO gross tons. On June go 190o American
docunented tonnage comprised q 333 vessels of
0lS4 s3s gross TONS increase Of 900 tons over
! the previous fiscal year. The maximum tonnage
was S3 tons IN 1851. American shipping was
'hen larger than Great Britain's and nearly
equaLed the British Empires British shipping
! now amounts TO 14.2 900 gross tons
American vessels are almost wholly confined to
me coGsting trade. which employed last year 1885,
I'D TONS or more than the total tonnage OF Ger
r'any and France. American tonnage in the for
elgn trade was only SIG, ,795 tons and carried last
year only per cent Of American exports and i'm
ports A century ago American shipping registered
for foreign trade $50 s21 TONS while this ton
mage now in the thirteen original States amounts
| TO 4s2.S07 tons.
For serious competition with foreign nations IN
the ocean carrying trade this country is practically
restricted g registered steamships of over 600
TONS aggregatng 260 35 tons. Single foreign steam
ship corporations greater tonnage Japan has 50
ocean steamships OF 1000 tons aegregatine
2S6 600 tons Besides these steamships the United
States has 125 registered rigged sail vessels
or over 1000 tons each for the deep trade More
| than half Of these over twenty years old. and
piled by construction.
American tonnage is distributed as follows: A.
lanttc and Gulf coasts, 2727 Ss2 gross tons; Great
Lakes L565 5s7 tons; Pacific Coast including Hawaii
e2Sh tons; Mississippi and tributary rivers 28 45s
tons American steam vessels amount to 2657 7g7
TONS documented canal boats and barges to go ooo
tons, and the remainder. 1854 $40 tons are sail YES
sels and schooner barges.
The increase in shipping during the decade was
7+0242 tons. OF which 6o2 SOB stand to the credit
incr in tan
the Pacific has been 1s5l2 tons due mainly to
Alaskan and Hawaiian trade and on the Atlantic
and Gulf coasts only S9.2F tons while the tonnage
on the Mississippi and tributaries has decreased
5000 tons
CHANGES IN THE WORLDS SHIPPING
The report is chiefly devoted to thez relations Of
the United States to the worlds ocean carrying
trade, and for this purpose changes in the worlds
shipping during the last years are examined in
some detail. Since 1880 the worlds steamships have
increased from Z 9 900 gross tons to 29SsO0o gross
tons sail vessels have decreased from s66 600 tons
10 6,67400o tons. and the effective carving power
OF the worlds merchant fleets has increased 60 per
cent.
The most notable change in the worlds shipping
has been in the size Of steamships In 1890 th.ra
were HS ocean steamships of 4Oe0 tons or over
while now $50 such steamships aggregating 800 900
tons. constitute one-fourth of the worlds steam
tonnage.
Increased speed. though great. has been less note
worthy or the ocean steam tonnage OF 1890 l3 per
cent, 42S screw steamships tons were of 12
knots or over. OF ocean steam tonnage in 1900 "a
per cent. 11os screw steamships OF $3.50 900 tons
are OF u knots or over
The hulls OF so per cent Of the worlds SHINING
now made of steel compared with only 20 per cent
IN 1880 Steel has radically changed the industrial
organization Of the worlds shpbuil4ng and ship
owning II requires expensive machinery great
capital and the employment OF large numbers OF
specially trained mechanics. thus concentrating the
worlds shipbuding list of thirty principal ship
yards OF the United States. Great Britain Germany
and France is given which build 60 per cent of the
steamships built in the world during a year in
Guiding war vessels except those building in Gov
eminent yards
Concentration Of the worlds shipowning has been
as notable during the decade as the Capitalization
or shipbutding. A list is printed OF the thirty
principal steamship companies OF the world which
own 1900 steamships OF 6660OO gross tons dnclud-
ing some vessels buildng), or one-quarter in
tonnage and moro than one-quarter In carrying
power OF the worlds ocean steamships OF these
only OF 1900 tons. owned by the Interna tional
Navigation Company, are American. Ocean carry
lng' through regular passenger and freight lines is
being aestrated to the methods and conditions of
trunk railroad transportation.
On the basis of the gross earnings reported by
principal foreign steamship companies is estI-
mated that during 1899 the gross earnings Of steam
ano sail vessels in the foreign carrying trade of all
nations amounted to S70o OOO 600.
EXPORT TRADE OF THIS COUNTRY.
The export trade OF the United States requires
about 20 per cent OF the worlds seagoing tonnage
IN foreign trade, including the largest fastest
most expensive steamships. The weight OF Amer
lean exports by in 1899 100000 tons OF 220
pounds. To carry these exports and passengers,
including immigrants, requires steady employment
throughout the year of about 200 steamships ag-
gregatng 100000 gross tons. 1900 sailing YES
sells OF 900 tons. The number and tonnage OF
vessels actually engaged is. OF course, larger as
obviously many vessels engaged only part OF
the year in the trade OF the United States
The problem OF ocean transportation at this time
is essentially OF transportation by steel screw
steamships. The purposes 10 which wooden fore
and aft vessels and steel square rgged vessels are
adapted important but restricted The Suez
Canal reduced opportunities for sail vessels. and
the Nicaragua Canal will further reduce them
In the last years Great Britain has built
4638 steel steamships Of 97s3O00 tons. while the
United states has built 100 steel steam vessels or
$4,000 tons of which lss OF 45O 600 tons were built
the United States for the decade l. not much
Lhan half Of Great Br1tain's OUTPUT Of $4,000 tons
curing 1888 This country has built for the foreign
trade since 1890 only "A steel steamships OF $1,000
tons, and OF this total II steamships OF $500 tons
Subsidy If the outlook for the building OF
steel steamships in the United States not at
present more promising than OF late years legis-
!atlon for the development OF American shipping
would probably prove futile
greeatng s0O0 tons. and A naval vessels OF 3 zoo
tons (dtsplacement) building contracted for
included In the reporO bring the merchant total
up 10 $4,000 tons. including about 10000
me- t9e lakes. Congress has authorized 1880 tons
olsplacement) OF naval vessels not yet contracted
for. Part of the merchant construction will be
completed in two years or more. but the current
year VIII record much the largest amount OF steel
snlpbuildtng In American history
The coasting law and It's recent extensions, the
heavy expenditures for naval construction. the
building of vessels to replace those bought for