The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-12-24
Chat Of the Capital.

WASHINGTON. D. c.. Dec. 23-(spe-
cial)-The advocates of the Hanna
Payne subsidy bill have been able to
work up good deal Of interest among
the new members Of congress during the
last three weeks. and If the lobby work
ing against this proposed measure Is not
as strong ais 1t was during the last ses-
sion, favorable bill will probably pass
within the next three months.
The friends of this measure have pre-
scented facts and figures to the new mem
bers which will probably convince them
that they will only be doing their duty to
vote for the measure, which will have
the sanction Of the best men In both the
Democratic and Republican ranks. They
can show that we can save 1882, 900 600
year, If bill Of this kind becomes a law.
At least this amount of money is now be-
ing paid to foreigners who do our ocean
carrying trade.
The foreign lobby Is in evidence in this
capital. 1t was here last year; it will be
here when congress reassembles on Jan.
3. The lobby. of course paid by foreign
vessel owners, Is one of the strongest
operating in the capitol building in re-
cent years. The foreign steamship COM
panies. making the money they do out of
our trade, do not care to have 1t wiped
out, and will therefore fight the Hanna
Payne measure as long as the money adj
vanced holds out.
The amended Hanna-Payne bill will be
before both houses early in January.
The necessity for the passage of law
of this kind Is clearly set forth by Eu>
gene T. Chamberlain, commissioner Of
navigation, who has made study Of the
subject and is therefore competent to
give facts and figures which will be bene-
fetal to the men who are urging the ne
cesstty for a law of this kind. Mr..
Chamberlain has made the following
statement:
THE bill gives uniform rate Of COM
pensation to all vessels (Sa1l- or steam) OF
virtually one cent per gross ton for each
100 nautical miles traversed, to offset the
increased cost of construction and opera
ton in the United States. The bill also
gives lover and above that virtually l
cent per 100 miles) a special allow
ance for steamships Of over 1860 gross
tons and of IA knots speed or upward.
About so per cent of the sea-golng
screw steamships In the world which COM
ply with the requirements named as to
size and speed now receive, and for some
years have received, the assistance IN
some form of the various governments
proposition in senate bill $500, 50 far from
being unwarrantable, therefore, is mere
w compliance with the ordinary mari
time custom of years. 1t seems strange
only to those who have not looked at
the facts.
'"The special and additional rates for
steamships Of fourteen knots or over,
which have been condemned as eXtrava-
CANT and unheard Of, are designed to OFF,
I set the corresponding allowances given to
similar steamships by foreign govern
ments Bearing in mind that these rates
only mot allowing for difference In cost
of construction and operation) are being
considered, the rates proposed are not
more than enough to counterbalance con-
tributtons by foreign governments to SIM
liar steamships.
1.-THE large British mail contracts are
awarded in lump sums, but 1 have been
at the pains to ascertain the steamships
by which they are performed, their size,
speed number Of voyages and distances
traversed during a year With this data
it is easy to ascertain the additional rates
named which similar vessels would be en-
titled to under senate bill $3.50. Viewed
another way, this comparison will show
what foreign governments would pay to
certain steamships of precisely the same
size and speed running parallel to them
! throughout q year as an onSet TO
the Hanna-Payne bill. so-called. The
detailed computations would fill several
columns, but following are the summaries
dncluding tonnage of the contract yes
| sels):
! British Senate
Tonnage. Contract No. $3.50,
oriental ...... 1885 81, $3.50, 297 $1.146,941
Pacific Steam &