FREE SHIPS AND CALIFORNIA.

Samoa Times and South Sea Gazette, Volume 3, Issue 135, 1 May 1880, Page 3

FREE SHIPS AND CALIFORNIA.

There is im annual iiecroa.se of 30,000 tons in the mercantile marina vessels of the United States. The total measurement wus 5,530,000 in 1853, 4,850,000 in 1875, 4,280,000 in l«7(i, 4.240,000 in 1877, ami 4,210,000 in I«7S. The figures for lb"; may have been published, Imfc if so, tlw.v arc not now within reach. Our ship yards are now building fc ,v«r vessels than at any time sinoa 1547, exoupt just before and in the early year.i of the Civil War. In tho six yens from 1552 to 1857 inclusivo wo never built less than 300,000 toas and on an averago 400,0i)U a year, rising in 1*55 to sS : .tyl()o tons. During the" lasl throe rears wo have averasjoil 20.3,000 tons, falling in 1877 to 170,000, less than it was when the Uuion had not half its present population. Before the Civil War two-thirds of the vessels entering American sea ports worn Americanj now, only ono-third; and whereas in 1804 the aggregate tonnage of foreign steamers visiting American ports was only 730,000, now it is 4,170,000. Last summer, J. G. Blaine, in a speech before tho Now York Chamber of Commerce, said:

"la 18-.C-7, Great Britain, the leading oonunerciid nation of the world, had only 950,000 tons engaged iu trade between the. United Slates and that Kingdom. She lias 5.i!00,000 tons new. Germany then had but 160,000 ions; this last year she had 050,000 tuns. Norway and -wedca, twenty years ago, had in trade between this country and 4h.-irnv.-n Iml 20,000 tons. J.a-r year's reports show thai, 1 hey had 8"i»,oi)0. Even Austria, penned up with a limited seaboard as she is, had in eeuua uve with us, twenty years ago, net u vessel of le-r own. Inn last vear she had no less than, I'juem t.ais. And 1 might go on thus through the ivhole list. In this mighty decrease of our tonnage from -1,-!O0,000 to GOO.GOO lons, iu about eleven years, the United States h.-.s gone backwards. * * * In the last ten years the value of tho products carried between ibis country and foreign eountrio; has exceeded ■511.000,000 a year, nut of the carrying of which somebody lias made one per'cent, of 9110,000,000 per an-iuni—a sum far larger than the ii.t .-rest of the public debt. And who has made this money? France. England. Germany ovorvbody excepting the United States. Think of "it : S! 10,000,000 in gold coin has gone out. of tho commerce of this country into the commerce of other countries." This remarkable decrease in American shipping is not caused by a decline in the country's production, which has inreased with wonderful speed. The tons of our exports numbered J.'iOO.OOO in ISliiJ, and 11,000,000 in IS7M. There is no peculiar aversion among the Americans to marine pursuits ; our supply of materials ne ■ i id in ship-building is nut exhausted, and we do not know where to go to iin ! tho cause j of the decav <>[ this groat brunch of ' national industry, unless it is iu the j laws. It is admitted that the vast tribute j paid to foreign ship-owners v,: : r ,: !,<• ' much reduced by repealing or nuioadhi ' . that clause of our navigation law, ado] :..-.; j in lSl'.l, providing that no ■. e , ■: .••!, ill he j entitled io .American registration, unless 1 built in the United Stab-; ■ i. ,: :;. • ship- j builders ohp-t, a:- I -ay !!;.-: indu-'r,- 1- ] olh r imiu'.'.ie ; !.;. '.:. ■ Ar.icri a : ; \r:\' , ■'The unlimited right to purchase, as! under tho l-higlisli statutes, sliou'd be extended to vessels as well as to other ooinmodili:; ,unda I ■ -.- ia i:.:•'*]a n :■■.: i r.;. s -\ uponthepnyinent of duties, sh mid be allowed them on importation." Prudence would dictate that tho change should be made gradually, extending the privilege of registration fo vessels of not less than 500 tons, so as to give American ship-builders exclusive privilege of supplying the small craft needed in the con-ting trade. No vessel can be used in our coasting trade unless of American registration." and American ship-owners do'imt. want to buy foreign vessels for foreign trade exclusively, as there might come- times when the' only profitable .cargoes offering would bo between domestic ports. Two pamphlets have recently been published in new editions on the decline of American shipping. John Codmnn, in "Pice Ships," argues for the American registration of foreign - built ships too huge for the average coasting trad", and says tho maintenance of the present exclusion would continue to do more and more injury, for he says the British iron ships are cheaper than ours, and, besides, the British maritime laws generally are preferable. He says: •' It is known there is a line of steamers under the British (bur employed in the service of tho Control Pacific Railroad between San Francisco and China. Who* General Colton, the bile President of the Occidental and Oriental StoainsliinC'oinpiiny, wns living, two vcars ngo, I united him for his couutennnco and support in tho free ship enterprise, lie declined, and gave me these Batthfactory . Ho said ; 'Wo virtually mvn thoso ships; that is, wo have the privileged' huyii g them if thev can bu put under tho American flag; but as we only desire to use then, in the China trade, we prefer to keep them as they are. It is cheaper to charter tbetn «nd pay their owners n handsome profit, than it would ho to own them ourselves. The liritish laws pertaining t" suitors iiru more boneOceut thnn ours, Sail i iu I leir •■•!•- vice an' not so generally owns '•■ ippwg connnis-ioiicrs and landlord us thej are in ours. There Is not the same difficulty in dlsehnißlng them.in foreta porta as there isinouiM-ervhe. The Brill ill I eusiil* are not robb. *s on a tour years' raid. In fact,] liittto j» «*■«') advantage, m oaihna men

idrips under the British dag. Ami then, don't you know that with us ships are personal property, liable t,i taxation, like all personal proporty, whether it is profitable or not ? In Englaud, on tho contrary, ships are not taxed; but if the owner makes a profit lie pays an income tax merely on this i ■ it!:, not on the ship; and if there is a lu-s 10 pays nothing, while the American pays .•'1 tli- SitlttO anyway. No, your free-ship | chimin does not interest us.' Wo prefer to j \m ■ :'..• advantages of the Flritisli flag!'" i 11- mry Bali, in hi., pamphlet entitled ! American Navigation, nignos that tho admission <■!' foreign - built ships to American registration would destroy the :sh, - iuilh ..: :nd,l."tv of the lioed ;:•: ite.s; hut the fact that his policy ha; jivvii maintain-.! now f..,- thirty yoai*, 1 and that the result lias been most disasi cious to American shipping and eom- . meree dees not nrgim well for his side. ! Whatever the interests of Maine or i Massachusetts inav bo, wo feel confident Unit it would be'better for California, ; and oven for Oregon and Washington j Territory, which are destined to bo the chief centres of American ship-building j on the Pacific, that ships, at least those j of more than Ci'M tons, should bo free.— Alia, California,