Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1900-12-25
SHIP SUBSIDY Bill
Explanation OF the Chief Provisions o
This Measure.


Generally speaking, the ship subsidy
bill, about which So much has been said
lately, provides for & tonnage bounty
on sail and steam vessels, with an in
crease on sliding scale according to the.
size and speed of the vessel. No vessel
is to receive bounty unless it carries
cargo amounting to 80 per cent of its
carrying capacity on every voyage. In
other words, no bounty will be paid for
voyages made in ballast or without actual
commercial freight The vessels must
be built upon designs approved by the
naval authorities, anu be subjected to the
use of the government for cruisers in time
of war. Foreign-built ships owned by
American citizens can receive half the
bounty to be paid to American-built yes
sells, and ships actually contracted for
and under construction in foreign ship
yards for American owners are entitled
to the same privilege but the bounSy will
be withheld until their owners have built
an equal amount of tonnage in the Unit
ed States. All ships must be rated AL.
Oae-fourth of their crews must be citi-
zens Of the United States, and in order
to educate officers for ships to be built in
the future they must carry one cadet for
every 1000 tons or fraction thereof. They
must also carry mails from the United
States to foreign countries free of charge.
American vessels already built are SUBJ
sidized for ten years: vessels to be here
after built for twenty years. The MAXI
mum subsidy payable in any one year is
$9,0O0,O00 At the present time the ex-
penditure would be about $4,500.OO0 a
year. When $4,000 is reached subsi-
dies are to be reduced pro rata as Amer
lean shipping increases.
Uniform subsidy to all American yes
sells of one and one-half cents gross ton
for each 100 nautical miles not exceed
ing 1,5O0 miles, sailed outward bound.
The same rate for each 100 miles not ex.
ceeding 1880 sailed homeward bound,
and one cent gross ton for each addi-
tional 100 nautical miles sailed, on each
entry, not exceeding sixteen in any twelve
consecutive months. Special rates TO fast
er steamships, graded according to their
speed, to offset the mail subsidies paid
by foreign governments. varying from
hve-tenths Of one cent a gross ton for
vessels Of more than 1000 gross tons and
of twelve knots and less than fourteen
knots speed to two and three-tenths cents
gross ton for vessels of more than TO-
600 gross tons and twenty-five knots or
more speed. 4 ten-knot ship, with a
mileage of 42,000per annum, would earn
S4S,3O0. y fifteen knot ship, with mile
age of 63,0C0 miles per annum, would
earn SILT A twenty-one-knot ship,
with d mileage of $500 miles per am
Il 30
Admits to American registry all for
eign steamships owned by Americans on
Jan. /, 1900 and entities such steamships
to half subsidies. Before these foreign
built steamships can be Registered and
receive subsidy owners must build in the
United States corresponding steamships.
as in the eases of the New York and
Paris.
Que of the principal arguments ad
vanced against the bill by its opponents
is that it favors the european trade,
which is already well supplied with trans
portation facilities and practically ignores
the South American trade and the neces-
sites of transportation in other directions
where we have none. 1t is also claimed
that the American steamship company
will enjoy the largest benefit from the
subsidy. Another objection is that the
pending bill fayors fast steamers rather
than those that carry heavy cargoes.