The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1901-02-22

The ind
merchant su,r
building plants u
with tools and machinery. a.
production which, With Q large.
ships, would almost put the best
shipbuilders on the same plane as Dl.-.
shipbuilders as to cost of production. The
use of electricity In the operation Of ship
building plants. the employment Of pneu-
matte tools and the services of cranes and
every stage have revolutionized shipmaking
methods in the United States to such an
extent that the best shipyards In America
are even better equipped than those of
Europe. The chief obstacle to shipbuiIding
in competition with foreign shipbuilders Is
the lack OF sufficient orders at our shipyards
to keep them busy on sufficiently uniform
volume Of work. 1t Is this obstacle which
the friends of the American merchant ma
rne are seeking to remove by Government
aid.
The difference In the labor cost of pro-
duction In foreign and American shipyards
is conceded to be about IS per cent greater
on the hull and so per cent greater on
the machinery In the American yard.
This difference, IL accepted as correct, 1t is
held, must be overcome by the Introduction
of piecework methods of labor and the
standardizing of types and parts. The re-
port finds that as compared with British
ships, comparatively little progress has been
made In this country In either of these
respects, except In those located upon the
lakes. The lake shipyards have turned out
volume of tonnage which has enabled
them to utilize European methods of re-
ducIng cost more generally than is the case
on the Atlantic seaboard. Lake traffic, 1t
must be remembered, has the benefit of
absolute protection under our shipping
laws.
The progress on the lakes In productive
economies has arisen largely from con-
soidation Of plants, whereby specializing
could be more generally developed and
uniformity in type of construction intro
duced. The consolidation of shipbuilding
plants with steel-making establishments
seem to be another direction IN which
economies In productive cost OF ships must
be realized. Shlpbuilders complain that
the fuctuation of prices in the steel market
has been among the greatest hindrances to
the development of steel shipbuilding In
fbo Uni Tod ofa roA uy;th Tn
pean prices, which are more stable.
The second part Of the inquiry is devoted
to the study of the merchant marine as q
part of the national distributive system. 1t
cites the fact shown by statistics that with
the growth In the volume of ocean commerce
an increasing proportion of our surplus
wealth has been handled by sea. so that the
national interest has been forced to avail
itself of agencies not of its own control in
order to reach and maintain foreign markets
subject to the discrimination of shipping
lines organized In the service of our COM
petitors. The growth In the volume of our
foreign commerce is mainly responsible for
the fact that American capital has
practically overcome its timidity for invest
ment In either shipbuilding or shipping.
Under existing conditions, however, dis
tributiDg by sea between the United States
and the outside world is in foreign control.
For the fiscal year ending June 30. 1900.
imports and exports by sea aggregated
81, OS9, 52S,666, only 8 per cent of which
value was carried In American vessels.
Numerous tables are given, showing the
growth In our foreign commerce and the
decline In our foreign shipping.
Evprv hOdV aava that ia, a. -