Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1858-05-03
WASHINGTON NEWS AND GOSSIP

We have from time 10 time, OF iote, taken oCca- i
sion to spread before our friends of Congress |
substantial information concerning it, when |
ever within our reach, carefully avoiding re-
publishing articles designed to "grind the
axes" of persons involved in such speculations.
The present Congress must, &c necessitate,
dispose of the subject. That is to say, the pres
ent Congress must whether it would or not, de-
termine what shall be the policy of the Govern
ment of the United States with reference to
steam mails on the ocean. In view OF this fact,
1t is our duty to continue to spread before them
substantial facts throwing light on the subject.
To that end we republish to-day the following
article from a late number of the New York
Journal of Commerce:
1.-The perplexing questions relating to the
policy of granting large subventions such as have
been heretofore awarded by the United States
Government: In aid Of Ocean Steam Mail Lines
will soon be prominently before the country.
Memorials in favor Of their continuance, In some
form or other, have already been presented to
Congress from several large commercial aports;
and Mr.. Florence, of Pennsy lvania, has given
notice Of an important bill In which the issues
are directly involved.
'Undoubtedly the spirit Of our democratic in.
situations is opposed to any action the part of
the general government, which shall seem to up
hold large corporations In competition with pTi-
waite enterprise; but if it shall appear that the
public good demands the maintenance Of ser
vice such as private enterprise, unaded, cannot
sustain, because Of its direct antagonism to like
enterprises maintained by powerful foreign gov
ernmeDts. the vastness of the interests at stake
may warrant a departure from a good princi pie,
so FAR as concerns the transmission of the foreign
mails. The experience which the last few years
las afforded In ocean steam navigation serves to
establish the conclusion that steamships cannot
be profitably run at the high rate Of speed now
demanded for efficient mail service, if dependent
n hR1 ninfrc frnv and
sengers, and never can be until some mode of
propulsion is discovered much less expensive
than any yet known to art The obstinate rivalry
of competing lines, while IL has given an acccl-
Grated speed, has enhanced the cost in a much
greater proportion, even beyond a remunerating
point Notwithstanding, foreign governments
10y increased subventiOns, and though this policy
| may not prove conducive to the public good, 1t
certain that there is disposition to return
| the reduced rates Of speed formerly In vogue Ii
Is just at this crisis in the history of steam navi
CATION that the United States Is compelled to take
| its position, and to decide whether II shall at
| tempt to compete with the subsidized lines of
other governments, and continue to carry its own
mails, or entrust this branch of the public ser
| vice, which is of constantly augmenting import
| ance, to the control of our great commercial
| rivals. VIII the interests Of the country and
tine honor Of the national flag comport with this
| last alternative!
Gin consid, ring this subject, some of the me.
| chanical and pecuniaTy difficulties encountered
may be more specifically stated. 1t appears. then.
| that the high speed now exacted OF ocean mali
| steamers requires that freight, whether bulky or
weighty, must be to large extent excluded, to
| make room for power, (Which synonymous
| with fuel or avoid too great drau2h t fence,
| ocean mail steamers must rely simply on the
| Passenefr trahc, or, perhaps, as in the German
| and French lines, on a moderate amount Of light
but costly freights, demanding rapid transpoTta-
tion,-their value being de pendent on the STYLES
| OF goods IN vogue at the time Of shipment, The
receipts being thus greatly curtaled, the expen-
/ enhanced Inv he
nous consumption of fuel and inc ased wear and
| tear. This is evident from the fact that to add
one;loudlh 10 the speed, the supply of fuel must
into detail IL Is sufficient for our present purpose
| to know that under these combined disad van
| ta@es, all our first established steam lines have
| oeen oDllged to succumb, or their continued ex-
| lstence Is dependent on the continuance Of the
government contracts. From the operation OF
similar causes, 1t is reasonably feared that all
| otheI American lines will disappear, one by one
until the ocean steam marine of the United ates
| already comparative insignificant, shall be
| nearly swept from the ocean. Such a result, at
| period OF our history, when every interest
| prompts to the use Of the most approved means
4 Of prosecuting trade, if we would maintain our
commercial position, could not be otherwise than
| disastrous.
| England, as the fruit of a policy exactly the
reverse Of this possesses to- day the proudest and
most profitable postal and mercantile marine that
| noatS on the seas: France is following CLOSELY
In her wake, and the experience already obta ned
seems 10 demonstrate, not only the practic ability
| but the economy and necessity of such a servic.
England has in her foreign mail service III. cen
| companies, running 121 steamers, with a gross
tonnage of 2}5 Ass tons; while the United States,
| mail service consists of eight lines and twenty
one steamers In commission, with aggreg ate
tonnage OF 4s,o21 tons. The amount and cost of
| the service performed, is thus stated by DR.
| Rainey: The OCEAN mail steamers of Great
Britain run !, $50 ,231 miles Der wear at a total
cost to the Admiralty of f1.O62, z97, or SIS ,333-
| 9e5. The ocean mail steamers of the United
states run a35,732 miles per year at total charge
on the Post Office Department of 81 $40 733 Vie
| BRUSH steamers run three and half times as
many miles as ours do, and receive for il a ann
| more than four times as Iarge,' II cannot he
| denied, that England is indebted in no small
degree to her liberal support of the ocean mail
| service, Tor the maintenance of her commercial
| supremacy. The last great contract which she
conceded was last wear, for carrying the mails 10
Australia, at sos 100 Cer year
| III seems now TO be recognized fact. that fast
| ocean steamers are incapable of earning an
amount equal to the cost Of running them. al
| thou2h there may be incidental advantages to
tne country at large which render their mantle
| nance an OBJECT OF national Importance Robert
| Murray, eminent authority in England savs
at is &c tainly my impression that ocean steam.
efs OF sumcient speed to carry the mails with
| any.nlnS IKE regularity, will not pay, upon any
route with which am acquainted, without as
sistance from Government Gen Rusk. as the
chairman OF the committee of the Senate In reIa.
ZION to steam mail lines, in O-'52, said ait
was right and proper then in the opinion Of
your committee, that these ocean steam facilities
should exist, through the intervention of the
government, more especially as they were, in all
1,ppaD,,.y, oeyond ne reach Of private means"
u the premises are granted, It is difficult to es
cape the usions; for IL postal facilities such
as are here referred to, are indispensable to com
merce, government must pay for them
III, I'm opposing this argument. ship owners espe-
orally have protested against the discrimination
OF SUBSIDIES against their property and business
as serving to sustain monopoly But. as bas
already been shown, fast and expensive mail
steam packets cannot compete with any other
description Of craft in carrying heavy freigbt
Inc argument applies solely to the slow ordin,.
~ proPellerS-a class OF vessels which ,nust n.
Iet wholly out of the question. The Senate re-
port above referred to, is very full and exnIirit
on this point. 1t questions whether he Apari
ca, can snip owner had anything more to fear under
the operation or steam lines directed by Amsrt
can Intelligence and enterprise, than nnder an
sgehcy Welded by foreign capitalists and direct.
~ Wy foreign government claiming for itself
the supremacy OF the ocean Furthermore dos
MOI The shipping merchant best protect his own
interests by sustaining the steam mail comnsti.
ton! For, should this he withd avn. what "a 70
prevent return, on the part Of foreign steamers
II N no