Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-12-07


Transatlantic service will result in the con-
struction of five ships of 10000 tons each,
costing So, 600, 900 or SO, ,O0O, 900, and will
| add, with the City of New York and City of
Paris, to which the Treasury Department
was authorized by legislation at the last
session to give American registry, seven of
the swiftest vessels upon the sea to our
naval reserve.
The contracts made with the lines sailing
to Central and South American ports have
increased the frequency and shortened the
time of the trips, added new ports of call,
and sustained some lines that otherwise
would almost certainly have been with
drawn. The service to Buenos Ayres is the
trst to the Argentine Republic under the
American flag. The service to Southamp-
ton, Boulogne and Antwerp is also new,
and is to be begun with the steamships City
of New York and City Of Paris in February
next
No Change in This Policy.
I earnestly urge . continuance of the
policy inaugurated by this legislation, and
that the appropriations required to meet.
the obligations of the Government under
the contracts may be made promptly, so
that the lines that have entered into these
engagements may not be embarrassed. We
transcontinental railway lines constructed
through our own territory, some adyan-
tages in ocean trade of the Pacific that we
did not possess on the Atlantic
The construction of the Canadian Pacific
railway and the establishment under large
subventions from Canada and England of
fast steamship service from Vancouver with
Japan and China seriously threaten our
shipping interests in the Pacific. This line
OF English steamers receives, as is stated bv
the Commissioner of Navigation, a direct
subsidy of S400, 900 annually. or $50, 767 per
trip for 13 voyages, in addition to some
furthar aid from the admiralty in connec-
tion With contracts under which the vessels
may be used for naval purposes. The COM
petiting gAmericanPaci Mail line under the
act of March 1881, receives only SC, SS9 per
round trip.
Efforts have been making within the last
year, as am informed, to establish under
similar conditions line between Vancou-
yer and some Australian port, with view
Of seizing there trade in which we have
had large interest. The Commissioner of
Navigation states that very large per cent
of our imports from Asia are now brought
to us by English steamships and their con-
Meeting railways in Canada.
Protest Against Discrimination.
Witha view of promoting this trade,
especially in tea, Canada has imposed a dis
eliminating duty of 10 per cent upon tea
and coffee brought into the Dominion from
the United Suites. If this unequal contest
between American lines without subsidy, or
with diminished subsidies, and the English
Canadian line to which have referred is to
continue, think we should at least see
that the facilities for customs entry and
transportation across our territory are not
such as to make the Canadian route a fav-
ored one, and that the discrimination as to
duties, to which have referred, is met by
a like discrimination as to the importation
of these articles from Canada
No subject, think, more nearly touches
the pride, the power and the prosperity of
our country than this of the development
of our merchant marine upon the sea. If
we could enter into conference with other
competitors, and all would agree to with
hold government aid, we could perhaps take
our chances with the rest, but our great
competitors have established and mai
tanned their lines by Government subsidies
until now they have practically excluded
us from participation. In my opinion no
choice is left us but to pursue, moderately
at least, the same lines.