The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-12-06

ana amendments. SenarOr ElklQS VI
West Virginia has introduced three
bills in congress on that subject. the
last OF which has been before the state
committee on for Is months,
n which. IL adopted, would repeal all
laws and abrogate all treaties now in
the way OF the re-adoption of that pol
icy.
On March 3. 1891. what is known as
the postal subsidy act was adopted IL
provides 81 TO ships Of over 5000 tons.
of 20 knot speed; 81 TO 5000 ton ships OF
16 knot speed; 81 to $500 ton ships of IA
knot speed, and sc cents to 1,50O ton
ships of ~ knots. for each mile sailed
on the outward voyage. AS originally
framed the bill provided payments or
80 per cent in excess of the amounts
Just named. The modification OF its
provisions, IL is believed by its friends.
is the cause of its failure to effect the
building OF blu two steamships for the
foreign trade i'm American shipyards;
they also believe that IL the original
provisions as to payments were restored
to the act it would have the effect OF
causing the establishment of many new
lines of American-built steamships.
Other friends of American shipping
claim that subsidies alone are ineffec-
tual to encourage the growth of a gen.
eral shipping. steam and sail. passen-
ger N freight. To this the subsidy
advocates answer that sailing ships are
becoming obsolete n that subsidies
to swift mail carriers build up a trade
for cargo carriers as well.
Bounties on tonnage built and for
distance sailed, which is the plan by
which the French government endea-
vors 10 promote French shipping in the
foreign trade, have been advocated by
other friends of American shipping. A
bill granting a bounty on distance
sailed failed of passage by a close vote
in the Fifty-first congress.
n -, .Aa an A x~ ~ 90. htotArx- die
eliminating tonnage dues were in force
in the United States. The dues or for
eign ships for a time were a dollar a
ton, While but 6 cents a ton on Ameri-
can ships. But this method is not now
possible of r~eadoption, because of treaty
provisions by which we relinquish the
right to do so. 1t has been proposed
To get around this by placing a /
duty on tonnage, foreign and American
alike, and then by paying back to
American ships in the form of a bounty
the equivalent of the nna tax. and
an additional bounty, our shipping in
the foreign trade could be promoted at
the expense of it's foreign rivals.
The development of American steel
making. IL is believed by some, is des-
tined to work wondrous changes in
American shipping for the foreign
trade. Steel plates manufactured in
Pennsylvania and Illinois are @ de-
livered TO British shiDbuilders at from
81 to SO per ton less than British steel
makers are able to furnish IL at. In
stead of sending these steel ship plates
to British shipbuilders people think they
will stop on our coast and be turned
into ships by our own builders. 1t is
not doubted for a m by one
who is posted that IL American ship
yards were as constantly employed as
are British yards, we would build steel
ships Of all kinds in this country cheap
~ than fhaU are huilt anVWhprR else
The thing is to so shape things as
TO bring about such a condition. Just
the mere ~cheapness Of shipbuilding ma
terial. or even the cheapness OF the
finished ship will do IT,. There
must be an incentive hat will attract
American capital into ship owning, and
the only attraction sufficient to do that
is profit. If n profit is not now posi-
BILE in American ship owning. cheaper
ships will not give 1t. As has been
shown, the vital difficulty is the cost OF
running the ship when built. Here II
is where the advocates of state aid be-
lieve that the national government
must step into the breach and by legis-
lation that shall create a preference for
American ships create a demand for
them that will satisfy our capitalists
they can supply them at a profit. And.
since shipbuilding and ship owning help
to strengthen the national defense
why should the nation not promote
both?
A very high protective policy Is in
force upon the land and, whether peo-
pie who study the shipping question
believe it is altogether unwise TO have
such high protection or any protection
whatever. nevertheless IL is a condition
and not a theory that confronts the ma
ton. a high protective land policy
makes impossible of success-our mari
time history for 80 years has shown 1t
"a free trade shipping policy. Great
Britain did not abandon her centuries
old protective navigation laws until free
trade had been in force upon the land
for four years. No fair consideration of
the subject Of our merchant marine is
possible without these facts and con-
ditions before us.
Whether our maritime decadence 10
the present alarming stage, and the
dangers OF il nat we have seen DUR
ing our war with such an impotent
naval power as Spain, shall be insufn-
cient TO arouse the congress OF the
United States to effective action until
dire disaster befall the nation as a con-
sequence Of it's weakness upon the sea,
is one of those things upon IN
the storehouse of the future. the key
to which is In the hands of a deter
mined people at any time they chose 10
use Il.