Evening journal., 1916-01-07

were established to the West hides the Isthmus Of
Panama up the Pacific Coast to Oregon and across
the Atlantic to Great Britain and Germany. The report
recalls the exploits Of the American steamers of the
Collins line whose subsidy $s5S.OOo a year against
subsidy OF SS56OOO then paid TO the Cunard line by |
the British Government American ship |
ping from 16O6S tons in 1S4S 115O45 in 1855
that year 1865. the report states. the American
merchant marine in overseas commerce reached its
climax. Though the tonnage nominally registered for
foreign carrying did not Immediately show decrease
shpbuildng fell of from 5S3450 tons in 1855. TO 1867
GO2 tons in 1859 and rallied only 214797 tons in
1860. This heavy shrinkage in the product Of the
shpyards" the report declares, Indicates that six
years before the first shot fired Fort SUMTER
grave disbursement and disaster had befallen our
merchant marine This historic fact is exceedingly i'm
portant to remember because It has often been
asserted that the loss Of our ocean shipping began
with and wholly due to the great war hetween
North and South The records OF shipbuding afford
conclusive proof that the decline had IN long be-
forehand"
AT this time the report further says there were
iron shipbuding plants at New York and Philadelphia
and before 1860 at Boston. It period Of low
tariff for revenue only There enough iron ad-
mrable quality in America for the construction Of
great fleets of ships. Eut there serious weak
ness in the situation All OF the American ocean
steamers were built in the North, owned and manned
by Northern men registered at Northern seaports
bitter every day. and Southern were in control
in Washington. The report shows briefly how,
der the lead of Jefferson Davis and other Southern
Senators, and Representatives the mail subsidies We're
taken away from the great American steamship lines
In the very crisis OF their contest with their British
competitors.
One by one the American Atlantic lines succumbed,
and when the Civil War opened in 1861, only occasional
American steamships were running to Europe Brit
ish subsidies had won the tight" Though after the
Civil War shipping actually increased for
time report points that from 1865 TO the present
year Congress has refused TO adopt any vigorous and
comprehensive measure for the relief American
shipping Even the Ocean Mail Act of 1891 was Grip
pied by Middle Western opposition in the House Of
! Representatives. and the recommendations of the
! Merchant Marine Commission of 190l-1905 were de-
feated there by Southern and Western hostility-an-
other adverse influence being that Of powerful Eu-
ropean steamship corporations which had become
strongly entrenched in American ocean carrying
The free ship experiment initiated by the Panama
Canal Act OF August "a, 1912, under which not one
foreign-built vessel at any time registered, and
pursued further in the emergency shipping act of Au-
gust 49, 1914 descrbedtn the report 1t states that
a considerable moyementfof American owners for for
oign-hut ships TO naturalize their vessels followed
the European war But the report adds that 1T has
been discovered in actual experience that the
sion OF the navigation laws by the President so that
foreign built ships admitted to American registry can
come in with their foreign officers and remain exempt
from our inspection and measurement laws and rules
has not prevented these foreign officers and their for
egn crews from demanding the scale and food
scale OF Americans The result has been an imme-
diate and large increase in the cost Of manning and
maintenance so that in these regards the nsturalized
ships are on the basis compared with foreign
registered ships American ships of native con-
structlon."
The report cites specific instances Of increased
wages and cost OF maintenance on British and German
steamers transferred TO the American flag. On a
typical cargo carrying ship Of 5000 tons capacity. the
British payroll is s99L6S month; the American ST.
Cos
Therefore the Special Committee Merchant Ma
rine of the Chamber of Commerce recommends that
carefully guarded subsidies be granted by the govern
sufficient TO Offset the difference in cost of oper
alton between American and foreign vessels with the
condition that all receiving subsidies should
be so constructed TO render efficient service as
transports fuel ships. supply ships ammunition ships
etc. in OF end be held subject to the call o.
the government the committee recommends, more
over increase in the rates Of compensation Of
fered under the Ocean Mail Law Of 1891 to regular
steamship services carrying mail, freight and passen
gers on fixed schedules at than ordinary speed
A Federal Shipping Board after the example Of th
British Board OF Trade and revision Of the naviga
tion laws and regulations are also recommended Th
committees reasons for rejecting the proposal
government ownership and operation OF commercial
S steamships have been stated in a separate report
The present report emphasizes the importance O
encouragement Of the art OF ocean shpbulding, bot
because of the imperative Of well-eQuipped ship
Yards i'm the problem OF national defense and becaus
, history affords no example of nation permanent
, great in shipowning and navigation which depende
for the construction OF its ships upon its rivals
trade and possible enemies in To this end IN
d committee urges the establishment of thorough
American inspection survey and classification society
so that it may possible to effect adequate nsuranc
in American companies which it is urged that prefe
t ence should be given by American shpowners an
i merchants
It In conclusion the report states emphaticay tina
r if the United had possessed, it should mol
mally have possessed. 100000 or l5O0OOoO tons
# overseas shipping August 1914 at the outbreak
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