The Hawaiian gazette., 1902-12-12
AMERICAN COMMERCE.

The annual report OF the Ioiii'iio
sioner of Navigation shows that Oh
June &c. 1902, the documented tonnage
of the United States was the largest
in our history, comprising "a 273 vessels
Of 5,797, 902 gross tons. The increase
over last year is almost wholly in large
steel steamers, built by relatively few
shipbuilding plants for relatively few
ship-Owning corporations. The normal
tendency of shipbuilding and shipown-
Ing Is accelerated in the United States
by liberal appropriations for deeper,
wider and straighter channels, based
on the fact that large steamers are more
economical carriers and do more to pro-
mote our foreign and domestic COM
| mcrce by water. In ten years the num-
Der Of American, British and German
, square rugged vessels has decreased
| 80 per cent.
| Tonnage registered for foreign trade
shows "A slight and unexpected decrease
of 6,574 tons, which is more than offset
| by its increased efficiency as steamers
| supersede sail vessels. American YES
sells carried SIS per cent of our exports
ana imports, compared with SO per cent
| in 1901.
| The outlook for steel shpbuilding in
the United States for the current fiscal
| year Is not so promising as was last
| years but the same is true of Great
Britain, where 100000 tons of steel
| yessels were building on Sept. 80, 1902,
compared with 100000 tons on Sept.
So 1901 ON July /, 1902, there were
building or under contract in the United
states 3iI5O0 tons of steel merchant
| vessels. \ large percentage of the to-
tai has been finished in the first quar-
ter of the year and no new large con-
tracts on the seaboard are, reported. ,
The report contains review of the
crews excluding masters) required to
man the sea going vessels of the United
States of over 100 tons, foreign and
coasting trade combined. In round
numbers American seagoing steamers
require $4,000 men, American square
rugged vessels, 5000 men and American
schooners, 10000 men. These are di-
vided according to the work they per-
form into: officers Excluding masters
4, 400; petty officers, 200; seamen i4,SOO;
cadets, 1907 boys, 700; engineers, 1900;
water tenders, 400; oilers, 1900; firemen'
$500; coal passers, 1900; electricians,
etc. 200; cooks, 5000; stewards, $500;
stewardesses 800; miscellaneous, in
GLIDING pursers doctors, etc, 700.
Crew lists indicate that u, 900 are
Americans born or naturalized and l9,
Geo are foreigners. The American pro-
portion in the coasting trade, of course
is larger than in the foreign trade. and
is increasing The foreign elements IN
our crews seem to be substantially as
. follows: British, $780, Scandinavians
, $500; Germans, 1000; Russians, 800
Austrians, 300; Italians, 500; Chinese
GOO; French 300; japanese, $780, Portu'
, guese, 700; Spanish, 900; all others
n 200. by comparison it is noted that
I in 1900 British vessels We're manned by
% l75 600 British, 81 600 foreigners and &c.,
% 900 Lascars and Chinese. The crews OF
merchant ships of other nations ar,
mainly composed Of subjects or citizens
1 Of the country whose nag is borne.
. Receipts from tonnage taxes amount
l. ed To SSGS,7S4, OF which only $6S, l73 wer,
/, paid by American vessels British yes
II sells paid $isG,Oi3, German vessels, $llI
- 1893. Vessels from Great Britain pal,