Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1901-02-09
AMERICAN SHlPBUlLDING
CONDITIONS HISTORICALLY AND IN
DUsTRIAi.LY TREATED.
Interesting ana Instructive Review
of vitality ImpOrt-
OF
ant Subject.

1.-The Shipbuidfng Industry Of the United
States and It's Relation to the Foreign Trade,
is the title of document just issued by the
treasury bureau of statistics. 1t discusses
the economic conditions which surround the
present state of the shipbuiiding industry
in this country in both their historical and
their industrial aspects Historically it
finds that the use of fren-clads in the civil
war sounded the doom of wooden ships as
instruments of national defense, and thence
forth turned over maritime ascendancy to
the iron-produeing nations, IN which Great
Britain had then held the leadership. But
with the ascendancy of the United States
in iron and steel production and the
advent of this country into, the new era
of oceanic responsibility both commercially
and politically, the, present period of our
maritime progress is clearly marked off
from all that has preceded it.. Historically
our development I'M shipbuilding' has reach
ed the point at which the economic outlook
is based upon tht most favorable industrial
and commercial conditions ever known in
the history of our merchant marine. These
conditions are shown first in the internal
development. of the shipbuilding industry.
American Yards Better Equipped.
The influence of the naval policy mer
chant shpbuilding has developed shipbuild-
ing plants to a point OF equipment with
tools and ma chinery and to a scale of pro-
duction which, with larger demand for
ships would almost put the best American
shipbulders on the same plane as British
shipbulders 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
derricks in handling heavy materials at
every stage have revolutionized shipma king
methods in the, United States to such an
extent that the best ship yards in America
hotter eOuiDDe6 than those of
Europe. The chief obstacle to shipbuid-
ing in competition with foreign shipbuild-
ers is the lack of sufficient orders at
ship yards to keep them busy on a Suffi-
GENTLY uniform volume OF work.
The difference in the labor cost of pro-
gduction in foreign and American ship yards
is conceded to be about % per cent greater
on the hull and 30 per cent greater on the
machinery in the American yard. This Diff
ference if accepted correct, it is held,
must be overcome by the introduction of
piece-work methods of labor and the stan
dardiZing of types and parts The report
finds, compared with British ships, compar-
atively little progress has been made in
this country in either of these respects,
cept in those located upon the lakes. The
lake ship yards have turned out volume
of tonnage which has enabled them to util-
ize European methods of reducing cost
more generally than is the case the At
lantic SeabOard.
Lake Plants and Merchant Marine.
The progress on the lakes in productive
economics has arisen largely from con-
solidatfon of plants, whereby specializing
could be more generally developed and uni
formty in type Of construction introduced.
The consolidation of shipbuiding plants
with steel-making establishments seems to
be another direction in which economics in
productive cost of ships must be realized.
Shpbuilders complain that the fluctuation
of prices in the steel market have been
among the greatest hindrances to the de-
velopment Of steel shlpbuilding in the
United States, as compared with European
prices, which are more stable.
The second part OF the inquiry is devoted
to the study of the merchant marine as
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 .befn ha4dlsd by sea, so
to avail itself OF agencies not of it's own
control in order to reach and maintain for
eign markets subject to the discrimination
of shipping lines organized in the service
of our competitors. The growth In the vol
ume of our foreign commerce is mainly re-
sponSible for the fact that American capital
has practically overcome its timidity for
investment i'll either shipbuilding or ship
ping. Under existing conditions, however,
distribution by sea between the United
States and the outside world is in foreign
control For the fiscal year ending June
80 1900, imports and exports by sea ag-
gregated So, 0S9, 52S 666, only 9.3 per cent Of
which value was carried in American Ves-
sells. Numerous tables are given, showing
the growth in our foreign commerce and
the decline in our foreign shipping.