The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1898-12-08
MUST SUBSIDIzE-
In Order to Hold Our Own With
the World
In the Matter of Ocean Com
merce With
OUR NEW TERRITORY.
Commissioner of Navigation
States the Situation
In Plain Language For Guild
ance Of Congress.

|
alton Of the American merchant marine
recommended by Secretary Gage: Ex-
GLIDING the great lakes, practically smut
tonnage Of vessels entered and cleared at
seaports of the United states in foreign
trade in 1877 comprised f,z4o,oz0 toLS A IHSL-
lean and g, 623, 419 tons foreign shipping
In oversee navigation to foreign ports
more than LOU miles Instant A IN
shipping amounted to only 2066,656 TONS
cOIIlpdISu Win ~ Soil ~ AZ ,,y-a=
only three practlcal courses. at ing pres
ent time, are open to the United states;
First-We may retain our laws unchang-
ed, ignore national Navigation ana con
tinue to rely on vessels under Iorelgn
and imports. o.,
secQnd-We may permit foreign built
vessels to register under the American
flag, ship crews abroad and increase ma
tiOnal navigation.
Third-We may extend direct govern
ment aid to ships built in the United States
and thus increase both national navigation
The last named of these three courses
is suggested to a very great extent by our
which expects the United States to be-
some some 2 Io9 Pol power Sg5 shall 6oTbtIess
permanently hold. inhabited territory be-
yond the limit of the North American con-
If all that such possessions involved
was the physical force to keep those 90
mains against all corners, the vote OF
some tens of millions every year to the
flag of the United States should be more
than the token of conquest by superior
strength. Our maritime position must
correspond to our pretensions, and to at
tain this result American shipyards and
American ships must be increased and
ury towards this result should not be be-
Nations and individuals that dissent
from the. general theory of government
aid to private enterprise concede, on po-
Htical grounds an exception in favor OF
shipbuilding and navigation. ~
Largely through Indifference We have
lost the share in transa tlantic navigation
which was once ours me RrGWlns 9TS99
from US. Excluding Hawaii entrances
and clearances from Asia and Oceanica. at
ports of the United states IN 1871 amount
ed to 23S, $50 tons American shipping and
in 1897 to only 221,438 tons, while foreign
shipping increased from 43l,242 tons to
924 720 tons. Foreign nations are now
skillfuly following the policy OF govern
ment aid to develop their navigation in the
Asia alone Great Britain last year CON
tribUted 81. 10000, France 81, 21I 900, Ger
S405 600 Austria 1906 600 and Italy S277. 900.
The United States paid only $4,000 to
American lines to Asia at regular mail
We have deIuded ourselves into the be-
without taking ordinary precautions to
meet com7Psetition Liberal extracts tracts are
Teichstag last year Increased to 5,500.0OO
PACING, showing that Germany is already
endeavoring to fOrestalI the United States
in securing commercial control of the Pa
cific.
The act of 1891 was designed to secure
the largest and quickest steamships in the
Iantic Marine construction however, has
already advanced beyond the size and
speed contemplated when that act was
passed. It has proved inadequate for the
Pacific. Its maximum rates for the trade
are 81 30 per nautical mile outward for
16-knOt steamship. The British govern
ment pays 81 81 to the Peninsular and ORR
entail and $40 to the Canadian Pacific
lines; the German government 1874 to A.
knot vessels of the North GerInan Lloyd
and the French government S29S to the
Mesa geries AIaritimes for the equivalent
of an inferior service to Asia.
Spain imposed annual charges of $5S0,000
on Cuba, $125.OO0 on Porto Rico and $4,000
on the Philippines for steam cOmmunca-
ton, and herself contributed 81, 100000 more
about double the entire support the United
States gave to American steamships in
1897. The obligations we have assumed
by taking Porto Rico and the Philippines,
anneXing Hawaii and governing Cuba thus
for the merchant marine or confess our
weakness by abandoning navigation to
| Great Britain, Germany France and ia
We must also take steps for the quail
can registry in order. to enter Immediate
| ~ into active composition for Asiatic
feT7 20 eteaIns6ins of o11er q dio
tons -Four Of these are American trans
atlantic liners and two New York and
Cuba mail liners, already under postal
It will require at least IS months to
! build vessels of over 5000 tons and IS
knots needed to meet new conditions in
/ the Pacific. Meanwhile a combinatio of
four large, German INES, aided by the
ships to carry out the German Imperial
A relaxation of the registry law was
necessary in order to establish our trans
atlantic line and a similar relaxation is
/ now necessary to meet conditions on the
Pacific. 1t is proposed that foreign built
vessels be admitted to American registry
/ on condition that equivalent tonnage be
/ built in the United States. as was done
in the case of the Paris, New York. St.
Louis and St. Paul.
BY a similar policy Germany has built
/ yards. From 1885 to 1891 the North Ger
man Lloyd spent $7,500,0 600 in German and
| to 1897 it spent SIG, 900 in German yards
and only $1,5OO,OOO in British yards.
| construction and operation under the
| American and British flag and concludes
/ that on the average Tor cargo steamshi
4 now generally in use by foreign nations
/ this difference amounts to about one cent
/ per ton Tor each 100 nautical miles On the
| basis considered, an average annual ex-
/ penditure of about 100000 for u or 15
| years, aided BY industrial development.
will give the United States a becoming
maritime rank rms sum IS substantial
| " the expenditure for sugar bOunties
/ der the tariff of 1890 BY Investing the
become shipbulIding power superior to
! germany and close competitor with
/ Great Britain This autumn we exported
| plates Tor the largest steamship now on
| the ways in Great Britain. Five years
| age we imported the plates from Great
] Bftaln Ior our hrSt large steel square
/ rugged ship. Trade between the United
! order restricted to American vessels Should
/ be soon confined by statute.
/ United States and Hawaii to American
| vessels is even more important. OF that
\ American vessels and over 10 per cent Of
/ the remainder by Hawaiian vessels, which
~, saving in 6afIast viii s1Itfi Vesgs
7 ply the transportation requirements Of the
/ Islands if foreign vessels are withdrawn.
] navigation in the Pacific is involved in
treating the islands as an extension Of our