Speech #450031419

Mr. Cragin. of New Hampshire. then chairman of the Committee on Naval Affairs in the Senate. on the 6th day of February. 1873. made a carefully considered speech on this floor in which he said that we were paying annually to the ships of foreign nations then from $75.000.000 to $80.000.000 a year. During the year 1873 the number of immigrants brought by foreign ships to the United States from Europe exceeded four hundred and fifty thousand. and the number of steerage passengers carried by them from the United States exceeded fifty thousand. These at $35 each make $10.500.000. while the average of firstclass passengers going and returning was astertamed by careful investigation. as Mr. Cragin stated. to be 86.829. at an average of $110 each. making over$9B500.000. Thus it will be seen from the statement of the President to Congress as to the amount paid for freights and from equally reliable data as to the amount paid by passengers to and from the United States that foreign nations made $100.000.000 out of our trade in 1873. and they are making more now. the immigration has fallen off but the freight carried by them has increased. The official reports show thatThe total exports from the United States for the year 1877 were val. ned at ............... .. ...................... $8676.115.818 Imports fat the year were valued at ................................ 49. 090. 406 Total ......................................................... J. 168. 206.224 Of these foreign ships carriedOf exports .......................................................... $515.104.205 Of imports .......................................................... 39. 505.992 Total ....................................................... 844.670.200 While substantially all the passengers from Europe to America and from America to Europe are carried in foreign steamers. the profitable firstclasspassengor business has rather increased than diminished since 1873. so that they are nowy collecting from our traffic somewhere about $100.000.000 a year. as I stated.