Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1889-08-15
sUnsIDIzsD srsAMsnIps.
The Unsounduesso Of Another Scheme
"a Gouge Taxpayers.


"a GOuee Taxpayers.
Philadelphia Record.
Our esteemed contemporary the Press
labors hard to find arguments for the
steamship subsidy scheme, in behalf of
which powerful lobby is preparing 10
invade the Fifty.first Congress. 1t mus
tors bewildering array OF statistics,
more or less authentic, in order to show
that this proposed subsidy scheme would
be In harmony with the commercial
policy Of great Britain and other mari
time nations OF Europe. Now, the whols
of the miscalled subsidy expenditure of
England consists In contracts with steam
ship companies for the postal packet
seryics.n The government expenditure
for the foreign branch of this service
does not exceed $500, 900 year, and
every dollar OF IL is returned to the gov
eminent in revenues OF the post office de-
pertment. or this expenditure, or al
legged steamship subsidy, the largest
items are for carrying the mails to India
and the east, and part of this expense
is borne by the East Indian government.
The total expenditureof England for car
ryipg the mails to North and South
America and the West Indies is about
81, 500, 900. and is paid back, every dollar
of it, in postal revenues.
Does this resemble in any way the
scheme in which it is proposed to pledge
this government to the payment to the
payment OF tonnage bounties to steam
ship lines for traversipg the ocean with
| out mails and without commerce? In
spite of the curt denial Of the Press, we
are obliged to affirm again that the pay
ments OF Great Britain for carrying the
ocean mails have been necessitated by
the demands OF trade throughout the
world, and are not made for the alleged
purpose of creating commerce. This
commerce owes its vast expansion to the
liberal and enlightened policy of FREQ
trade. and to nothing else. Yet the
bountymonRers would persuade the
people of this country that Englands
| commercial greatness is due to the petty
annual payments Of the English Post
Office Department for the foreign mail
packet service. Gould there be more
monstrous perversion of the most con.
spicuous Truth Of modern commercial
history
The Press INSERTS that Germany, France
and Italy "pursue the same policy as the
United States in protecting the home
ship. building industry" in face OF the
fact that all these countries permit their
merchants to buy ships in the open
markets of the world. OF the tonnage
in steamships and sailing vessels with
which they compete with EnEland's com
merce very considerable amount ii
built in English shipyards. Besides tn,
policy of free ships every one of thest
nations admits the raw materials of man
ufactures free Of duty; Sut the Press say
says that Stree raw material has nothing
to do with it." To what extent woult
France and Germany be able to com
pete with England in the markets of thu
world il they should impose duties upoi
wool, hemp, fax, jute, salt, coal ans
other raw materials OF production
| These countries are able to make som
headway against England In the foreig
! markets because they initiate her polio
in the two essential respects OF free ship
and free raw materials.
1t ia necessary to pay steamship line
for carrying the ocean mails, since the
, cannot be expected to perform this Sci
, vice for nothing. But very large POI
, ton of the worlds commerce is carrie
by steam and sailing vessels that nevs
, receive dollar from government in an
J shape. The tramp" steamers thu
! traverse the ocean in all directions, an
call wherever they can find cargo and
market, carry no mails and get /
bounties. Yet the ocean tramps are at
able TO compete in transporting me
chandise with the English steamsh
lines that are paid for carrying the mail
as we'll az with the subsidized lines
France and Italy. This fact the subsii
mongers find it convenient to wholly i
- more.