The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1915-09-16
THE MERCHANT MARINE.
Increase in Tonnage Under the Flag.


Not for over half century has the
American flag ioated over so large ton
mage in foreign trade as in the fiscal year
ended on June &c. In the foreign trade On
that date there were under American reg
istry 2, 768 vessels with total of l, 813,
IT'S gross tons, representing an increase
of 1863 ships and 1877, 623 tons over the
corresponding date in 1914. These in
creases are mainly owing to the enact
ment, a little over a year ago, of the
law providing for the admission of for
eign-built ships to American registry. In
commenting upon the figures, Assistant
Secretary Sweet of the Department of
Commerce says that the increase was
about triple the gain in registered ton
mage for any previous year, and the total
is now much greater than at any time
since 1868, when the United States had
2,O26, ia gross tons engaged in foreign
trade. From the standpoint of efficiency,
however, the existing tonnage compares
mere than favorably with that in the
year last mentioned, for the steam ton
mage in 1863 comprised only 1873, 215 tons,
whereas at the end of the last fiscal year
it included 1,273,037 tons. Tonnage
employed in foreign trade under the
American flag is now, according to Mr..
Sweet, nearly equal to such tonnage I'M
der the flag of France or that of Norway.
The tonnage tax collected on ships in the
foreign trade entering American ports
in the last fiscal year amounted to ST.
314,916, or 81, 157 more than that for the
preceding year, total greater than in
any of the thirty years preceding. Com
missioner of Navigation Chamberlain,
who caves these figures, notes that of
this amount American ships paid $1O4,-
736, as compared with SIT, 445 in the
preceding year, gain of over 35 per
cent.
Orientals in the Trans-P Pacific Trade.
Apparently. no time will be lost by
China and Japan in taking advantage of
the opportunity afforded by the retire.
ment of the Pacific Mail Steamship Com
panv from the trans. Pacific trade. Ad-
vices from San Francisco indicate that
contracts have been signed this week
for the financing of Chinese-American
steamship company with SIS, 600, 900 cap
ital. supplied partly by Chinese and part
" by American capitalists. Negotiations
are said to be in progress now for the
purchase of ships, in regard to which
some difficulty has been encountered.
These facts have been made public by
Dr.. Koo. China's first Minister to Mexico,
who says that the new steamship plan
has been sponsored by practically all OF
the great banks of his country. 1t is
understood that the steamships OF the
new line will fly the flag of China. The
Japanese steamship line, Togo Kisen
Kaisha, is making preparations to ex-
pand its service in view of the retirement
of the Pacific Mail Steamship Company:
It has made one step in the purchase OF
the liner Persia from that company and
contemplates the building of two or three
more. Pending their completion, the
Japanese company will have two of its
liners in the South American trade call
regularly at San Francisco; a ana wiz pro- 4Se
South American run in the direct service
between San Francisco and Japan.
| Bradstreets.