Of the total tonnage constructed in 1909 136,923 gross tons were built This was divided among the lead- of steel. Thirty-one vessels, moreing ports as follows: Cleared. Tons. over, had a tonnage of over 1,000 tons each, and comprised 117,499 of Of the total tonnage constructed. the aggregate tonnage built 148,208 tons were steam vessels, 58,640 Tons. 11,866,413 barges, 28,950 sailing vessels, and 8,572,425 2,292 canal boats. 1,981,812 The year 1909 was far below the normal, and the great shipyards on 2,068,824 the seaboard were largely dependent 1,339,337 on government contracts for the con868,937 struction of war ships. In the fiscal 666,384 year 1910 there has been a revival of commercial work. On July 1, 1909, 333,032 tons were under contract and 345,573 construction, 168,848 of which being 448,390 merchant, and 164,184 government 332,818 vessels. It is expected that the out344,905 put of the year 1910 will exceed 301,293 325,000 tons. 1,102,226 1,102,479 San Francisco. 905,596 Mobile. 603,129 Norfolk and Ports mouth. 165,525 Pensacola. Key West.. Savannah. 347,160 357,045 221,494 611,616 48,352 154,408 38,196,481 Steamers, Size and Speed.-The size 1,964,488 and speed of ocean-going steamers flying the United States flag vary so greatly that any average is misleading. The largest American registered steam vessel is still the Minnesota, built at New London, Conn., in 1904-05. It is 630 feet long, seventythree feet six inches beam, fifty-six Tonnage Built.-During the fiscal year 1909 1,247 vessels of 238,090 gross tons were constructed in American shipyards as follows: feet in depth, and has a gross ton- | ranged from 4,000 to 9,000 tons. The nage of 20,718 tons. On June 30, 1909, the registered fleet contained but eight other steamships with a gross tonnage in excess of 10,000 tons. A large number, however, largest steel steamers under construction in 1910 ranged from 4,000 to 7,500 gross tons. The maximum size of American ocean steamships is far less than that of Great Britain and 209,628 Duluth. San Francisco. Puget Sound. Boston.. Philadelphia. Baltimore Buffalo Creek, N. Y. Undocumented 206,231 Relative Decline of American Deep251,307 sea Shipping. In the fiscal year 1909 166,370 but 9.5 per cent of the foreign trade 102,619 of the United States was carried in Craft.-A consid- American vessels, as compared with erable portion of the American mer- from 66.5 per cent to 92.5 per cent chant marine consists of undocument- prior to the Civil War. The decline ed craft. Such craft consisted chiefly of the American deep-sea marine is of "yachts, harbor craft, canal boats, shown in the following table: Nationality. The nationality of the | cleared at American ports in the year leading foreign vessels entered and ending June 30, 1909, was as follows: Total Shipping in Foreign Trade | ports in the year ending June 30, entered and cleared at American 1909, was divided as follows: The sharp decline in 1909, as com pared with 1908, was due partly to local causes and partly to the gen eral business depression which affect 8,592,425 ed shipbuilding throughout the world 5,747,862 The output in 1908 was the largest 3,717,727 in our history, while that in 1909 was 39,058,138 38,196,481 the smallest since 1898. Of the total tonnage constructed in 1909 136,923 gross tons were built over, had a tonnage of over 1,000 tons each, and comprised 117,499 of Of the total tonnage constructed. the aggregate tonnage built 148,208 tons were steam vessels, 58,640 11,866,413 barges, 28,950 sailing vessels, and 8,572,425 2,292 canal boats. Germany. The Cunard Steamship Company operate two vessels of 32,500 gross tonnage, the Mauretania and Lusitania; and the Olympic and Titanic of the White Star Line, now under construction, each has a gross register of 45,000 tons. In the coastwise trade steamers of from 3,000 to 6,500 tons are considered large. A modern example is the Creole of the Southern Pacific Company's Atlantic fleet. It was built in 1907 with a gross tonnage of 6,387 and is 407 feet long, 53 feet beam, and 26 feet deep. On the Great Lakes the typical steamer of to-day is from 5,000 to 8,000 tons gross register. A good example is the Thomas F. Cole, of the Pittsburg Steamship Company. It is a bulk freighter constructed in 1907, with 605 feet 5 inches length, 58 feet beam, 32 feet depth, and 7,268 tons gross register. American mail subsidies are paid under the act of March 3, 1891, which empowers the postmaster general to make contracts running from five to ten years for the carriage of mails upon steamers of American register, officered by Americans, and manned by a crew at least one half of whom, after the first five years of the contract, must be composed of American citizens. Mail steamers are divided into four classes, according to their size, speed, and the materials of their structure. (2) The United States Government aids the merchant marine in various additional ways. (1) The tonnage duties are light. They, moreover, favor American vessels, inasmuch as there are no tonnage duties on vessels in the coastwise trade, and are three cents instead of the usual six cents on vessels in Caribbean waters. The speed of the largest American The various departments of the ocean-going steamers varies from 12 United States Government render to 21 knots per hour. In the fiscal invaluable assistance, chiefly the year 1909 the registered fleet con- coast survey, lighthouse service, tained two steamers with a speed of weather bureau, hydrographic office, 21 knots, four of 20 knots, six of 18, and life-saving service. (3) The eight of 17, fourteen of 16, thirty of shipbuilding industry is aided by 15, thirty-one of 14, thirty of 13, and (a) confining the coastwise trade to twenty-seven of 12 knots. All other American vessels; (b) confining registered vessels had either a ton- American registry to American-built nage of less than 2,000 tons or a vessels with certain exceptions; (c) speed of less than 12 knots. The permitting the importation of buildlargest lake steamers do not attaining materials free of duty in case of a high rate of speed as they are bulk freighters, constructed for capacity rather than for swiftness. Ship Subsidies and Mail Payments. -The total sum paid by the United States Government for mail pay in 1908 was $2,695,287. Of this $1,228,032 was paid to foreign ships. The total paid as "subsidies" under the act of 1891 was $1,189,204. The American Line received $737,332, the New York and Cuba mail $203,115, the American mail $105,667, Red "D" $105,128, and Oceanic $37,962. The American Line is paid $4 per mile for 20-knot steamers to Southampton; the New York and Cuba mail $1 for 16 to 18-knot steamers to Cuba and Mexico; the American mail and Red "D" $1 for 14-knot steamers to Jamaica and Venezuela (663 cents for two 12-knot vessels), and the Oceanic Line receives $1 per mile for one 14knot steamship to Tahiti. vessels which do not enter the coastwise trade for more than two months annually, and (d) giving heavy naval contracts to American shipyards. Foreign Subsidies.-American mail subsidies are small when compared with the subsidies paid by various foreign countries, as shown by the following data: FOREIGN SUBSIDIES AND OTHER AID $1,706,46 594,56 $2,301,02 $1,878,32 1,102,14 880,01 277,75 145,00 55,97 50,00 253,19 75,000 1,300,000 $46,907,220 677,734 The foreign subsidies take many 866,266 forms chief among them being (1) $3,872,917 mail subsidies, (2) shipping or navigation bounties, (3) naval subventions, (4) naval reserves, (5) fishing $1,858,186 bounties, (6) construction bounties, 1,291,826 (7) canal refunds, (8) trade subsidies, (9) state loans, (10) exemption from harbor dues, (11) pilotage refunds, $3,150,012 and (12) tariff refunds. |