SCOTLAND.
DISTRESS OF THE -MONTROSE SHIPOWNERS.
At Montrose, on Wednesday last week, an influential body of ship- owners met Mr. Baxter, the Member for the burgh, in the council-room, in order to consult with him as to the measures necessary for redressing the grievances of the shipping interest. Mr. William Mitchell, ship. broker, occupied the chair ; the deputation appointed to meet Mr. Baxter comprised Provost Napier, Bernie Savage, Bnillie Greig, several members of the Town Council, and a number of shipowners, shipbrokers, and merchants. In a long address to Mr. Baxter, the Chairman stated that while the trade is at present in a ruinous condition, the British shipowner is losing ground in the competition to which he is exposed. The cause is not want of trade. The navigation returns show a great increase of foreign over British tonnage, though the returns are fallacious inasmuch as, by including steamboats, regular traders, and passenger-boats, they unduly swell the amount of British tonnage. In Sunderland, for in- stance, of 131 vessels which arrived last year from foreign ports, only 33 were British. This position Mr. Mitchell ascribed entirely to the repeal of the Navigation Laws unaccompanied by those reciprocal advantages from other countries which were promised.
"All foreign nations retain their own trade for their vessels, while, con- trary to the express stipulation of our government, they equally participate in ours. I may mention an instance of the working of the French navi- gation-laws that came under my notice. Three of our own vessels, carrying about 2,000 tons of sugars, were, two years ago, seeking charters in the Mau- ritius. Alongside of them were some French vessels. These got cargoes for different ports in France, at a freight of 100s. per ton, while our vessels had to take 288. and 308. per ton to England—making a difference of fully 7000/. upon these three vessels alone upon a voyage. Nor is this an ex- ceptional case ; it is simply an instance of the working of the present system. Has France conceded her trade to us—has she reciprocated ? Not one iota except on paper. Then Spain—has she reciprocated ? Surely not. Has America reciprocated ? Yes, in name, but not one shade in reality ; from New York to California she protects her trade to her own shipping, and she has no other trade to give. Then, what nations have reciprocated? Lite- rally none; some have nominally given up their trade to free competition, but it will be found that they have imposed some tax upon us in another way. When the British shipowner sends his vessels to Russia, Prussia, Sweden, or other reciprocating states, is it upon the same terms of equality in which the shipping of these states enter our harbours ? Assuredly not. In all these harbours we are taxed with poor money, church-money, road- money, and goodness knows all what. Only this I know, that British sub- jects entering the harbours of these states pay about from five to ten times more than a ship of equal size belonging to these states pays when entering our harbours. Is this fair reciprocity ? " But the suffering is not inflicted by the hands of the foreigner alone ; the British shipowner groans under oppressive restrictions, taxes, and other burdens. He named only a few of the most flagrant. "let. We have the duty on timber, amounting to a net cost of 108. per ton on every register ton of shipping built. 2. Then there is our being compelled to engage our men and discharge them in presence of a shipping master, and his fees for attending to this, which is a very heavy and most unjust tax. 3. There is stamp duty on insurance. This is a very heavy tax, costing the Montrose shipping alone upwards of 300/. a year. There is also the Emigration Survey and Passenger Act, which subjects our native passenger ships to a most expensive and troublesome manning, while foreigners are wholly exempt from it. 4. Then there is shipowner's liability ; aggravated by perpetual changes of the law." Rather a long conversation ensued, in the course of which Mr. Baxter stated on good authority, that the shipping interest of the United States has for sometime been in a deplorable state of depression. He was told lately that not a single square-rigged vessel is on the stocks in any part of the United States, and there they say that British vessels have taken from them the trade of the north Atlantic. The gentlemen of the depu- tation admitted that they could not expect the reenactment of restrictive laws, but they desired "an order in council," to do what is not very dis- tinctly reported. Mr. Baxter explained that if Lord Derby's Govern- ment attempted an order in council the Whigs would raise a cry, how- ever fallacious, that Government was attempting to restore restrictive laws, and that free trade was in danger. He suggested that shipowners throughout the kingdom, who are equally affected with those of Mon- trose, should hold a conference in London to consider the subject and bring their complaints in a proper shape before Parliament and the Go- vernment. Ultimately it was resolved that the shipowners of Montrose should put themselves into communication with those of other ports, in order to carry out Mr. Baxter's suggestion.
A deputation from the London Association for the Repeal of the Paper-duty was received at a public meeting in Edinburgh on Wednes- day; Mr. Robert Chambers, Mr. Cowan, M.P., and other gentlemen of local eminence, entering heartily into the movement.
Colonel and Major Burns, sons of the poet, have accepted the invita- tion of the committee of the approaching festival in Glasgow. Professor Nichol is to give a lecture, in the City Gallery, Glasgow, on Friday evening, the 5th November, on the recent comet.
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