The evening times., 1897-04-08
our SHIPPING INTERESTS
Important Meeting in the Senate
Commerce Committees ROem.
PROMINENT MEN PRESENT
Charles III. Cramp, the Noted Ship
builder, Makes a Powerful Appeal
for the Restoration of the Amer
can Merchant NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
Sums Paid for Freight.

At a meeting Of representatives Of the
shipping interest in the room of the Senate
| Committee on Commerce, there were pres
ent C. A. Griscom, w. p. Clyde, T. w.
Hyde, A. E. Smith, c. H. Cramp. Samuel
S. sewaIl, H z. Booth, E. Bliss, Aaron
Vanderbilt, D. c. Mink. F. j. Firth, c. H.
Keep, ex-senator G.. F Edmunds, and sena-
tors Frye, Elkins, Hanna. and Perkins
The meeting was held for the purpose
of promoting legislation looking to the
encouragement OF American shipping.
There was a general exchange of views
Senator Elkins' bill providing for a dis
criniinative duty on goods imported n
American vessels afforded a basis for
much of the proceedings, but there was
want of unanirnity Of opinion upon all OF
its provisions Mr.. Griscom presided and
the meeting was private.
Several addresses were made, the most
important being that OF President Cramp,
of the Cranp Ship Building Company, OF
Philadelphia. He said in part: No nation
can successfully own ships that cannot
successfully build them. No nation can
either build or own ships, when, unpro-
tected and unencouraged, it is brought in
competition with other nations that are
protected and encouraged This is the
existing conditions of the shipowning
and shipbuilding interests Of the United
States
The resulting fact is that the enormous
revenue represented by Che freight and
passenger tolls on our commerce and travel
is constantly drained out of this country
into British, German and French pockets
in the order named.
Until we make some provision to keep
at home some part at least OF the three
hundred and odd millions annually sucked
out of this country by foreign shipOwners
and shipbuilders no other legislation can
bring good times back again.
The foreign shipowner who carries our
oversee commerce akes US pay the freight
both ways. For our exports we get the
foreign market price less the freight; for
our imports we pay the foreign market
price plus the freight.
The fact that so long as the freight is
paid to foreign shipOwner so long viii
IL be a foreign profit On foreign pro-
duct is fundamental and unanswerable-
Great Britain holds India by force OF
arms, whereby her control OF that country
costs her something. She holds the United
States by the folly OF its own people,
whereby her ContrH OF this country costs
her nothing. But the amount of her annual
drainage of gold from the United states
far exceeds that from India
In the relation OF the United States to
England there is nothing that is not
contemplate, because it is the willing serv-
itude of q nation that could help her il
she would
Though in 1885 England already had
navy superior TO those of any two and equal
to those Of any three powers, since 1885
England has expended S517 100000 for
new ships of war and theiI armament
Even greater exertiODs has England put
forth in the augmentation of her merchant
marine. During the calendar year 1896 she
added $50 900 tons of new steel steam
shipping to her merchant fleet, breaking
I'D meantime $4,000 tons OF old and b
solete shipping
Ever since two first class American
ships were put in the transatlantic trade
under American management every de
vice of foul play that selfish ingenuity
can invent and every resort that unscrupu-
lous rivalry can suggest have been ex-
English administration to defame and dis
credit them.
English officials abroad, from ministers
and consUls down, industriousiy repro
dUce in the newspapers OF Japan, China,
Chile, Argentina and Brazil the misstate-
ments of the English press about Ameri-
can vessels.
The British postoffice delays the Ameri-
can mails for days in the slower ships OF
the CuDard Line, rather than send so much
as one letter by the American Line. Our
postoffice responds by liberal allotments
of its European mails to all the British
lines
To the $3.50 900 tons of new merchant
shipping built by England during the past
year what will be the response OF the Uni
ted States?
Senator Edmunds, who was present as
legal adviser, took a prominent part He
was asked, among other things, If the dis
eliminating duties proposed in the Elkins
bill would not be in violation of treaties
with many foreign powers, and replied
that they would be. He should say, how
ever, that the treaties could be abrogated