The age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1897-1902, 1899-02-26
are primarily intended for passengers. light

express packages, and mail.
my contention is that a subsidy whose
peQents will only be received by this class
OF vessels will not materially increase the
American shipping or freight facilities. On
the other hand, the Hanna-Payne bill gives
no more compensation, nor as much, to the
class OF vessels that really carry the
freight as does the present law, and the
present law has proven failure in that re-
spect.
In 1892 Postmaster-General Wanamaker
advertised for contracts to carry the mail
from New York to Liverpool from New
York to Southampton, New York to Ant
Werp, New York to Buenos Ayres, New
York to Rio, Newport News to Rio, New
York to Tuxpan, New York to Havana,
New York to Santiago de Cuba. San Fran
cisco to Hongkong, Mobile to Colon, and
many other foreign ports, until in the ag-
gregate they have advertised for over
seventy routes to carry the mail to Euro
pean, South American, and Asiatic ports,
With the result that we have only five of
these routes in existence at present-No. &c.
New York to La Guaira; No. 81, New York
TO southampton; No. SO, New York to Tux
1S-n, and No. =, Boston and Philadelphia
10 Port Antonio.
Can 1t be for a moment contended that
Wnen we have strenuously endeayored for
eight years to increase our commerce under
a law on the statute book that provides
l.
from 1850 to $500 tons shall receive
greater compensation than that provided
Tor under the Hanna-Payne bill and have
utterly and disastrously failed in the I'M
dertaking, the Hanna-Payne bill will be
successful as to this class of vessels?
Now, as to the first class of vessels, under
clause OBJ of the bill, there is no question
That the compensation will be greatly in
creased but this class of vessels are not
servieeable and could not be operated
probably or successfully between Asiatic
and South American ports and this conu-
try. | have no doubt that the postmaster
general honestly endeavored to carry out
the present law, but there was no chance
to secure vessels of the first class to carry
the mail to South American and Asiatic
ports.
After eight years of experience we find
that they have made but one contract with
vessels of this class for European ports,
and the presumption is that on any other
route vessels of that class did not find the
contract profitable.
1t may be contended that the present law
is not intended to pay a subsidy to steam
ships, but merely to compensate them for
carrying the mall This is not true 1 find
In the report of the superintendent of for
eign mails that during the last year the
international Navigation Company, under
its contract with the government, carried
6S,0O00O0 grams of letters and 10000, 900
grams In prints, and received as compen-
sallon therefor $3.50, 500; that the Cunard line
received compensation for carrying United
States mail, but not under subsidy con-
tract, because IL is an English line, and car
ried 600 grams in letters and $50 ,000,-
900 grams of prints, and received therefor
$172,0O0. In other words, the Cunard line
carried more mail than tho International
Navigation Company, and yet the Interna-
tional Navigation Company received S40S,-
900 more for the same service than did the
Cunard line.
Again, on page II of the report referred
to above, find that the superintendent of
foreign mails says: 1.-THE mails for Great
Britain and the continent of Europe are
dispatched by every fast steamer; and
when two fast steamers sail on the same
day Or succeeding days, the mails are, as
rule, assigned to the one whose previous
speed record gives reason to believe that
1t will deliver the mails sooner on the other
side of the Atlantic.
Other things being equal, preference is
given to steamers sailing under the flag
of the United States, and especially to
those under contract with this department.
at a compensation of "a mile travelled
from New York to Southampton. Steam
ers flying the flag of the United States, but
not under contract, are allowed for their
service all the postage collected on the
malls they carry from this country; that
Is to say, cents a half ounce, SLIGO pound
Cor 1920 a short toni for letters and post
cards. and 1 cent for ounces, cents a
pound Cor S160 short tom for other ar
ticles.
I'm the case of steamer conveying the
mails under foreign flag compensation is
allowed at the rate of A cents a pound Cor
$3.50 short toni for letters and post cards,