XXII. TRADE. TRANSPORTATION AND COMMUNICATION GROVER G. HUEBNER MERCHANT MARINE Tonnage Afloat.-The free-ship law cessors could not be effected without Inof Aug. 24, 1912 (Panama Canal Act, quiry, as the number of American deck officers who within recent years have Sec. 5), has not been in effect suffi- brought American steamships into forciently long to exert a widespread eign ports, except those in our vicinity, effect upon the deep-sea tonnage flyingly, is a matter requiring time in the is not large. The change of flag, according the American flag. It was not case of vessels now afloat. expected that any great number of foreign-built vessels would be registered in the United States immediately after its enactment. Only modern vessels of foreign construction, not over five years old, may be reg. istered under this law, and all the watch officers of such vessels are required to be American citizens. As stated by the U. S. Commissioner of Navigation: The latest official statistics of the total documented merchant fleet of the United States are for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1912, at which time the free-ship law had not been enacted. The gross tonnage of the registered marine, however, witnessed an increase from 872,671 tons in 1911 to 932,101 tons in 1912. The tonnage of the enrolled fleet remained the previous year, and, as is shown in as it was in practically the same the following table, the total documented merchant marine grew from 7,638,790 to 7,714,183 gross tonnage: Enrolled Vessels Year Ending June 30 1900. 1,330 826,694 13.786 4,239,569 8,217 98,576 23,333 5,164,839 1905 954,513 14,126 6,456,543 1,372 Of the aggregate documented gross tonnage of the Pacific Coast and tonnage, 5,179,858 comprised steam- Great Lakes. At the ports of the Aters, 1,538,847 sailing vessels, 922,911 lantic and Gulf coasts, however, there barges, and 72,567 canal boats. In has been a brisker demand for ships, accordance with the past tendency with a resulting increase from 3,559,the sailing tonnage continued its de- 885 to 3,625,525 gross tonnage. On cline, while the steam and barge June 30, 1912, the documented mertonnage slowly increased in volume. chant fleet was distributed among Geographical Distribution. There the various geographical divisions and was little change in the documented classes of vessels as follows: GEOGRAPHICAL SAILING STEAM CANAL BARGES TOTAL No. Tons No. Tons No. Tons No. Tons No. Tons Atlantic and Gulf. 6,599 1,026,631 7,677 1,864,762 214 24,359 2,384 709,773 16,874 3,625,525 Porto Rico... 89 7,032 Pacific Coast.. Hawaii.. Northern Lakes.. 579 271,013 14 909 35 12,437 Western Rivers... 103 7,941 1,092 99,799 4,254 963,319 47 21,494 2,269 2,575,914 451 48,208 344 100,688 3,367 2,949,924 1,687 133,329 196 12,651 1,883 145,980 |7,582|1,538,847 14,265 5,179,858| 665 72,567 4,016 922,911 26,528 7,714,183 CUSTOMS 1911 Total........ The aggregate documented tonnage, turns of these vessels have been made was distributed among the leading since 1906, at which time the United customs districts in 1911 and 1912 States Census Office reported a total as follows: of 19,497 vessels, with a gross tonnage of 6,579,402 tons. A more detailed statement was made in the YEAR BOOK for 1910 World's Merchant total merchant fleet of the entire world as reported by Lloyd's Register increased from 43,147,154 tons in 1911 to 44,600,677 in 1912 and 46,970,113 in 1913. These returns are only ap proximate, for they exclude vessels of less than 100 tons, and they state the gross tonnage of steamers, while the tonnage of the world's sailing fleet is given in terms of net tonnage. Moreover, they take no account of the widely varying tonnage measurement rules which prevail in the different nations, the registered tonnage of the vessels of different flags being accepted as stated in their official tonnage certificates. Perth Amboy 1,670,141 895,286 864,398 908,509 916,087 532,653 522,951 276,866 285,091 304,107 287,037 212,995 251,362 232,099 232,380 278,534 281,519 177,071 177,721 127,156 128,659 The statistics concerning documented tonnage particularly understate the real number and tonnage of barges, which have become of great importance in the trade of the Atlantic Coast. Undocumented Craft.-A considerable portion of the American merchant marine consists of undocument- The number and gross tonnage of ed vessels not included in the above the world's steam vessels is itemized statistical returns. No reliable re- in the following table: THE WORLD'S MERCHANT MARINE, STEAM VESSELS ONLY (Lloyd's Register) Relative Position of American Deep concretely the declining position of the Sea Shipping.-On the basis of the American flag in the foreign trade as value of exports and imports, 9.4 per compared with the past. It is the cent. of the country's foreign trade hope of Congress that the adoption of was carried in American vessels in the free-ship policy will gradually the fiscal year 1912, as compared with reverse the tendency which has pre8.7 per cent. in the previous two vailed in the American marine for years. The following table indicates over 50 years. the last three years, and the total entrances and clearances of American ships engaged in the foreign trade has increased from 19,446,233 tons in 1911 to 27,017,375 in 1913. The official returns of entrances On the basis of vessel entrances and clearances, 26.5 per cent. of the shipping in the foreign trade was conducted in American vessels in 1913, as compared with 25 per cent. in 1912 and 23 per cent. in 1911. The American proportion has increased during clearances since 1900 are as follows: ENTRANCES AND CLEARANCES IN FOREIGN TRADE and This was divided among the leading Atlantic and Gulf seaboard and in ports as follows: PORT New York.. Lake Ports, etc. Philadelphia. San Francisco. Norfolk and Portsmouth. Portland, Me.. Pensacola.. Savannah. Sabine.. Newport News. Pearl River.. Los Angeles. Entered Cleared Europe. In view of the returns up to Nov. 30, 1912, the Commissioner of Navigation estimated a possible output of 400,000 tons for the fiscal 12,666,337 13,586,007 year 1913. Meanwhile the shipyards 3,069,111 1,900,308 of Great Britain and Germany have 2,883,975 2,274,625 also been unusually busy. 14,464,161 14,370,619 2,545,241 2,766,775 Vessel Accidents and Tonnage De1,593,794 1,900,038 stroyed.-The loss to vessels and cargo 1,443,767 1,881,693 due to vessel accidents in American 1,007,796 1,270,736 waters was less in the fiscal year 638,883 689,806 369,205 289,028 291,627 50,850 586,269 521,175 1912 than during the two preceding 314,533 Tonnage Built.-During the fiscal year 1912, 1,505 vessels, of 232,669 gross tonnage, were built and documented in the United States. As is shown in the following table, this is somewhat less than the tonnage built in the previous year: Thirty-eight of the vessels built and documented in 1912 were vessels of 1,000 gross tons and over, and had a combined gross tonnage of 115,789. The steel tonnage of the year comprised 135,881 gross tons, as compared with 201,973 in 1911 and 250,624 in 1910. Of the total gross tonnage, steamers comprised 153,493 tons, barges 54,977, sailing vessels 21,221, and canal boats 2,978. Official returns for the year 1913 are not as yet available, but the outlook on the seaboard was "the most promising in ten years." The demand for shipping has been brisk on the The world's greatest marine accident during 1913 was the burning of the steamship Volturno, of the Uranium Line, during a severe storm on Oct. 10. The vessel and cargo were total losses, and 136 lives were lost. Had it not been for the successful use of wireless telegraphy all persons aboard would probably have perished. The wireless call brought the speedy assistance of 11 vessels, which saved the lives of 521 persons. The arrival of an oil tank steamer made possible the use of large quantities of oil, which greatly facilitated the launching of boats in an otherwise dangerous sea. "Volturno" Disaster.-The States in the matter of free tolls on American vessels engaged in coastwise business. Discussion of that clause of the Panama Canal Act has been temporarily overshadowed by the widespread interest in tariff and currency legislation. The British Government has not recently urged its complaint, but it is thought that this inactivity is but temporary. (See also I, American History; and III, International Relations.) Ship Subsidies and Mail Payments. -The total amount paid by the United States Government for handling the foreign mails in the fiscal year 1912 was $3,195,883, as compared with $3,315,349 in 1911. The mail subsidies paid under the Mail Contract Act of March 3, 1891, amounted to $983,160, as compared with $1,079,945 in the previous fiscal year, the reduction being due to the suspension of the service between San Francisco and Tahite, and to 14 sailings blanked on the route between New York and Southampton. Under a new contract a second-class mail service was est-blished between San Francisco and Sydney, Australia, via Honolulu and Pago Pago, the Oceanic Steamship Co. beginning the service on July 1, 1912. No action has been taken by Congress to increase the mail subsidies paid in the United States. The recent policy has been rather to aid American ships in other ways. The new Tariff Act contains a provision granting a discount of 5 per cent. on the duties imposed on goods, wares, or merchandise imported in vessels of American registry, provided, however, that nothing in the clause shall be construed to abrogate the provision of any treaty with any foreign power. The exact meaning of this provision being indefinite, its application depends upon its interpretation by the Treasury Department, which has ordered customs officials to collect full duties on all imports. (See also I, American History.) No further action has been taken by either Great Britain or the United The clause in the Panama Canal Act and in the new Tariff Act, extending the right to import shipbuilding materials free of duty to all branches of American shipping, has thus far had little effect, because the relative prices of steel plates in the United States and abroad have been unfavorable to importation into the United States. Panama Measurement Rules. — As stated in the YEAR BOOK for 1912 (p. 528), the Panama Canal Act of Aug. 24, 1912, authorized the President to fix canal tolls and to promulgate measurement rules. A schedule of tolls was accordingly announced on Nov. 14, 1912, the tolls on all merchant vessels, subject to charges, being based upon their net tonnage, "each 100 cu. ft. of actual earning capacity" (A. Y. B., 1912, p. 529). The measurement rules according to which the net tonnage of all merchant vessels passing through the canal shall be ascertained have since then been formulated, and have been promulgated by the executive order of Nov. 26, 1913. The Panama measurement rules, which have been distributed among the admeasurers of the various shipping nations in order that vessels may be provided with Panama measurement certificates, aim to disclose a net tonnage which fairly represents a vessel's earning capacity, that is, its cubical contents available for the carriage of freight and passengers. They endeavor to treat fairly the ships of all flags and of all types of construction. Since the measurement rules of the several nations understate real net tonnage, discriminate between different types of vessels, and contain other defects, they are unsatisfactory as the basis for Panama Canal tolls. |