Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1903-12-07
The Latest Shipping Figures.

|
the United States. At first glance one
regards this as an impressive total, and
feels that in the figures there is much
for our country to be proud OF. but
when they are analysed. the average
American citizen is astonished as we'll
as chagrined to find how weak his
great country really is upon the ocean.
1t appears that fve-sixths of the mer-
chant shipping of the United States is
now engaged in service is limited to
our coast, our lakes and rivers. Only
one sixth of the great total named
above is registered for our foreign
trade.
| 1t was not always this way. Within
the memory of man our American mer-
chant fleet was about equally divided
between foreign and domestic trade
In 1861 the tonnage registered for for
eign trade was 2,496,00O, and that regis
tered for domestic trade was 2,704, 900.
In the years since 1861 our domestic
tonnage has almost doubled, an in
crease that seems all the more remark
| able when we consider the immense
growth Of American railroads in that
time. While the domestic tonnage has
thus been increasing, two-thirds of the
deep sea tonnage has vanished from
the ocean. Part of this decline was
unquestionably due to the Civil War.
ought to have increased in harmony
with the great increase Of our foreign
commerce If it had continued to grow
after the close of the war as our domes-
tic tonnage has grown, instead of a mer-
chant marine at this time of 6, 087, 200
tons, we should now have a merchant
marine Of 100000 tons, about equal
to that of Great Britain.
| The secret of the whole thing. the
the decline of our foreign shipping, lies
| in the fact that protection has been
given the one, while the other has been
neglected. BY laws as old as the nation
itself, foreign vessels have been ex-
cluded from our domestic trade. They
are not allowed to carry our products
from one American port to another,
along our coast, on our lakes, or upon
our rivers. Thus domestic trade in
freight and passengers is reserved alb
solutely to American vessels, and it is
under this protective policy that our
coastwise tonnage has grown SO fast
until it is now five times the domestic
tonnage Of Great Britain.
But while our coast, lake and river
shipping has been thus protected and
enabled to prosper, as has no like ton
mage in the world, the American fleet
registered for ocean carrying has had
none of the consistent protection which
has been bestowed upon our domestic
commerce and upon nearly all of our
| ling, as the protected coastwise indus
try has doubled in 40 years. our ocean
| fleet has fallen off to about one third
of the total of 1861. This has not been
for lack of trade to carry, for since
1861 our exports and imports have in
creased fourfold in volume. In 1881
American ships conveyed 65 per cent of
our overseas commerce. In 1903 it con-
veyed only nine and one-tenth per
cent.
| The moral of this should be plain to
| the most casual observer. Our foreign
commerce should be given immediate
and adequate protection. The greater
part of our trade should be carried in
| American ships, built in our own ship
yards, owned by American capital and
manned by American seamen. Instead
of paying as we do do from one hum
dred to two hundred millions of dollars
a year to help build up the maritime
power Of Europe, that amount of money
should be paid out at home. That such
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possible, has been demonstrated on a
small scale in the subsidies given a few
lines of American steamers. Half Il
dozen lines are thus assisted by SUBJ
sides; one to Great Britain; one to
Mexico: one to Cuba; one in Jamaica;
one in Venezuela, and one to Australia;
and this protection has enabled the
american steamship companies to re-
new their fleets and improve their
service, and have saved to the United
States a small but staunch neucleus for
a modern naval reserve. This pro-
lection should be extended and these
subsidies should be increased, not
merely as a matter of sentiment and
national pride, but as matter of bust
ness economy and as a means towards
giving our navy greater efficiency, il
ever the emergency of war should
arise.