The Daily News WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 11, 1904. AMERICAN MERCANTILE MARINE.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVII, Issue 7709, 11 January 1905, Page 2

The Daily News WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 11, 1904. AMERICAN MERCANTILE MARINE.

■ A Commission set up in the Lnivei) j. States to consider and recommend legislation lor the development oi the American mercantile marine has just presented its report to the House of Keprescntativcs. As was , to, 'be expected, the report recommends a great extension of the subsidy system. It goes further, by suggesting a tonnage tax on foreign vessels, and the establishment of a naval volunteer service. When, aibout a year ago Mr A. 1\ of Massachusetts, moved the bill for setting up this Commission, he lucid- . ly and concisely stated the various methods. that have been suggested for the attainment of the object he" was setting forth as mcjst > desirable, his enumeration being as follows : 1. The repeal of the United States ■ navigation laws ; 2. discriminative duties ; 3. discriminative tonnage rates ; 4. export bounties ; 5. Go--1 vernuient a«l to ship-building'; l>. mail subsidies. The history of American shipping is a striking one. • A hundred i years ago the Lnited States had shipping to the amount of 600,000 tons engaged in the foreign trade. At the outbreak of the ' civil war it had grown to 2,500,000 tons. To-day It has shrunk to less than 5)00,000 tons. A hundred years ago the foreign commerce of the : United States amounted to 150,000,- ■ OOOdol ; to-day it amounts to 2,000 L ooo,ooodol, or over thirteen t times as much. If the seagoing shipping had increased in the same pro,if portion as the foreign commerce, the Lnitt'd States should to-day have over 11,000,000 tons ,of registered vessels, instead of a beggarly 900,- - 000 One hundred years ago American bottoms carried over 85 per cent, of the foreign commerce of the country; now they carry less than 9 per cent. This is a shite of things that must be galling to J American patriotism and inimical to American interests. The iirst remedy suggested by Mi- (Jardmer—the re- '» peal of the. navigation laws—has Ween often urged, but has never been approved by the .Legislature. These ; laws are designed to encourage American shipbuilding; and though they have failed in their object they 1 are in accord with the protective policy that still finds favour in the States. To make them effective, the a policy of subsidies has to be added. Apparently there is every expectation that the Commission's recomr memla'tions will be adopted, for it is stated- that ten new steamship linos are contemplated. tnder the navigation laws, a contemporary points out, these steamers will have to bo - built in the States, so 'that the immediate restolt will be a considerable fillip to industry, while ultimately the policy will lead to the building up of a great mercantile marine. British shipowners will most keenly feel the effects of the coming change, which will accentuate the need for 8 measures being adopted to preserve L " British industry and commerce. Thus, indirectly, the new American policy may have the effect of stimulating tliu movement in favour of preferential trade.