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Selections: Cost Of The Navy

Selections: Cost Of The Navy image
Parent Issue
Day
28
Month
July
Year
1845
Copyright
Public Domain
OCR Text

A writer m lije Chrisiian Ciüzen has a lonr artirle n-proof of thc posiliou tliat tlie animal cosí of the ÜVury is grtuler íhan all the profiis of our Commerce. We mnke ihe fullovving extracl on account of ihe lacts it con tiiins. "The np.t nnswcrto our qnnstion,- nnd it iIip niiswer ilie must relied upon, - is, a nuvy ueeck'il for the prolpciion of coiumorcc - C'diiiinerce ís the interchnne of morcliandiz1, Ilie circulation tliroiiphout tlie worid of ihe convoniences and luxnries of Iife. it sup[)!:e.the Uiji'ed Sfaies witli t he p oduciions of oïher coii'tries, nnd furnishes other counirier vvttli the surplus jrónds ot' uur nwtl. We do not uniierrnle tlie value of cmnmerce. It buililt un ourrities. It supplies many wnnts. It accimnilntes capital, nnd ftimulates the productivo indiistry of our citizens. B;it, our country could h-ive all tliis ptofitable eonimsrce. without oivninfj a single ton of shipping, without, one sail on ihe oceun, boarincr tho stars and stripei. Foreign vcsse's vvould cnrry on our freigbling !s wel], a.clienply, as our ovn,and du ihoir own fighling, if nghl'mg is neccssary 10 protrct tiiosn. The ciirri mj trniip is a distinct b ranch of l.u.-iness. The owning of. hips hns no necessnry connexion wiili commerce, more tlian carlina or wagoning Ims wuh the mercliant't; purcijase? and hm les.Already, nenrly half of the merchandizo importcd into, and oxpurtcd from, the Unied State., is carried hy foreiyn vgssels. In 1S43, the rpportion of foreign tQnnnge employed by our commerce to American rpnnagPj was us 500,100 to 1, 200,000 tone. During 'he present yenr, in four of onr cotton ports, thero w-re, ai one time, 150 forpign hips, to three Imndred Americjin; the.tunnnee of the forein snips, beinjf larger vessels, ulinost equajled the tinnnge of the American. Of all llie foroign arrivals at Bos on, in theyear 1844, liali (tl)o' sma!l vessels ponera lly) were Briiih vessel?, and nt oiher Easiern ports, esisted the same state of hings. The ships of northern Ku - ropo have the bulk of the exports from New York, to that part of Europn. Th? tobáceo f Virginia, the Coffte of Cuba, the oil ofonr whüle ships, go nstinlly on board of these ves seis; ud foreign vessels bávf been churtercJ or employed by onr own merchunls for their East India v;yages.If we bad not a single ship, wo coiild reccivr or send awav oll the goods which, in the prosecution of commcrciol business, ré required to be receivcd or sent away. This, too, at t'uir prices of frcight; for so rapid can he made the increase of ships, that goods will always be freighted at the lowest possible price, and ns e.xperieuce thus far has manifest - ed, t li)ver prices in foreig.i vessels than in ;he ves.sels of tlie Uniied States. From tliib cansí', wi: ure i ov rapidly Jusing1 toe einploynieut o! our ellips; thpyare nol nbleto enconnter tbn foreign couipetition. We certainly, therefore, need no navy for the protection of commerce. It will, )o(vever, besaid, that if the navy is not needed for the protection of commurce, n ia mr the protection of our navigation; tht having fnerchant ehipa aö'Juf, thJrcjir theivy. Let us compare ilie coat of the nuvy vil li the prufiis of the navigation intereet vhich ït is alr to protect. The a'nnna] cxpenditure for our nav)r for the ast few years hae been:d expense of Navy Drparluienl 8i0,000 00 three niillionn, four hundred (hoosand nüar, a pum mnch larper thnn tlie prolits of ur navigötion for the same portion nf time, as very ship-owncr will rendily ndtnit. From aofEciol leport, we ascorlam thnt the expeniture (ncluding the first coát and repairs and rrnoruetu) for the ship oftlie line 'Dcluware,' s Sl051,ü00: for the 'Cohimbus,' G7 1,000; or the 'Pennsylvania,' .784,000; for the Ohio,' S843.000; for the 'North Carolina,' 812,000. The average coat of a line ofThe expendhure hns been, for the fripate 'Potomac,' ■J5L7,OOO; for the 'Macedonian," 269,000; for the Brandy wine.' $699,000; for the 'Columbia," $398 000.The average expense of ench g'in lhi:s carried, as we say, uselessly over the ocean, for one year, aniounls lo abont $15,000. Novv, admitting the profit of an American ship to be four thousand doüare prr annum, - and this mtc of profit would cover the ocean wuh ships=, - t wil! take ihe year's eainings of one Inindred ships to puy the expendituro necessary lo have a sloop of war, and to use lier for one yeiir; one hundred nnd fifi y chips fora frigate; ajid nèarly thee hundred ships for a line-ofbattle üliip; i. e. n lutle fieei ofa four, an,] friiraie and sloop requires five hundred and fifiy ships to do a pr ifitahle busines?, to earn sufficieut in a year lo build. repair andsail tliis fleet. Seventcen hundrtd mechnnt ships most bc profíiably eínjííoyed every year to earn the annml expcnsé'fl of onr navy, ïf every liip rléérs S'ÍOOO pT anrioin! We hnvé alioui l,0()0,f)00 tons shipping enjagPÖ in tfie Prcign trade, -.vhicli is i'Wo thuusanrl shipp, averatfintj five hundred tns caen. 'I he cost of tlus sliipping is ?G per tnn. T!ie ncttial vo up of oiir ruVrcahtile nnrine is nbont íf-10 per ton, lakíríg' tliem toether, new nnd oJd. TIj!j would müke the valué oí our shipping to be for'y tnillinns of tíollcrs, ibout rlo limes llie amnuil rost of our nuvy. Our nav ü.it ion, ihtrei'orc, must earn every yenr, or benefit the country 20 per cent. of i;s value, to pay for its protccMou by our navy. The ship-owner does not, upon nn nverape, one year with anollier, earn five per cent. beulde the interest on the capital employed. - Tbia eümate, - 5 per ernt. - would .ive two millions as the profit to the ovyners. The captains ofRcers, and Jlmerican seamen enir.'igeil in forei:!) trade, dn not leceive over linee milfions in waes. The increased vajue of American ship-biiilding m terials,pally timber, for the iron, copper. liemp and canvass are inostlv imported,) on nccount of ihe constructio of ships, does not exceed onv and ;i half milüons. The labor paid in shipbuilding is about one roiH'rin dollars. Allo gether, 6e vip n and a huif" inillions art ihe na tionul profit uf uur navigalion.. or about tljt' cost of the nuvy." We are informed thnt a forpipn ihip bron!ht goods fnm China lo New York al !&7 per ton freight, the average price in Aniertcon ships b -ing ovei 20 per ton.

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Subjects
Signal of Liberty
Old News