The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1889-06-29
Does England Pay subsidies ?

hnnm lNH HastIflNgF eaN
The majority 81 the FIiy 6rs, Congress is
pledged 70 the paymca, Of Subsidies 80 Amer
lean ship8Wncrs VITA the otgeet Of rcylriHs
thus the trade with Central aud soath Amer,
Tea destroyed BY ear navigation and high
,ariT iaws Il scaid be- abe cheaper and
more direct way, ~ coarse, 20 repeal LAYS
which pfeveni as from buying SHIPS Nhese
thev can be bought cheapest, and which
obstraet commerce by imposing enormous
doties on return carsoes but action II thaI
sort would b. against the principis 81 'pro5ee
ton. and consequently have no etic'eui
advocate among the ostrich like economists
Of the Republican party. RecoaFse Is 10 be
had 10 bosnlies, OF. IS they are called on THIS
side Of the Atlantic. .tsBbsldles. 0stsBsh.v
they are Is b. payments Tor Tho carriage %
mails. but are 10 be designrdly made larger
than the existing rates axed by competition
In order % enable Amcricau Ships 20 carry
the flag aud develop exports 20 countries
with which at present we have imperfect
trade relations The home market i safe,
thanks 20 the tariff sail, bal uhiie keeping
It our taFisf lords wish the government %
tax the peup5e 4 iitsie further - that they
fnag sell s6tle % thesr products abroad.
This payment q money IN excess o. the
usual nail rates 10 reduce freight rates .
constantly urged on the Eroand that u Is
Eng,and' practice % stimulate her con mere
Ia this way, and thes We ougai 10 follow her
example But the contention Is false All
payments for the carriage Of mails The Eng.
iish cali Subsidies la the Engiish sease
OF the word ell ships carrying mails for the
British posina!ce are "subsidiEed. bul nol
ia the American sense. Ihe EBglssh sub
sidy j. q business rate, hXed b. competition,
and i not q bounty. Contracts for the car
riare Of mails are everywhere opea 20 cOm-
petition. aud tereigu ships can get them u
they undegbid the English companies Ger
man ships have mol unireQd culsy gotiea the
contract in recent years 90 important lines,
10 the great disgust Of Eugtish protec.i0nists-
The New York Evening Post, on inquiry a
the ofiee OF the treasury Of the United King
dom, obtained . statement under date Of june
5. 1889, showing she total COS, Of carrying the
foreign mails The total was ei9s, s6i, o.
about s. 500. 600 for mails carried 70 al parts
Of the globe For mails To Europe carried
by steamship the payment vas SIS, 500 tc
Ameriea, S5lS,10o; 70 Africa, SoS,02i; C
Asia and Australia, S2,lIg,e0n Deduct
iug amounts repaid by colonies IN she West
Indies. East Indies aad Australia, aggregat
ing Ss0l 500, the net payment, as stated
above. j about =, $50. 90. The British pos
Tai seFfiees NuitAt o@iSi - AF"e@- ~ 9e4F
port itself The foreign aud domestic posia!
service Yields nov a net revenue Of $4,000,
OB0 There Is nothing, Of course. Of what We
call Subsidy in a world wide postal service
which does MOI cost over 81, 500, 600 all told.
Our protectiouist friends are expecting to
lavish At least that much on this hemisphere.
Their idea is that commerce follows the tag
that If they can only get lha flag carried
between any two ports at the taxpayer 5 ex-
pense commerce viii go with it. In this, OF
course, they are consciously or unconsclously
wrong. Commerce follows the line Of proht-
able traffic aud foreign countries can have
little profit in trading with us while our tariff
raises wall against what they have to sell
as. and enhances greatly the price of all We
have to sell them.