The age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1897-1902, 1899-02-26

pretense that 1t was intended to build up
the merchant marine to the position it oc-
cupied before the civil war when the Amer
lean flag proudly carried our commerce to
the four quarters of the globe
What Is this bill that is known to the pub
lie at large as the Hanna-Payne subsidy
bill, and bears the title on the calendar CT
H. r. 11,312? 1t is a pretense and fraud.
Instead of its provisions being for the In
terest of the merchant marine of the coun-
try, its sole effective provision is to give an
increased bounty to one single corporation.
Your glittering promises to aid the man
ufacturing and shipping interests of the
country have resolved themselves into
raid on the treasury in the interest OF
corporation whose capacity for plundering
the public treasury knows no bounds.
make this assertion with the bill before
me, and I intend to prove 1t by facts ana
figures that cannot be disputed.
Let us consider the details OF TINS OIL
known as H. r. 1872. 1t proposes on It's
face to pay a subsidy to the owner OF
owners of any vessel registered by an
American citizen or citizens, including cor
pora tions, that is sailing between ports IN
this country and ports of foreign nations
and 1t authorizes the secretary OF the treas,
ury to contract with said owners OF saiu
vessels for the payment for twenty years
out of any money in the treasury not other-
wise appropriated, the following supsioies;
On each entry of sail or steam vessel,
not exceeding 16 entries In any twelve con-
secutive months, IA cents per gross ton LOT
each 100 nautical miles not exceeding l,ooo
nautical miles sailed outward bound and
11h cents per gross ton for each l0o miles
not exceeding $500 miles sailed homeWaru
bound, and l cent per gross ton TOT each
10O~nautical miles over 800 nautical miles
sailed either outward or homeWaro
bound.
This is the first (a) clause in this subsidy
bill. The second (b) is:
Steam vessels which may be suitable Tor
carrying the mails of the United States or
as auxiliaries to the forces of the united
States in time of war or other need, IL OF
the following tonnage and capable of main
tanning the following rates of speed under
the conditions hereinafter provided, SNAIL
in addition to the compensation provided IN
paragraph (a) of this section, receive COM
pensation per gross ton, for each lOO nauti-
cal miles sailed both outward and home
ward bound, at the following rates,
namely:
Vessels over 1900 gross tons:
First-Fourteen knots and less than Is
knots, cent per gross ton.
Second-Fifteen knots and less than 16
knots, IL cents per gross ton.
Third-Sixteen knots or over, IL cents per
gross ton.
Vessels over 5000 gross tons:
Fourth-Seventeen knots and less than
eighteen knots, Ia cents per gross ton.
F'ifth-Eighteen knots and less than 10
knots. 1.6 cents per gross ton.
Sixth-Nineteen knots or over, is cents
per gross ton.
Vessels over 5000 gross tons:
Seventh-Twenty knots and less than q
knots, cents per gross ton.
Eighth-Twenty-one knots or over, 2.3
cents per gross ton.
The bill provides that vessels receiving
fc Ihcid hall fhA Tnft cd Gfatn &c
mails free, and also that any vessel now
having contract with the government to
carry the mails may, on application to the
postmas ter-general, be released from such
contract.
On it's face the above looks like it would
increase and benefit American shipping;
but we have tried an experiment along that
line. Let us make a comparison of the
experiment tried in the past with the re-
suits to be obtained under the present bill.
On March 8, 1891, the congress of the
United States passed a bill entitled "An act
to provide for ocean mail service between
the United States and foreign ports and to
promote commerce." Under the terms of
this bill the postmaster-general was autl or
lied to make contracts with steamships
having an American register, for the term
of ten years, to carry the United States
mail to foreign ports. Under the provisions
of this act the ships to carry the mail were
divided into four classes:
The first class to be capable of maintain
ing a speed of 20 knots an hour and to have
gross registered tonnage of not less than
5000 tons, to receive 81 a mile for each out
ward voyage.
The second class to be capable of main
tanning a speed of is knots an hour and to
have a gross registered tonnage of not less
than 5000 tons, to receive 81 a mile for
each outward voyage.
The third class to be capable of maintain
ing a speed of IL knots an hour and to
have a gross registered tonnage of not less
than 1850 tons, to receive 66 2-3 cents
mile for each outward voyage.
The fourth class to be capable of main
tanning speed of IL knots an hour and to
have a gross registered tonnage of not
less than 1900 tons, to receive &C 2-3 cents
a mile for each outward voyage.
The postmaster general was authorized to
advertise for contracts for the carrying of
the mail under this act, and, as shown
hereinafter, endeavored to make contracts
for the carrying of the mail to many ports
in Europe, South America and Asia; but
at the present time there are only five of
these contracts in existence, which will be
referred to hereafter.
Before going into a comparison between
the present law and the proposed law let
me state that the miles paid for under the
act of 1891 are statute miles, and the miles
to be paid for under the Hanna-Payne sub
should be borne In mind in making the cal
culation.
One of the contracts In force under the
act of 1891 is known as Route No. 36, 20.
M. ST." between New York and La Guaira,
Venezuela. The contractor Is the Red ID"
Line, with the Caracas, q vessel of IA knots
and 5S4 tons gross. and the Philadelphia,
a vessel of IA knots and $3.50 tons gross. 1t
makes So trips year of 2,25S statute miles
outward bound, equal to total Of S1.2SS
statute miles, and, as these vessels come
under the third class, 1t receives dollar
a mile, or $S1 ,2SS
The average tonnage of these two steam
ers is 1859 gross tons, and under the Hanna
Payne bill for the same service they will
receive the following amounts. The dis
lance of 225S statute miles is equal to
1884 knots, or nautical miles.
Under clause (a) these vessels will re-
ceive ~ cents per gross ton for each 100
miles up to 1900, or 22A cents per gross ton,
and cent per gross ton for each 100 miles
over 800, or 463 cents, total of 27.13 cents
under clause la, but as the vessel is over
IA knots and 1900 tons, it receives in addi-
a.. for oh, mill