Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Benton County, Or.) 1900-1909, 1901-12-10
: oORVAL[IS GAZETTE.
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 10, 1901.
MERCHANT MARINE.

The Portland Oregon1an thinks
the president has not given the
subject of merchant marine sufh-
cent reflection. As evidence
that the Oregonian has, it says:
europe pays us for our food
stufs largely with her services
in the carrying trade. If we
take that away from her she
must either buy less food of US or
else pay US for it with some other
commodity. If we do this work
ourselves it is perfectly certain
either that Europe will deny it
self to the value of our products
for which its carrying trade pays,
or else that our home products
will be cut of from hone maj
kets to the extent of an equiv
alent value which Europe will be
obliged to send us in place Of the
freights it has been earning
Europe takes Of our foodstuffs
our grain, -four, fish, and
meats because she needs them
and cannot produce them in
quantities sufficient to supply her
need. Her necessity, not the
amount of her freight bill against
us, is the measure of her demand
for our food products. Europe
must have these in no less guam
titles whoever is the carrier. 1t is
equally certain we shall take
from Europe no greater quantity
of some other" or any COM
modify than we need whoever
may be the carrier.
The cost of carriage is to the
consumer. We pay European
ship-owners for carrying foreign
products to us; Europe pays them
for carrying our products to her.
In either case necessity, present
or prospective, determines the
magnitude of the carrying trade,
and this is true, as we'll, through
out the commercial world. Shir
owners do not knowingly "carry
Goals to Newcastle. -
If we had the only merchan
marine afoat and conducted the
carrying trade of the world there
would be no less of it to do.
We should do our share of it
at all events, if we had a credita-
Bile merchant fleet. Once we BIZ
fair to wrest the supremacy from
England. The sails of our mer
chantrnen whitened every Sc
and our adventurous sailors car
ried our flag to every port.
The civil war virtually destroy
ed our merchant marine.
Since then Our own carrying
trade, for the greater part ha
been in the hands of foreigners
and we cut no figure whatever i
the carrying trade of the world
The president seems to hav
given the subject sufficient rehec
ton to. enable him to name som
of the reasons why our merchan
marine is so insignificant. Fl
points out ''that the origina
cost of building American ship
is greater than is the case abroad
that the wages paid America
officers and sea1nen are yer
much higher than those paid th
officers and seamen of foreigl
competing countries, and that tn
standard of living on our ship
is far superior to the standard Q
living on the ships of Our com.
mercial rivals.'
There are many cogent reason
beside those of patriotism AM
national pride why we shoul'
build up a powerful merchan
marine. Congress will no doub
take some measures for this pur-
pose. If granting subsidy is tn
best measure, subsidy will b
given. Other nations find thi
a very efficient auxiliary il
building up and maintaining +:
merchant marine and so may we
Meanwhile the Oregonian ma,
find time for the Sufficient re-
aection'' it evidently has no
given to the subject.