Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1917-09-08
Figures Show That American
Merchant Marine Has DWin-
died in Last Two Years

In a wellwritten pamphlet entitled
Ocean Shipping" prepared by the
National Foreign Trade Council anG
submitted 10 Congress during the cur
rent session, the statistical position
of the United States as a ship-ownine
nation is fully discussed, and the
urgent necessity of increasing the size
of our Mountaineering very material
ly, If We propose TO become a sub
stantial factor in international com
merce, IS convincingly stated, says the
San Francisco Examiner.
II will be news to many Americans
even TO many who make their homes
in the big commercial cities of the
Atlantic or Pacific coasts-that al.
though, In 1890, the United States
owned 90 per cent of the total mari.
time tonnage of the world, by 1915
its share had dwindled to 1876 per
cent thereof
The total tonnage of the American
merchant-marine in 1915 was $685.
639 tons exclusive Of small boats and
wooden lake vessels, UNACCEPTABLE to
the oversee carrying trade; while in
that year our tonnage inclusive OF
steam vessels aggregated only 1854, ;.
74S tons.
On June 80, 1915, according to the
Department of Commerce, only 2,76S
American vessels of 1,S13,775 gross
tons were registered for foreign trade.
The effect Of the world war in de-
creasing the number of available YES
sells is discussed as follows, the sta
tistics quoted being as of March, 1917.
The declaration Of war was i'm
mediately followed by the complete
immobilization Of German and Aus
TRAN steam shipping, aggregating
some 6,187,066 tons At the same time
Russian shipping was paralyzed in the
Baltic and later In the Black Sea by
the closing of the Dardanelles. It has
been estimated that since the war be-
gan England has lost some IL per
cent of her deep-sea shipping, while
Germany has lost some rs per cent
through mines or otherwise. The 13.4
per cent of German tonnage now in
the hands of the allies has not been
Wiped off the register, nor Is 1t neces-
yiry to take into consideration the
vi per cent of German tonnage laid
up in neutral harbors. In the case OF
Norway the loss of shipping due to the
war has been even greater than that
sustained by England. The merchant
shipping of the world today is prob
ably only IS or 80 per cent Of what II
was when the war broke out, after
taking into consideration all new ton
mage built during the past two years,
which is the smallest for almost
generation. ... .......#. p.
Collectively with this process Of
destruction we must include some
100000 tons Of shipping laid up to
avoid the risk of capture, while at
least another 100000 tons is In
constant use by the allies in connec-
ton with their transport service. Al
together it has been estimated that
only slightly more than 30 per cent
of the whole mercantile fleet of the
world Is now available for peaceful
trade, so that no greater effort Of the
imagination Is needed to understand
the position as regards both the pres.
emit level Of frelghts and the prices
which neutral ships are commanding
in the sale market. +.
New Ships Building.
That America as well as its for.
eign competitors in world commerce
are wideawake to the ~oeful dearth
OF cargo carriers is fact made very
plain by the author OF the pamphlet