The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1904-12-01
OUR MERCHANT MARINE.

domestic industries we pay the highest wages the
world The O wages consuming
power the increased of production and flourish and
prosper The case different however when the same high wages
the operation Of deep shipping There
the competition of the low wage nations and have long been
high wage labor have higher first cost ships higher rates
of during construction higher Of underwriting and
repairs Higher and Of feeding and thereby SO
handicapped that compete for deep water carrying 1t
this condition that appeals Congress for help to reestabsh
light subject expected from the Of
e Congressional Commission of which Senator Galnger chair
Slippers seek the cheapest means the Government
shipper does this The first contract for carrying PACING Goas u
for ne because
could afford cheaper than any American ship TO show
how the OF alone figures in this competition between
ships that pay port wages and salaries in San Francisco
do bsess along the Central and South American coast
have the figures or two steamers of the tonnage
petine these British has
payroll and Of $4,000 per the other
american steamer has payroll OF $4,000 per annun loss Tor
operating under the American flag of $4,000 annun on that
single comparison of in the trade of a
higher tonnage and class shows loss in the item OF salaries and
70 the American ship of s26t75 "A per ann,m IN still an
trade the loss the American steamer is 5000 per annum
The figures that American ship owned in our Pa
loss Going into comparisons still further on the foreign
this Pacific Coast trade the American ships the " assistant
engineer gets 500 per month"; the foreign ship $780, the second
assistant on American ship gets 800 per month on the oelg
ship So The American ship compelled by law to carry
On ships chief engineer gets $780,
foreign $50 go the American captain gets 5000 month the
foreign captain S25 The disparity extends to the
agehe American ship paying port wages and the foreign ship
IN the trade ships compete with the
British lines running Vancouver and with the Japanese lines
running to our American ports The American ship pays San
FRANCISCO port wages the law compel what called american
carried Pacific liners the loss each ship Of
tons American flag, compared with foreign ship
the class S424 70 per annum 1t without saying
that business survive that loss especially when the greater
first repairs and underwriting added to it
These comparisons reveal the why American ships
business and why flag merchant ships
seaports world The situation understood by all
shipping There difference OF opinion about the
o the decline Of American shipping 1t nextricaby connected
with the American standard of life which nothing affect at home
which handicap when carried shipping conditions
the high No interest enough to have the right
weha standard for its benefit 1t must be maintained but
the pfobe how maintain deep and still
nearly for the carrying The
principle OF protection must be applied somehow The matter
has debated Congress both dOgmaticay and academcay
and but little light has been upon thereby For this
the Forthcoming report of Senator Ganger looked
for with the liveliest interest.
Not the least among the difficulties is the difference in port
the Pacific Coast and the ATLANTIC seaboard
Atlantic ports scratch easily obtaned and American
ships free from the heavy local taxation which they suffer here
and which this State has just refused lift This condition ndi
whatever adopted be compromise between
the port conditions of the coasts