The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-11-21

can electric road, built by a New York
engineer In the heart of the coffee region
OF Brazil, and l have seen the waters Of
that river, along which, Pizarro established
bis lineo OF communication In the conquest of
Peru, .harneesed TO American machinery
TO make light and power for the city OF
Lima. Every such point is the nucleus of
american trade-ths source OF orders for
American goods.
-. It 10 absolutely essential that the
means OF communication between the two
countries should be improved and increased.
This underlies all other considerations n
and the freight services. Between all the
principal South American ports and Eng
land, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, lines
OF swift and commodious steamers ply regu-
larry. There are five subsidized first class
mail and passenger. lines between Buenos
Aires and Europe; there IL no line between
Buenos Aires and the United States. With
in the past two years the German, the Eng
Ish and the Italian lines have been replacing
their old steamers with new and swifter
steamers OF modern construction, accom-
mediation and capacity.
AMERICAS SEVEN SHIPS.
In the year ending June %, 1905, there
entered the port of Rio de Janeiro steamers
and sailing vessels flying the flag OF Austria
Hungary, 100; OF Norway, l42; OF Italy, 1875:
Of Argentina, 26A; Of France, sac; OF Ger
many, o57; Of Great Britain, l,7sS; Of the
OUuVou ObtJcb, no 3toAIl6Ib AIQ 4 8hlluk
vessels, two Of which were in distressl
An English firm runs q small steamer
monthly between New York and Rio de
Janeiro; the Panama Railroad Company
| runs steamers between New York and the
Isthmus OF Panama; the Brazilians are
starting for themselves a line between Rio
and New York. That is the sum total OF
American communications with South
America beyond the Caribbean Sea. Not
one American steamship runs to any South
American port beyond the Caribbean.
During the past summer l entered the ports
of Para, Pernambuco, Bahia, Rio de J~aneiro,
Santos, Montevideo, Buenos Aires, Bahia
Blanca, Punta Arenas, Lota, Valparaiso,
CoQuimbo, Tocopilla, Callao and Cartha-
gena-all OF the great ports and a large pro-
ern continent.
SAW OUR FLAG ONLY ONCE.
Il saw only one ship, besides the. cruiser
hat carried me, flying the American flag.
The mails between South America and
Europe are sw lit, regular and certain; be-
tw cen South America and the United States
they are SLOW, irregular and uncertain.
Six weeks is not an uncommon time for a
letter to take betw cen Buenos Aires or VAL
paraiso and New York. The merchant who
wishes to order American goods cannot
know when his order will be received or
when it will be filed. The freight charges
betwe cen the South American cities and
American cities are generally and substan-
TALLY higher han between the same cities
and Europe; at many points the deliveries
Of freight are uncertain and its condition
upon arrival doubtful. The passenger
accommodations are such as TO max a jour
ney to the United States a trial to be en-
dured and a journey to Europe a pleasure
to be enjoyed. The best way to travel
betw cen the United States and both the
west coast and the east coast of South
america is to go by way OF Europe, crossing
the Atlantic twice. 1t is impossible that
trade should prosper or intercourse increase
or mutual knowledge grow to any great
degree under such circumstances The
communicable is worse now than IL was
twenty-five years ago. So long as it is left
in the hands Of our foreign competitions
in cuisines we ann reasonably look for
n improvement. IL is only reasonable
to ex pect tina European steamship lines
shall be so managed as to promote European
trade in South America rather than TO pro-
mote the trade Of the United States in South
America.
DECLINE OF U MARINE.
This woful deficiency in the means
to carry on and enlarge our South American
and feebleness of the American merchant
marine, which has reduced us from carry
ing over % per cent of our export trade
in our own ships to the carriage OF 0 per
cent. of that trade in our own ships, and
dependence upon foreign shipowners for
NlAO q VI Rh INV A~
remedy and the only remedy is the estab-
lishment OF American lines OF steamships
between the United States and the great
ports of South America adequate to render
fully as good service as is now afforded
by the European lines between those ports
and Europe. The substantial underlying
fact was we'll stated in the resolution OF
this rans-Mississippi Congress three years
ago:
THAT every ship Is a missionary Of trade:
that steamship lines work for their own
countries Just as railroad lines work for their
terminal points. and that 10 Is as absurd for
the United States to depend upon foreign
ships to distribute its products as it would be
for a department store 60 depend upon wagons
Of a competing house TO deliver its goods
How can this defect be remedied? The
answer to this question must be found by
ascertaining the cause of the decline OF
our merchant marine. Why il 1t hat
Americans have substantially retired from
the foreign transport service? We are a
nation Of maritime traditions and facility;
we are a nation OF constructive capacity,
competent to build ships; We are eminent,
IL not preeminent, in the construction Of
machinery; we have abundant capital
seeking investment; we have courage and
enterprise shrinking from no competition
in my field which we choose to enter. Why
then have we retired from this Seld in which
we were once conspicuously successful2
AUST OF DECLINE.
Il think the answer is twof old.
4. The higher wages and the greater
cost OF maintenance of American officers
and crews make il impossible to compete
on equal terms with foreign ships. The
, scale of living andthe scale Of pay of Amer
lean sailors are fixed by the standard of wages
and Of living in the United States, and those
are maintained at a high level by the pro-
tective tariff. The moment the American
passes beyond the limits OF his country
and engages in ocean transportation he
comes into competition with the lower
foreign scale Of wages and Of living. Mr..
Joseph L.. Bristow, in his report upon trade
conditions affecting the Panama Canal,
dated June II, 1905, gives in detail the cost
of operating an American steamship with
a tonnage Of approximately $500 tons as
compared with the cost Of operating a
/ specified German steamship Of the same
tonnage, and the differences aggregate
9l5,3i5 per aunum greater cost for the
American steamship tan for the German
that is, S4.37 per ton. He gives also in de-
tail the cost ~ maintaining another Arior-
can Steamship with u tonDaye of BpprOyi-
mately ?, iCJ tons as compared with The cost
Of operating a specified British Steamship
of the enmp tonnage, and tho differences