Milford chronicle., 1909-03-12
THE MERCHANT MARINE
LEAGUE ON PANAMA CANAL

The following letter presents a
condition that the ship owners o.
the United States, and the wage
earuers engaged in commerce.
should have earnest consideration,
and a remedy be applied. The let
ter is from the secretary ofthe Mer-
chant Marine League
Editor Chronicle
Milford, Delaware.
Dear Sir:
We want TO present tor your con
sideration what we think IS an out
rage.
This country is spending millions
Of American dollars in digging a
Canal at Panama which will be, IN
times Of peace at all events, under
the present conditions, solely Tor
the benefit Of the Merchant Marine
ofour German, British, Norwegian,
French and japanese friends and
cannot be considered in any way
money well spent for the benefit OF
American commerce, American
business interests or the American
fag-for the reason that we have
practically no American ships, ana
the American flag does not wave
from the masthead of anything in
the way Of Merchant Marine.
On the Isthmus there are only
American engineers, foremen and
skilled mechanics. These are en- /
ployed dexclusively, though at higher
wages than foreigners could be pro /
cured.
The dredges, engines, boilers, To-
comotives, rails, tools, equipment .
and supplies of every character are
purchased in this country, although .
The cost is usually more than that
at which these same things could
be purchased in Europe. Pract-
cally everything is being purchased
under the Joint Resolution Of June
IS, 1906, which provides that the
purchase of such things shall be re-
stricted to articles of domestic pro-
duction and manufacture from the
lowest possible bidder unless the
President shall in any case deem
the bids or tenders therefore to be /
extortiOnate or unreasonable, thus
carrying out the policy Of protect
ion to American labor and Ameri-
can enterprise, which is probably /
the only right one in view of the
fact that American money is pay
ing the freight Everything that
has been undertaken and every
thing that has been done down
there, with one significant excep-
ton, is thoroughly American in
everyway, and that exception is !
that all the goods are being trans
ported in foreign vessels, under
foreign flags, by foreign seamen,
and the profit thereirom all goes 10
foreign shipping corporations.
As a result of this, in the harbor
of Colon and in adjacent waters. no
ship will be found flying the flag
OF the United States, unless one Of /
the four vessels of the government
transport service or warship +
should happen to be there.
The 10000 or 5000 600 tons Of +
coal now being used annually on
The Isthmus, the lumber, the ma
-hinery and supplies of all descrip- :
lion, NOT conveyed by the few +,
ofthe government line, are f
being carried entirely by foreigners.
Ifau American manufacture asks
fifty or one hundred thousand dol
ars for a given piece Of machinery,
md it can be purchased in Europe
or ten or twenty thousand dollars
ess, the American is given the con
raCt But if a foreign ship bids a a..
housand dollars for carrying that ;
machinery from New York or any I
ther American port to the Canal,
nd an American ship bids eleven a
r twelve hundred dollars for carry q
lg it, on account of higher wage b
Gale in this county, the foreigner
cts the business-every time. That