VI.-Table showing vessels launched in the United Kingdom and built abroad during 1897. 8. VESSELS UNDER CONSTRUCTION, SEPTEMBER 30, 1898. From the returns compiled by Lloyd's Register of Shipping, it appears that, excluding warships, there were 598 vessels of 1,364,250 tons gross under construction in the United Kingdom at the close of the quarter ended September 30, 1898. The particulars of the vessels in question are as follows, similar details being given for the corresponding period in 1897 for the purposes of comparisons: The following table shows the number and tonnage of vessels, excluding warships, under construction at various foreign ports according to the latest returns which have been received at this office. Vessels of less than 100 tons are not included in these figures: 8. VESSELS UNDER CONSTRUCTION, SEPTEMBER 30, 1898-Continued. b Reports have not been received from Newport News and some other ports in time for publication. 9. NUMBER, NET AND GROSS TONNAGE, AND NATIONALITY OF STEAM VESSELS TOTALLY LOST, CONDEMNED, ETC., DURING THE YEAR 1897, AS REPORTED UP TO JULY 16, 1898. a Some cases of condemnation may have been consequent upon stress of weather, etc., experienced prior to the period covered by the return. Vessels condemned after damage by fire, collision, stranding, etc., are included, according to the dates of the casualties, under "burnt," "collision," "wrecked," etc. 9. NUMBER, NET AND GROSS TONNAGE, AND NATIONALITY OF STEAM VESSELS TOTALLY LOST, CONDEMNED, ETC.-Continued. a Under the heading "Lost, etc.," are included total losses which, for want of sufficient information or for other reasons, can not be otherwise classified. b Under the heading "Missing" are included only vessels posted or reported during the year as missing. c Under the heading "Wrecked" are included vessels lost through stranding, or through striking rocks, sunken wrecks, etc. NOTE.-Material of construction of above vessels: Steel (64), 109,030 tons; iron (209), 279,564 tons; wood and composite (20), 9,613 tons. APPENDIX E. GOVERNMENT AID TO SHIPPING. The following reports, laws, documents, etc., concerning the nature and extent of Government contributions to merchant shipping are printed to elucidate and extend statements in the text of the report. UNITED STATES. 1. The following statement, furnished by the honorable the Postmaster-General, shows the payments of the United States for the transportation of ocean mails. Contract payments, in the nature of subsidies, are indicated. Most of the payments, including those to foreign steamships, are at the international rates of postage, and are not to be regarded as subsidies. Statement showing the steamship lines by which mails were dispatched from the United States to foreign countries during the fiscal year ended June 30, 1898, the terminals of each line, whether the vessels employed were of United States or of foreign register, and the amount of compensation paid to each line for the services of its United States and of its foreign steamers, respectively. (1) Vessels of United States register, not under contract, receive $1.60 per pound for letters and post cards and 8 cents per pound for other articles, unless lower rates have been actually agreed upon. (2) Vessels of foreign register receive 5 francs per kilogram (about 44 cents per pound) for letters and post cards and 50 centimes per kilogram (about 4 cents per pound) for other articles. TRANS-ATLANTIC SERVICE. Name of line and terminals. International Navigation Co., New York to Southampton (contract service). International Navigation Co., New York to Southampton (non- International Navigation Co., Philadelphia to Queenstown and International Navigation Co., Philadelphia to Queenstown and Cunard, New York to Queenstown.. do 172, 177.24 Cunard, Boston to Queenstown and Liverpool.. North German Lloyd, New York to Southampton and Bremen. White Star, New York to Queenstown Hamburg-American, New York to Hamburg. Warren, Boston to Liverpool.... General Transatlantic, New York to Havre. Holland-America, New York to Rotterdam.. Dominion, Boston to Queenstown. Red Star, New York to Southampton. Anchor, New York to Glasgow.. Thingvalla, New York to Christiania. Red Star, New York and Philadelphia to Antwerp. American and African, New York to Cape Town. Union Steamship Co., Limited, New York to Cape Town. a Compensation, $60,000 per annum, less $1,000 per trip for four trips performed by steamers of foreign register, and $80,000 additional authorized by act of Congress. Panama Railroad Steamship Line, New York to Colon.. Pacific Mail, San Francisco to Panama.. Red D (Boulton, Bliss & Dallett), New York to Venezuela and Dutch West Indies Trinidad Shipping and Trading Co., New York to Venezuela and West Indies. New York to Cuba (contract service). New York to Cuba (noncontract service). Clyde, New York to Haiti, Santo Domingo, etc. Royal Mail, New Orleans to Central America Oteri's Pioneer, New Orleans to Republic of Honduras. Morgan, New Orleans to Cuba. Central America and Commercial, New Orleans to Colombia, Republic of Honduras, and Costa Rica.. Buckman Fruit, Baltimore to Jamaica.. Pacific coast: San Francisco to Mexico San Francisco to British Columbia a.. Puget Sound and Alaska, Port Townsend to British Columbia. Pacific Mail (inward), from pursers of United States vessels to San Francisco b.. Compensation. $48, 369.24 3,566.34 63,224.00 707.47 199.93 102, 582.00 57,933.00 841.64 3,367.24 13, 136.89 1,300.42 5.39 21.57 30.42 675.22 28.39 137.02 20.76 296, 146.94 a Compensation, 1 cent a letter. Name of line and terminals. Lamport & Holt, New York to Brazil and La Plata countries.. Booth, New York to West Indies and Brazil. Red Cross, New York to West Indies and Brazil.. Quebec, New York to West Indies and Venezuela Trinidad Shipping and Trading, New York to West Indies and Venezuela. Demerara, New York to West Indies.. Compensation. $6,761.67 2,734.28 570.56 1,537.13 1, 101.49 788.52 2,659.18 716.93 498.97 1,394.48 331.27 a Settled for in account of balances due foreign countries. |