The morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1899-1930, 1900-12-16

Such place would not have been re-
gained merely by the building Of aOcear
| flyers" as planned IN the first Hanna
Payne bin. Nor is Il certain that Il
win he even now by the inclusion oi
vessels down to the twelve-knot capa.
city. The bulk Of the worlds commercc
Is carried at nine knots. nor until somC
quite Unforeseen economies In the fuel
ing and manning OF ships are devised
viii 1t be carried faster. A great many
nlne-knot ships could be put out with
the subsidy Of very few twenty-ons
and nineteen and seventeen-knot ships
And when they were. our SOe.0O1, 90
agricultural exports iten months OF
llsocl would travel in American bottoms,
some such law as that outlined viii be
passed. 1t win not be because the Phil
adelphla platform declares Tor it, This
legislauon IS a matter OF party policyan
not necessarily party principle. and par
ty faith would not be broken by fail
are to enact Il. It viii be passed be-
cause there is no other possible way OF
revlving our shipping. and it is urbusi-
nesslike. wasteful md extravagaut to
allow our shipping to langulsh further.
This truth is nowhere so plainly dem
ons,rated as in an examination Of the
arguments against such a measure. Not
one, so far as We have been able to OBJ
serve. hts existing conditions. Each is
beside the point. is aimed in the air.
For instance. the New York Times.
stretching its limbs and rubbing its
eyes after nap in the Catskills. mum
bles irowsily the old formula Of free
ships" Let the American who wants
TO frelgh; goods be permitted to buy
his freighter abroad. is its time-honored
recommendation. But II the American
bought his ship abroad he would have
TO have a subsidy to man il at home.
1t IS not the cost Of the building that
keeps American vessels out Of the for
elgn trade. Thanks to protection and
domestic competition. the price Of an
American ship is no longer so largely
in excess OF that Of foreign ship as TO
make the difference between profit and
loss in the shipping trade The in
creased investment owing TO the employ
ment OF American yards by shipown-
ers viii not, 10 meet its interest charge.
cali for an appreciable portion Of the
subsidy. II is not the cost Of making,
but the cost Of running ship at the
American wage rate that counts. II is
that which gives a foreigner the advan-
tage Of at least one Atlantic voyage a
year. The free ship" shibboleth is as
anarchistic a survival Of good old col
ony times, economically. as was God
save King George." Of good old coll
ony times, politically.
So the SNUG. self-contained obssrva-
tion Of the Boston Evening Record as
% TO the time and period Of our lead in
the abundance and cheapness Of fuel
and steel" being the least Logical OF
all occasions for the passage Of ship
subsidy bill,' is for the same reason
merely inane. We are not to subsidize
shipbuilders. but shipowners. 1t is
wages and not material which supply
the prohibitive obstacle to their pur-
soit Of foreign trade which the subsidy
would overcome.
The great increase in shipbuilling is
taken by other journals. notably the
Evening Post, as an argument against
the bill But this not merely misses
the mark. 1t rebounds in boomerang
fashion. There is no increase worthy
Of mention, as we have before Demon
strated from the commissioners reports.
save in the protected shipping trade
Cuyahoga Greek, not the Delaware, is
the Clyde Of America. The fresh water
town Of Cleveland has taken the palm
from generations Of Philadelphia ship
wrights. Our great steel tonnage is be-
ing laid down 500 miles from the ocean.
Il is there and in the increased coasting
trade TO Hawaii and Porto Rico that
nine-tenths of our unsubsidized Increase
Of shipbuilding is found. The other
one tenth is due to the expectation Of
the subsidy The big Pacific freighters
were ordered as soon as the twelve-knot
amendment went into the bill.
No one, we fancy, today gives much
heed 10 the parrot cries Of "steal" at
this appropriation Of public money. Ev-
cry one interested in the subject knows