--------------
Total | 10,998 | 13,988,508
| |
United States of }| |
America, including }| 3,010 | 2,465,387
Great Lakes }| |
| |
Danish | 796 | 511,958
French | 1,182 | 1,242,091
German | 1,676 | 2,453,334
Italian | 1,150 | 875,851
Japanese | 841 | 533,381
Norwegian | 2,528 | 1,694,230
Russian | 1,218 | 643,527
Spanish | 701 | 608,885
Swedish | 1,408 | 605,991
All other | |
countries | 2,672 | 2,050,385
+-------------------+-----------------------
Total | 28,180 | 27,673,528
----------------------+-------------------+-----------------------

The part played by technical improvements in the maintenance of our
present position cannot be over-estimated; for that position, such as it
is, is not due to any inherent permanent advantages possessed by this
country. Time was when our mercantile marine was severely threatened by
competition from foreign states. To quote the most recent example, about
the middle of last century the United States of America fought a
well-contested struggle with us for the carrying trade of the world.
Shortly after the abolition of the navigation laws, the competition was
very severe, and United States ships had obtained almost exclusive
possession of the China trade, and of the trade between Europe and North
America, and in the year 1850 the total tonnage of the shipping of the
States was 3,535,434, against 4,232,960 tons owned by Great Britain. The
extraordinary progress in American mercantile shipbuilding was due, in
part, to special circumstances connected with their navigation laws, and
in part to the abundance and cheapness of excellent timber; but, even
with these advantages, the Americans would never have been able to run
such a close race with us for the carrying trade of the world, had it
not been for the great technical skill and intelligence