SEASONS WHY BRITISH SHIPPING: HAS SUPERSEDED AMERICAN.

Wellington Independent, Volume XXVI, Issue 3213, 31 May 1871, Page 2

SEASONS WHY BRITISH SHIPPING: HAS SUPERSEDED AMERICAN.

" Morgan's Trade Journal" aays :•— " The causes of British shipping superseding American in the commerce of the globe are — 1. That England has been about ten years ahead of the United Stales in establishing steam navigation. 2. Tho policy of granting subsidies to ocean steam lines has been maintained by England from the beginning to the present time, and this policy lias contributed greatly to the success of her ocean steam marine. 3. Great Britain has an important advantage in its lower rate of interest, the consequence being that higher rates of profit are required in the United States from investments, 4. England has an advantage from the difference in its amounts of taxation levied and those in -the United States. 5. The greater cost of building ships in the United States. 6. The advantage possessed by British ships from the rebate of duty allowed on imported goods used on shipboard. 7. The direct and persistent opposition of certain foreign lines to American lines of steamers. These causes have decided tho fate of American shipping interests in a contest of equal privileges. In the establishment of the principles of maritime reciprocity between commercial nations, the United States took the lead by an Act of Congress in 1828, which proposed to all nations the adoption of the broadest relations of trade. England adhered to her exclusive maritime policy of Cromwell until 1819. Tho object of that policy wbb to meet the common wants of the shipping of all nations in the random trade pursued by sailing vessels. The greater portion of the American shipping sought freights in all the ports of the world, and often a vessel was thus engaged abroad for several years. This 13 rapidly changing. Steamers are superseding sailing vessels, and the latter can be profitably employed only on regular lines between large portß. Commerce is thus centreing at the great marts of trade, and the random trade formerly pursued by sailing vessels is broken up. As this random trade was the very object which the principles of American maritime laws were designed to promote, there is no doubt that in regard to steam navigation a change of policy is demanded by the totally changed condition of maritime affairs. The practical result of steam navigation thus far, under the principles of free shipping, is that England now enjoys almost a monopoly of the steam navigation of the world, and her power upon the ocean is as strong as when she overthrew the maritime power of Holland, and made herself the commercial mistress of the seas. Upon this point the most striking fact is that in American trade with Europe there are now engaged 133 steamers, of which 101 are British, and not one carries the American flag."