Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1889-07-16
WHAT ENGLISH SUBSIDIES MEAN.

Still another evidence of the scheme of
Great Britain to dominate the trade of
this country is at hand. She has subsi-
died the Halifax and Bermuda Cable
Company in the sum of $4,000 year for
the period of twenty years. This is the
equivalent of 81 per cent. on the bonds of
the company issued for its construction.
1t is thus made perfectly clear that the
purpose of Great Britain is not SO much
to aid the cable company abstractly, as to
render assistance to the commercial
schemes on this side of the world to which
the cable company is a supplement. AS
the Chicago Inter Ocean remarks, in refer
ring to this matter, England acts upon the
maxim that trade follows the flag" and
1T would be well for us if we kept the
same truth in view. The same journal
says:
The free traders of our country saw that Great
Britain does not substitute vessels, but merely
pays them fixed sum Tor carrying the mails
This Is a distinction without a difference The
sum paid is large as to go far toward the total
expenses of the vessels trip, and thus to en-
able II to carry freight more cheaply than the
vessels of a non-subsidiZng country can do
one OF TWO things is certain; either the English
rate OF pay Tor ocean mail service is so far be-
yond mere cost of carriage, with reasonable
proht added, as to be q subsidy or the Ameri-
can rate OF pay is so far below cost of carriage
az to compel the vessel owner TO tax the mer-
chant by high freights to make up his loss on
the service rendered to the Government In
either case British vessels and British shippers
nave great advantage over American vessels
ana shippers The number of pieces of al
matter of all sorts handled in the United States
during the last fiscal year 3,57S 900 600; dur
ing ike period the postal services of Great Brit
ain, Canada and Australia only handled Q 500
100000. The excess of American postal matter
was l,07S,oOo 900 pieces. England expenditures
on ocean mai. service were:
To European ports .............. Ell. 700
To American ports 2O2 200
10 African ports. 1924
To Asistic and Australian ports.......... 434 500
SO, l64
Or $685. $40. of which sum about $500 600 was
contributed by the Australian and Indian colo
MES and possessions. The whole expenditure
OF the United states for ocean mail service was
less than SJO0OOO, or very little more than one
seventh of that of Great Britain No wonder
that the EDglish flag is in every harbor of the
word, and the American flag in hardly any
harbor.
OF course no one is so foolish as to hold
that the subsidies granted to the Oriental
lines on the Pacific, concerning which the
REcoRDUNIoN yesterday treated, are
made simply to foster the mail contracts
and secure expeditions postal service.
That is avowed, it is true; but the truth
cannot be concealed that the prime object
is to wrest the Asiatic traffic from Ameri-
can lines in the first instance; and in the
second, TO absorb the transcontinental
through traffic in America at the expense
of the American continental railways
There is no other explanation of these
figures of grants by England and the Do
minion:
Dominion subsidy to steamers between
China, Japan and Vancouver. ...........Sl 800 600
England subsidy to the same line. 500 eco
Total subsidies to Asiatc trading lines
in competition with American lines
For like purpose our own Govern
ment grants the insignificant sum of
$42,593.