Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-01-06
TO AID SHIPPING
Commissioner Chamberlain on the
Hanna-Payne Bill
10 BUILD UP THE MERCHANT MARINE
Great Falling Off in Our Tonnage in
the Orient.
TIME FOR A NEW MOVE

The question of aiding the merchant ma
rine of this country is receiving so much
| attention that the views of every we'll
| posted man are of great interest and i'm
| portance. 1t is said that there is no better
posted man on this subject and kindred
| subjects than Eugene T. Chamberlain, the
| commissioner of navigation. At the Treas
| ury Department his judgment in these mat
| ters is implicitly relied upon and he is
regarded as invaluable in his position Mr.
| Chamberlain talked to a representative of
The Star upon the question of a merchant
| marine:
THE question raised by the Hanna
Payne shipping bill" said he, SIS simply:
Do we desire American vessels to carry
| American exports or do we prefer to rely, as
at present, on foreign vessels? Men will
doubtless divide on the bill as they give
one answer another to this question
| There does not seem to be chance for a
party division on the subject. The fact
| that Sena tor Hanna introduced the bill
| and that one of its most earnest support
ers is Arthur Sewall, recently candidate
| for Vice President, indicates that there is
| no room for craftsmanship in the discussion.
These facts may be set down as GER
| tainties rot only at present, but for some
| years to come.
| Greater Cost.
| First 1t costs more to build in the
| United States than in Great Britain or Ger
| many steamships of the kind required to
| meet the needs of transoceanic transporta-
| ton.
| Second. 1t costs more to operate YES
sels under the American flag than under
| foreign flags.
| Third. Foreign governments are paying
/ this year S24,50000O to promote naviga ton
| a thair rive
| flags. These figures are not guess work.
| The items, one by one, which so to make up
| this somewhat impressive total can be
given if necessary.
THE bill has of course its military
phases, but those are subordinate, though
| it is rather Notifying to recall how I'M
| prepared the United States were with mer-
| chant vessels for the transportation of
| troops to Cuba and Porto Rico, while
Japan had not the slightest difficulty in
| 1894 in projecting with her own merchant
steamships, manned with her own sub
jects, upward of 100000 men into China
before the world realized that the war had
begun.
| THE bill is chiefly commercial measure.
| If it is deemed worth while to make the eff
| fort, American ships can earn much of the
freight money we now pay to foreign ship
| owners. If we do not make the effort We
| shall not get the trade. The investment
proposed is profitable one, vastly more
profitable for the people of this country
some river and harbor improvements. Here,
| for example, is an extract from a circular
| issued on New Year day by New York
| firm of ship brokers': During the past
twelve months have RENTED to owners
by cable and draft S22,i11 513, money col
lected for owners account for the hire of
steamers under time charter only, not in
Guiding the moneys RENTED for rate or
lump sum freightS. This firm acts
American agents for the owners of 1870
small steamships, engaged almost eXclu
sively in the trade between the United
! States and the West Indies, Central Amer
| lea, Mexico and South America on the Car
| ibbean, and of the entire 100 vessels only
six were under the American flag. Putting
aside for the moment all considerations of
sentiment, is it worth while as q business
proposition to try to get fair share of
this trade or is it not? There is no mys-
ferrous way by which we acquire it.
1t can only be done by the investment of
money in the enterprise, and it is for Con-
gress to consider whether an investment of
say $4,000, 900, yielding a certain return of
seven or eight times that amount in freight
money alone earned by Americans-not to
mention the incidental development of ship
buildinS-is worth making.
Aim of the Bill.
1.-The aim of the Hanna-Payne bill is to
equalize conditions of shipping in the for
eign carrying trade and nothing more.
Compared with assistance which in a di-
| rect or indirect form the United States have
for years extended. for example, to the
sugar industry of Louisiana-compared with
the money invested to promote the naviga-
ton of the Mississippi and Missouri rivers,
or to improve the harbors of our south At
lantic and gulf ports-or better still COM
pared with the grants by foreign govern
ments to promote their steamship lines
this measure is the most moderate and rea-
sonable adjustment of means to important
ends which has beer submitted to Congress
or TO any other legislative body of cores
ponding dignity in a long time.
1T is not in any sense war measure,
though the war has undoubtedly brought
to notice many facts and considerations
which greatly strengthen the argument for
the BILL We have a better chance now to
obtain the control of the carrying trade of
the Pacific than shall have again for
some time to come. The annexation of Ha
wall, the prestige of our arms in the orient
and the indisputable and inevitable fact
that, whether We like it or not, must
insist henceforth on equality of trade con-
d1tions in eastern Asia, and to that extent
have become factor in international pol
itics-all these matters have given TO the
United States the rank of power of the
first class on the Pacific. The opportunity
open to US is realized more keenly perhaps
by our competitors than it is realized in
this country. The latest report of the con-
soldated shipping companies of Hamburg
for example. contains this significant para
graph: The increase in the influence of the
United States in the east will now render
important 1uftner measures Tor the develop
ment of German maritime interests in that
trade and the rapid performance of imperial
projects
1.-THE projects referred to are not only
the occupation of Kiaotschau, but also the
recent consolidation Of the three big Ger
man steamship companies. backed by an
annual subsidy of 81 400 600 to push Ger
man trade and German shipping in Asia
Last year the United States paid American
vessels just 81 ,0s4 for carrying our Asiatic
mails
Decline in Our Shipping.
'The lesson of our neglect of American
shipping has been learned by the Atlantic
seaboard at very heavy cost to ourselves.
and it is to be hoped that the Pacific coast
and the states of the northwest and south
west. which would naturally export from
Pacific ports, are not to undergo similar
experience. Only day two ago it was
cabled to this country as notable event
that one American steamship had actually
entered at London. the greatest seaport in
the world! While American tonnage in
trade between the United States and Asia
and Australia has been slowly declining
foreign tonnage has more than doubled
within fifteen years. The American ships
which entered the treaty ports of China In
1896 were only one-half of per- cent of the
total. We have doubtless won a position