The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1896-11-19
FEDERAL AID TO SHIPPING.
ELKINS's DISCRIMINATING DUTT
BILL WARMLY ADVOCATED.

BLKINs's DISCRIMINAT IN0 DUTT
BILL WARMLY ADVoCATED.
The Secretary OF ths American Merchant
Marine Assoeiatiou Replies 20 the
Ohisotious or United States Conu.is.
sionsr OF N~aviRntion Chamberlain.
Tho American Merchant Marine Association.
Of which Arthur Sewall, Vice.Presidential can
dldato of the Popocratio party. was President
until lately, and of which the leading Atlantic
const shipbuildsrs are mem bers, has Offices ut
4e East Twenty-third street, this city. Tho as
ISOLATION was organized last April, after Scna-
tor Elkins of West Virginia had introduced his
DISCRIMINATING duty bill in Congress-, which bill
proposes TO tax imports In foreign ships 10 per
cent. nd valorcm more than such imports in
American ships are taxed, so as to give the car.
rying trade to American shlps.
United States Commissioner OF Navigation
Chamberlain has just made public n synopsis of
his forthcoming annual report, In which he Sc
verely attacks the discriminating duty policy.
Secretary A. r. Smith OF the Merchant Marine
| Association was asked yesterday what effect
the opposition of Mr.. Chamberlain would have
upon the policy.
"Mr. Chamberlain" said he. presents in
| opposition the best of reasons why the bill
should pass. He sage that it would increase the
revenue of the Government In the annual sum
| Of $50, o53. 500. Tho Elkins bill lays a hori-
zontal tax of ten per cent. moro upon dutiable
imports and ton per cent. ad valorom tax upon
undutlable imports II brought here In
foreign ships, from which taxes his bill
! would exempt imports in American ships.
Based upon tho imports of 1898 and
American ships In the foreign trade. the
Commissioner figures out this additional reve-
nue. OF nearly sixty millions OF dollars. Did our
present tariff yield q surplus, or even enough
- - ~-.l. "a ,l~ ..,l
IN addition would be undesirable: but, con-
siderinr that our deficit this year Is likely to
reach $780, 600, 1000, tho proposed Elkins in
crease OF duty would go.further to oke out the
Governments receipts than even Congressman
Dingley's emergency bill. which, I understand,
he Says would yield but $40. oo0.o 900 additional
annual revenue.
"lf tho estimates made by tho Commissioner
Of Navigation as to the probable increase In the
Governments revenues are correct, then Il is al
most Just the thing We need. But, II his oppo-
sition voices the sentiment of tho President,
probably there would be no serious attempt to
pass 1t until after March 4 next"
Mr.. Smith was questioned as to the measures
proposed by Commissioner Chamberlain for the
encouragement OF shipping. and tho attitude of
the Marine Association toward them. in answer
1.-THE Commissioner still ad vocates free shirs-
that Is, the free ad Omission to American registry
Of foreiSn-built ships. Our ehipbuilders would
naturally oppose such q scheme, and several
times Mr.. Chamberlain's own party associates
have opposed 1t. just at present, Of course. our
cheeply as they are built abroad, but with steady
work In the shipyards the cost here would soon
But In the face of the subsidies and
bounties being paid by foreign nations TO their
OF operating foreign ships because OF lower
wages and less and poorer food on board foreign
s sFa9s. A Hsyios se srs aS, df ting the 6SrsiSp
business In the foreign trade Tor more than q
generation, our, Government must be extremely
iberalin Its Legislation in order 10 attract Ameri.
can capital into ship owning. This liberality need
not be at the expense of the National Treasury.
made to enrich our national Treasury. MS the
Commissioner has shown, and at the expense of
foreign nations. 30 long as imports came here in
foreign ships. American shipowners are not
anxious for subsidies. and ~bounties. %particu-
larry. but they do ask that the Government
create by legislation a preference for American
ships. Just as II does now. by a protective tariff.
American goods.
The Commissioner also suggests the admis-
sion OF foreign-built ships to American registry.
when such ships are owned by Americans, pro-
tonnage in the UR,!ed states. Where foreign.
s gnasr Would SSF postal St .s sub ;nssnt law tS OF course
nag. But that would only help. after
all, the large; ip S,s rssTis5 line; pail;sarry,ng
l%atiou, Il We would first encourage the building
OI IE6lRnL SUlIs. all ana steam, winch Vessels
would build up and extend the trade. which
would later be conducted by regular line steam
ships through the enterprise of those who had
The discriminating duty bill. II a law. would
force the carrying OF our imports In American
ships and give our ships u very great advantage
over foreign ships that, in competing for our ex-
port cargoes. would be compelled to come hero
in ballast, while our own ships had come In with
a profitable cargo. SO that In time our own ships
would do almost all Of our own foreign carry
ing. and the couple OF hundred millions of dol
lars or 60 annually paid out TO foreign ship
owners would be kept at home and spent In onr
mines and our forests and upon our farms, and
in our manufactures, employing and enriching
THE Commissioner objects to discriminating
duties because he fears foreign retaliation: But
Just such a bill as Senator Eikins has intro
duced was o part OF our laws from lTSD to 1928,
which we adopted because foreign nations dis
criminated against our ships; We turned that
that during almost all the time the act was in
force our own ships carried 90 per cent. of our
abandoning that policy sixty eight years ago.
our ships carry but IL per cent. OF It. Foreign
would be Intellectual now. We are stronger and
better able TO meet retaliationi II 1t is attempted
now than we were In 1889.
Those who would retaliate would be Euro
pean countries, from whom we buy mannfac-
lures and Injuries and to whom we sell bread
OF South or Central America or OF Asia would
retaliate. except possibly japan, for tho reason
that none or them has shipping Of its own.
The Republican party has pledged itself to
give us the discriminating duty policy, because
II 10 protective and because II WAS so efhectuRl
in operation in the early days, and. II we cannot
put the Elkins bill through the short session Of
tho Fifty-fourth Congress. because OF the op-
position OF the administration we should have
nothing TO fear ON that score. or after March
1 next"
Said to Have Looted - WidOws' and Or
phRns' Fund.
Delegate James Smith of the Plasterers' So
ciety, whose trustees, Timothy sullivan and
Michael Keenan,, arc said to have run away
with 81. aH4AO OF tho sncietY,a funda anid vna.