One aspect of our foreign trade is not so well understood as it ought
to be. Our foreign commerce is carried on largely in foreign ships.
The reason is that no vessel is allowed to be registered as belonging
to a United States owner unless she is built in the United States, and
it therefore seems as if our ship-builders could not compete (in
price) in the building of steel and iron ships with those of Great
Britain and Germany. Formerly, when wooden ships were used, our
foreign trade was carried on in our own vessels, and our "clipper"
sailing vessels beat the world. In 1859 seventy per cent. in value of
our foreign trade was carried in American vessels. Since that date the
proportion has decreased steadily until in 1896-97 it was only eleven
per cent., and for 1897-98 it was even less than this. During the five
years 1881-85 it averaged barely twenty per cent. Taking into
consideration tonnage only the proportion at present varies from
twenty five to thirty per cent., showing that the American vessels are
used for carrying the cheaper sorts of goods. The aggregate tonnage
burden of vessels belonging to the United States registered as engaged
in the foreign trade 1896 was for 792,870 tons. For the same year the
aggregate tonnage burden of vessels belonging to Great Britain
engaged in the foreign trade was considerably more than ten times that
amount. Of our export trade to Europe United States vessels carry only
five and one half per cent., and of our export trade to Africa only
four and one half per cent. But of our export trade to Asia and
Oceanica our own vessels carry twenty six and one half per cent.,
while of our export trade to other countries on the American continent
our own vessels carry nearly forty per cent. But as our Atlantic trade
is seventy six per cent. of the whole, and as our trade elsewhere than
on the Atlantic is more than one third carried by sailing-vessels, it
is evident how largely our steamship ocean carrying trade has been
allowed to fall into the hands of foreigners. Seven tenths of our
total export trade, and nearly two thirds of our total foreign trade,
both export and import, are carried in British vessels. The next
greatest carriers of our foreign trade are, first, the Germans, then
ourselves, then the Norwegians, then the Dutch, then the French, then
the Belgians.