The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1915-12-21
American Marine
Z" Small For Great
Trade Of Nation
Official Organ Of Chamber Of
Commerce Of United States
Gives Figures

According to The Nation g business,
the official organ of the Chamber OF
commerce Of the United States, the
American merchant marine comprises
26,IOl registries. While this number
Is large, it was pointed out, the ton.
mage afforded for the foreign trade
OF the country is out Of all proper.
ton to the amount of trade which
- offered for transportation. The pub
Iheation charges that the principal
Grouble with the merchant marine is
| not that it is inflnitesimallS small,
because it Is quite respectable both
IN number and tonnage, but that 1t
| Is out Of all proportion TO the enor
nous trade of the country. OF the
large number of vessels possessing the
American registries nearly half are
on the rivers and inland waters Of
The country
Seldom See Salt Water
Out of a total of 26,7Ol registered
and licensed vessels there are S432
motor boats, 500 canal boats and 1921
barges, which never take more than n
dip in salt water. There remain
some $4,000 vessels for those who 20
down to the sea in ships.
As q matter of fact il appears that
less than 5000 Of these ever pillow for,
.eign seas. The remaining II 900 have
their life and being in the different
waters, fresh and salt, which makes
The United States, in one respect,
unique. For no other of the leading
maritime nations has so extensive a
coast line, such inland seas, or such
tar winding river navigation. The
western rivers show more than 1888
vessels, aggregating l3S,sO4 tons.
There Is great traffic on the lakes
3t6l vessels in all, nearly 5000, 900
tors. But even the shipping of the
Great Lakes has not that SAVIOR of the
salt sea which merchant marine i'm
plies, although it offers totally neg
lected but unsurpassed wealth of ma
terial in men, possibly 10000 strong,
for reserves for the navy.
What Is Coastwise Trader
What is coast wise trade? 1t is an
anomalous thing. 1t means trade from
one American port to another, which,
by the delightful irony of statistics,
classes alike the new steam barge
which plies between St Louis and New
Orleans with the lOOOO.tn ocean
steamer which runs between San Fran
cisco, Honolulu and New York.
Consequently, no one seems to know,
from authentic data, what part of our
coastwise trade might be dignifed as a
reputable element in the merchant ma
rine of great nation. 1t is, therefore,
evident-frOm the survey of the Stats,
ties of the American merchant marine
that the figures for the trade on the
coasts, which includes adjacent
sounds, bays and rivers, must cover
a swarm of small scho0ners, steamers,
motor boats and barges, as well as
ocean steamers.
Therefore, so far as the rest of the
world knows the American flag, as
seen in foreign trade, our merchant
marine consists of thirty-seven steel
sailing ships averaging 1900 tons each ;
h44 wooden sailing vessels averaging
900 tons; 800 wooden steamers aver
aging 300 tons, and 33l steel steam
ships averaging $500 tons. There are
also 537 motor boats and llO6 barges.
The large merchant steamers, the
class that is fast growing in commerce
and of size and speed to render some
assistance as naval auxilaries, the
United States stands third, surpassed
only by Great Britain and Germany.
But a glance at the grand totals and
then at the individual figures for each
country reveals a startling situation. 1t
seems that sixty per cent of the big
and able steamers of the world are
owned by Great Britain and not seven
per cent by the United States. Here
lies the root of all disc enlargement as
to our merchant marine.
One Tenth Of British
The trade and wealth of the United
States has at its disposal only about
one tenth of the shipping facilities
available to the British merchant and
manufacturer. TO carry the bulk of
our sea borne commerce we have to
relV on The ships of friendly nations.
The estimated result is that every
year $500, O0U,OOO leaves the United
States in the form of freight pay.
ments for deposit in the Golfers of
foreign ship owners. Americans not
only subscribe to the upkeep, but to
the construction Of ships of their ma
rine competitors. If the United States
is to take its proper place, it must
not be content with mere irank--it
ranks quite high ahead of France, Italy
Norway and Holland. Americans must
have actual commercial sea power in
proportion to their trade.