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Our Merchant Marine A Plan Outlined for its Upbuilding and its Great Benefit to the United States ; WIE following are some ideas that F may help others to look at the conditions of the shipping inter- ests of this country in connection with the world at large, and I hope may be the means of leading more able men to force the American ship upon the seas in great numbers. When a ship is made it is the nearest thing to life that man can create, and it becomes an agent for the country to which it belongs; and, for a large ship, the average owner- ship is more than ten persons to one ship, so that if this ship is .made.to trade from its own country to other countries, there is more than ten agents created when the ship is built. The following table of the world's shipping, by Statistician Mulhall, will give some idea of the numerous agents some of the countries must have to hunt up trade for so many ships, the probable average size of the ships, included in this table being less than 3,000 tons each: Tons carry- ing power. Ratio TSH ee ee is 27,720,000 56.6 Dcandinavian: 005 45 4,240,000 8.8 Retina 88 3,870,000 8.0 Bred Vic 2,410,000 a9 Pe ae. 2;020,000 4.2 Emited States 2... 5. 1,680,000 3.4 alan oe oo 1,410,000 2.8 MGSia te ys 1,280,000 2.4 Matos 7 oe eo: 4,280,000 8.9 ee ae "48,840,000 100.0 American's Small Tonnage It will be observed by this table that we have only about. 31%4 per cent of the world's tonnage belonging to this great country and the most of that is employed in our coasting trade, which no foreign vesesl can do, and that part which is employed in for- eign trade is either running at a loss Or under some _ peculiar advantages, such as the few sailing ships that Carry cargo from the east coast to the west coast of the United States (protected trade), and then go from there foreign with grain, lumber or Products of our west coast, so as to Set back again to the east coast, gen- erally in an indirect way. And it is in the protected part of the voyage. Usually the only profit is made. Lately, on our Pacific coast, my at- tention was called to the lumber trade that is carried on between Puget Sound ports and South Africa and other foreign countries, where there were two American steamers of about 4,000 tons capacity each that would liked to have carried some of this foreign product, but could not take the low rates offered, when in came two English tramp steamers of about 6,000 tons capacity each and _ took away cargoes of this lumber. I got the wages paid on these different steamers, and when it is known that the United States steamers, although they may be smaller, cost more than the large foreign steamers, and when the following comparative list of wages paid on each is taken into con- sideration, the. matter is easily ex- plained. The trade belongs to the English tramp steamer, the American ship not being in it as far as. foreign trade is concerned. - Comparative Scale of Wages The following is the comparative scales of wages paid: American tramp steamer of about 4,000 tons: Captain; per month. 2145555 es $200.00 Mate, per month. 2% cca sere tc 90.00 Second mate, per month.............. 60.00 Eight: sailors, $35: per month...7 1. 3... 280.00 Chief engineer, per month............ 150.00 First 'assistant, per month............ 90.00 Second assistant, per month........... 80.00 Third' assistant, per month............ 70.00 Three oilers, $50 per month........... 150.00 Six firemen, $50 per month........... 300.00 Six coal passers, $40 per month...... 240.00 And others, in all 34 men, and, if on a very long voyage, according to United States gov- ernment and union sailors' requirements, third mate and one or two more men must be fur- nished. Provisions per day per man, about 75 cents, British tramp steamer of about 6,000 tons: Captain, per month .....-.........:.. $ 90.00 Mate, per month ..........-+..-..-5+: Second mate, per month.............. 35.00 Six sailors, $17.50 per month.......... 105.00 Chief engineer, per month............ 75.00 Second engineer, per month.......... 57.50 Third engineer, per month............ 38.00 Six firemen, $17.50 per month........ 105.00 And others, in all 26 men. Provisions per day per man cost about 34 cents. No oilers or coal passers carried. On the Atlantic coast the difference is not so great, because there is more shipping and more foreigners in port to draw from. Now let us look at the men who build the ships and the wages paid in European shipyards and in the yards of this country, and you will see why the difference of first cost. The salaries paid to the office and designing force is about double the salaries paid in European -- ship- yards. The following is a comparative list By Capt. Alexander McDougall of wages paid in British and Ameri- _ can shipyards: Rate of wages paid per week, British. American. Pattern. "makers, . 15.22: $9.00 $18.00 Machinists 2.5 ei 8.50 15.00 Rinveters. shoe ee 7.50 12.00 Caulkers and chippers..... 7.80 15.00 Beam and angle smith.... 8.40 15.00 Higlders;' On; ose. 4.20 9.00 Bitters up: p03 7.80 15.00 Ship carpenters' #25 23,, 9.60 18.00 OUNCES. 0 oe 9.00 16.50 PAMteES eee ee 9.60 18.00 Ship shed machine men... 7.20 15.00 Mutnace: men (oe it) a, 6.00 10.80 RUS Gers ee a 720 11.00 DDers sae ee ee 6.40 11.00 Sheet iron workers........ 8.50 15.00 Gopper- smiths... ae: 8.60 18.00 Molders; iron 30) 9.00 14.50 Molders, -brass. 4-345 9.00: 15.00 Wiaborers. .scsieen se 4.20 8.50 To build a good merchant ship for all the world trade in the United States at the present time will cost about one-half more than in Great Britain. Thus, a steamship that would cost $300,000 in the United States would cost but $200,000 in Great Britain, so that for the life of that ship there would be $15,000 yearly in favor of the British ship, as follows: Insurance, 614 per cent; interest, 414 per cent; depreciation, 4 per cent, on the $100,000 difference in first cost. Then would come the difference in operating expenses, crew, shore management, insurance, foreign agency and exchange, all of which we are not well skilled in its manipulation, which would amount to nearly as much as the. difference. in first "cost: 'all 6F which does at first look very dis- couraging to us, but a plan suggested later on may help us to overcome part or all this great difference. Too Many Frills Different shipping bills have introduced in Congress in the last ten years, but some or most of them have been loaded with frills and re- quirements of classification, societies, speed, etc. all of which would after- ward usually take care of itself, if the. proper assistance was at first given by our government to help us introduce our own skill at sea and to the world, and I- think it can be done, and at the same time maintain higher wages than paid in any other country, both on manufacturing and shipping. More than $200,000,000 is paid to foreigners yearly to do our been