New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-11-30
RESULTS OF THE SHIPPING ACT.

The acceptance of bids for ocean mail service
under the American flag enables US to take an
account of stock of the practical benefits OF re-
cent shipping legislation. The chief gain is
the establishment of line of American steam
ers with the Plate countries. The only other
new enterprise is the Galveston service with
Venezuelan and Colombian ports. These two
lines will involve the construction OF SIX new
ships, three Of the second and three OF the fourth
class The bids for the existing service between
New-Yor and Cuba, Mexico and Venezuela Will
make two more ships necessary. The racine
Mail bids which have been accepted will require
in the course of few years the building OF
six or eight new vessels. In the aggregate
about sixteen steamers, three Of them OF 5,0OO
tons and 16 knots speed will probably be
added to the commercial marine in consequence
of the recent legislation. The Plate service Will
be the most substantial gain
We shall not attempt to conceal the fact that
these results are not as large as the friehs OF
the American commercial marine have been look
ing for. While the act has not proved failure,
IL has impared less of an impulse to the carrying
trade than we hoped it would do. The result
indicates that the scaling down of the rates OF
compensation by third seriously impaired the
efficiency of the act as a stimulative and creative
measure. If the bill had been enacted In us
original form as it passed the Senate, the results
would have been very different The fact that
capital has not been attracted Tor new enter
prses is a signal proof that the premiums were
not large enough. The frantic efforts OF Demo-
cratic members in the last House to cripple the
measure when they could not succeed IN de-
feating it outright were successful. The ocean
Mail Service Act was not, as experience has now
sbovn. an ademate measure of relief for ship
ming interests. The reduction of premiums by
a third was a most unfortunate compromise.
II must also be added that the proposals OF
the Postmaster General for ocean mail service
involved Almost rigid application OF the act IN Its
weakened form. Five bids have been rejected
outright on account of noncompliance with the
terms of the advertisements. Their rejection
was perhaps necessary, but if there had been
more elasticity in carrying out the law enacted
by Congress, and if fewer conditions and less
exacting requirements had been imposed, not
only these offers, but many more, could nave
been accepted.
If the policy of reciprocity is to become perma-
nently useful and successful, 1t must involve a
! large increase of transportation iaclltles. An
American steamer is the finest and most effective
advertisement of the mercantile and manufacture
ing capabilities of the Nation which can be sent
abroad. Without large development of the
merchant marine the diplomacy of reciprocity
will be deprived of great part of its beneficial
effect so far as increased markets for American
manufactures and products are concerned. Siren
uoul efforts are required to secure enlarged steam
communication with Southern countries The re-
suits of the bidding under the Ocean Mail Ser
vice Act have shown that the measure in its
crippled state is not large enough in its scope
to bring about the desired result Friends Of
American shipping interests must therefore con-
tinue the agitation of the subject until they sue
coed in making legislators understand that the
Nation will and must have merchant marine
worthy OF its industrial fame.