Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1907-10-29
Why Foreign Ships Are Used.

The Boston Transcript explains in
why the navy department has been
compelled 10 award to foreign ship
$4,000 tons of coal required by our
fleet on its coming cruise to Pacific
waters In these reasons is found
another very strong argument for the
up building of our merchant marine
which has been sha,ncfully neglected
by our national government while all
along the road to their present IN
prccedented prosperity.
one reason why foreign vessels must
be chartered 10 supply this coal for the
fleet on its Pacific voyage is that there
are not enough Ocean-going steam
Golfers in the shrunkrn American
merchant ma rne to convey the amount
of coal required 10 fill the bunlltrs of
the battleship fleet on its 1900 mile
voyage. AnOtntf reason Is tlldI tut
dozen American steamers which were
offered by their owners for this service.
the 132.00o tons required, could not
compete with the foreign ships in rates
and therefore had to be rejected by
our government. Now, as the Tran
script points out, the main reason why
these dozen American steamers cannot
carry the navy coal so chcaply is
foreign steamers is that the wages or
mechanics in American shipyards are
nearly twice as high as the wages of
therefore, American ships cost more t.
build. The wages of the officers and
scamen of American ships are higher
than those paid "n foreign ships, and,
therefore, American ships cost con-
siderably more to operate.
The Transcript says that Boston
shipowners. in a formal remonstrance
to the Navy Department against the
use Of foreign craft, presented a COM
parative statement showing the differ
ences in cost of operation for a year
between a Boston steamer and
British steamer of the same tonnage.
This was placed at $17,2SO, due to the
higher American wages in the ship
yard. $l3.42S due to the higher Ameri-
can wages on shipboard. and $i716 due
To the more liberal food provided under
the American iiag-a total of s34.42f.
Because of these claims and of other
representations, President Rnosevelt
directed the Navy Department to give
American vessels a preference Of so
per cent. in the rates paid for the
transport service. But this generous
offer came too late for after an I'M
awaiting search for return freights
from the Pacific Ocean. the American
steamers had put in their bids on the
basis of {. time charter, and their uv'n-
erS We're not able to secure such
lItiSiltS anu present revised bldS be-
fore the contract was awarded Even
| if all these American ships had been
to depend on foreign steamers to de-
liver more than half of the 133, 900 tons
| of fuel required by the battleships.
Says the Transcript:
| This lack of return cargOeS from
| the Pacific Ocean has proved to he an
| important factor in throwing the entire
naval contract into the eager hands of
| foreign ShipoWners. These foreign
ships are chiefly British. Arriving at
our Pacific ports and discharging the
| coal. they expect to load lumber IN
| British Columbia for Australia or the
| Orient. and diScharging again there.
| load a third cargo home for the United
| Kingdom. British vessels arc pre-
ferred by the British mercantile houses
! which everywhere dominate the ocean
| commerce of the world. American
! steamers. on the other hand. have been
| driven out of even our own trade with
| Australia and the Orient either by the
| subsidies or by the low wages of other
| nations. All that is now left for
| American steamers is the coastwIse
| trade of the United States. From this
| foreign vessels are excluded unless. as
| Attorney General Bonaparte has Just
ruled. they happen to be chartered by
the Government. But q coastwiSe
| voyage from our Pacific To our
! Atlantic coast Is thirteen thousand
miles long via the Straits Of MAGELLAN