Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-03-27
SHIPPING SUBSIDY BILL
Representative A. ]. Hopkins Replies to
Nh. Fitzgerald.
Says That the Aim of the Measure m
Not to Buy Foreign Vessels, but
to Build Up the Industry.

| Representative Albert ]. Hopkins the
| ranking republican member OF the House
\ merchant marine and fisheries committee,
| in the absence from the city of Representa-
| tive Grosvenor, says regarding the pub
| ished statements made by Representative
| Fitzgerald on the shipping bill.
Il am glad" said Mr.. Hopkins, that Mr.
| Fitzgerald finds so many good features in
the amended bill, and hope he will vote for
| so good a measure. He says the democrats
| forced the adoption of these amendments,
| but as / recall it the only amendments Of
| fered by democrats were voted down. All
| the republicans were present when the vote
was taken. and if he is correctly quoted as
saying that three of them favored his
amendments 1 can only say they did not
| vote for them.
Mr.. Fitzgerald knows. as does every
| body who has studied the shipping bill. that
| 1t aims to build up American shipping not
by buying ships abroad but by having
them built at home, of native material and
by our own workingmen. Mr.. Fitzgerald
| wishes to give the employment TO foreigners
that republicans desire to give to Amert-
| cans.
In drafting the bill 1t was found that
some Sb,CDo tons OF ships under foreign
hags were owned by American citizens.
Ihese constitute about per cent of the
shipping employed in our foreign trade. 1t
takes 100000 tons of ships TO do our for
elSn carrying. As mere incident, It was
thought advisable to allow these 10000
tons of ships to receive American regis
tiers and one-half much compensation
as was paid to American ships If their
owners would contract to build tonnage in
the United States equal to that admitted.
This is the basis of all this talk about tho
favored few
IF any Americans not now in the BUSH
ness desire to become American ship own
because pya
make it possible for them to do so by buy
Ing their ships at home, not be rewarding
them to buy them abroad. They have ten
years in which to make up their minds.
If they conclude to do so. then. as they
will be aided by the government, they
ought to, as this bill requires, buy their
ships In the United States. When they
have bought their ships they may run them
on any route, in any trade, in competition
with any other American ships. and they
will be paid exactly much as the others
are paid, proportionately to the service per-
formed.
The impression prevails that Mr.. Fitz-
gerald finds no extended support for his
amendments, even among his marty coll
leagues There Is a suspicion too that he
would vote against the bill even if his
amendment were part of 1t.
The building up Of American shipping
by permitting the free registry of foreign
built ships is an exploded theory. 1t would
not work unless the ships were given a
subsidy or bounty or were admitted to the
SodSINise traue. democrats themselves
now generally admit this to be true. None
OF those Americans who own ships under
foreign flags are asking for the privilege
of American registry for them They are
satisfied as things are now. 1t is to our
national interest to induce them to carry
on their trade in American-built ships We
need many more shipyards, many times
more ships of our own, so that they will
be ready for any kind of auxiliary naval
service in time of need. If under the terms
OF this bill. the admission to American reg
istry of per cent of the ships under for
elgn nags owned by Americans will there
after Induce them to buy American-bu
ships, it is a good thing to do. This does
not establish permanent policy, but is a
mere temporary incident. We can only in
duce these American owners of foreign
built ships to make the change by Reimburse
Ing them for the extra cost. And this is all
the shipping bill proposes to do"