Sacramento daily record-union., 1889-08-30

of Europe for ships were now rarely
secured, the bounty system and subsidies hav-
ing led to the establishment of great Shipbuild-
ing yards IN France and Italy especially. These
Will soon be wholly independent of
England for her ships, the adoption OF the
British policy OF subsidies having accomplished
that for them.
England paid So $50. 600 in steamship subsidies
in 1854. After our Civil War the payment of
subsidies was reduced to 81 000 eco. but il was
soon increased 10 S6,101000, and thereby En-
gland succeeded inchecSing the attempt at COM
petition by American steamship lines The
Brazil service, established by John Roach, was
run Oft by competing English line guaranteed
S per cent. on the capital stock by the British
Government. The same policy is being applied
to the Pacific Ocean trade. The China trade is
already doomed; so, also, is the Australian and
Central American trade, unless Congress adopts
prompt and effective measures TO preserve snd
extend our commercial influence in the Pacific
Without going into details, il appears TO your
committee that the French system is best
adapted to meet the exigeneies of the case.
The United states is practically without a mer-
chant navy. England has, in round figures an
excess of 200 steamships in the foreign trade
with carrying capacity of over S000,000 tons.
The United States has forty ships in the foreign
trade of 75,000 tons. The total tonnage of Eng-
land is about 0O00 000 tons; OF the United States
about 10000 tons. American bottoms now
barely carry IA per cent. of American foreign
tradei IN 1880, 121a per cent of our foreign COM
merce was carried by American ships
Steamships and sailing vessels must be built
in America If we are TO become a powerful
maritime nation; and they must be built upon
terms which would enable their owners to OBJ
tain them as cheaply as they could buy them
abroad. There is q difference in builders cost
OF 10 per cent. in favor OF British iron or steel
ships This difference should be made good by
bounty; but that would hardly suffice under
actual conditions The great demand for ships
under such policy would necessarily increase
wages, hence add to the cost of construction.
The bounty should cover that, and it should
also be sufficient to induce capitalists to establish
new shlp-building yards and fouudrieS TO sup
ply the wants of the American foreign trade.
FORMATION OF A NAVAL RESERVE.
This brings your committee to the last point,
namely, that the United States mail should be
carried on American vessels available for war
and for transport purposes"
National safety demands that this should be
the case England is girding the world with
swift unarmored cruisers, built as men. .of-war
but sailed as passenger and mail boats in times
OF peace. he terms of the Canadian Pacific
contract for the China service, and of Messrs.
Anderson'S contract for the connecting Allan
tic line serve TO disclose the policy OF England
upon this point, and should lead to the adop-
non by the United States of a similar policy
France, Germany, Italy, Spaiu-indeed, all mar
ltime countries-haye adopted the English
method OF creating a naval reserve while slim
ulating trade and commerce. England pays
literally for the privilege of supervising the
construction OF these ships, and this country
can afford to outdo her in liberality There is no
time 10 be lost. American interests are spread
ing; American commerce is the largest factor
in the worlds trade and America should not
be at the mercy OF any foreign power to destroy
its commerce at pleasure. Our flag should be
on every sea, and the National Government
should have the means at its command to rro-
tect it. -;
CONCLUSIONS.
Your committee, from consideration of the
foregoing, would submit the following resolu-
tions for adoption:
WHEREAS, 1t is of the utmost national i'm
tn. as,,to
American steamship lines OH the Pacific ocean
and to establish new steamship routes for the
extension of American commerce: and
WHEREAS, An enlightened policy of national
defense demands the formation of strong
naval reserve to cooperate with the national
ships in time of war; be it
RcS0lred That Congress be requested to adopt
measures whereby the following results may be
obtained, namely:
To enable the American China line from San
francisco to compete successfully with the sub
sidized British China line from Vancouver.
To establish and maintain a fortnightly mail
aud passenger service bstween San Francisco
and South American ports
10 establish and maintain a fortnightly mail
and passenger service between San Francisco
and Australia, touching at Honolulu, Samoa
and New Zealand.
To maintain an independent Hawaiian mail
steamship service.
To develop American trade with Canada by
paying an adequate amount for the conveyance
OF the United States mail to British Columbia
ports
To maintain and extend the existing Ameri-
can steamship service between San Francisco
and Panama, calling at the Mexican and Cen
trel American ports.
To encourage American steamships to engage
in the Mexican trade by placing them in a DO
sition to compete successfully with subsidized
vessels of any nationality and be it further
R6SotUed, That in order to encourage American
shlp-buildiDg and to create a strong naval re-
serve, as well as to establish and maintain the
aforementioned P5cifc steamship routes, all
OF which ere absolutely essential to the eXten-
sion OF American commerce, Congress be re-
quested to adopt the French scale OF construc-
ton, navigation and naval bountieS for iron
steel, composite and wooden vessels provided
that no steamship intended for the American
foreign trade shall be entitled to receive a bo-
nus from the navy appropriation unless il shall
have been bull according to the rules of the
Navy department and enrolled in the naval re-
serve list.
That for the better development of Ameri-
can trade and commerce it is primary Condi-
tion of success that liberal payments shou d be
made to American steamships carrying the
United States mails, TO enable them to compete
with subsidized foreign vessels on the same
routes.
That Congress be requested to enact the peces-
sary laws to give effect to these resolutions and
appropriate sufficient sum for the above-men-
toned purposes.
All the reports and resolutions were re-
terred to a committee consisting of one
from each delegation present, which will
report tomorrow.