The age-herald., 1900-03-02
FRYE MAKES REPORT
 ON SHIPPING BILL Shows Great Advantage of Na- tionaI Merchant Marine. WILL INCREASE COMMERCE Passage of the Bill Would Mean Re duction of $25,ooo,ooo Year -/ in Ocean Rates in
 Merchandise
 
WILL INCREASE COMMERCE

Washington, March 1.-The report pre-
 pared by Senator Frye upon the shipping
 bill, reported by the committee on com merce of the senate. was made public to- day. The report begins by asserting: ''The self-evident value of a national merchant marine explains our almost entire dependence upon foreign shipping for our ocean carrying suggests the dan
 ger of reliance upon the merchant ships of other nations which may become fn- volved in war, the possible complete ex- clusion of American exports from their reg
 ular foreign markets in such contingency. and points out that the wholesale transfer of the tonnage of @ belligerent nation to neutral flag, would unquestionably involve such shipping in difficulties. seizures, and detentions. The Brftish-Boer war has ma terially reduced our means of transporta- tion and embarrassed our ocean mail serv- ice. The humiliation of our reliance on for
 eign vessels bought and chartered during
 our war with Spain, is referred to. and the broad ground Is taken that under those sec-
 tions of the constitution which empower
 convention to provide for the common de-
 fense and general welfare, Is found the
 highest authority for the promotion of our merchant marine. Three prime reasons are given for the decline of the American ship ping in the foreign trade-namely, first, the greater cost of building ships in the United States than elsewhere; second. the greater cost of operating American, as compared with foreign ships; and third, causes based on foreign legislative encouragement. The suggestion that this situation may be over
 4l,o of -built
 ships to American register Is met by point
 ing out that if such admission were uncon-
 ditional, it would result in destroying ex- istng American shipyards on the Atlantic and Pacific coasts. All competent authori- ties, the report states, agree, that this bill if enacted would involve large. increase in the American merchant marine. The passage of this bill, 1t is claimed, would probably effect a reduction of $25, 900, 900 fs year in ocean rates on American commerce, through the additional shipping and the competition that would be created.
 Foreign Opposition
 Foreign opposition" the report says, s.ls being concentrated upon the bill, be- cause foreign shipping interests clearly see that they will be seGtously injured by the replacing of American for the foseign yes
 Se4s now in foreign trade. ?
 .The maximum annual expenditures are
 fixed at $9,000,0O0 in the bill. About $1,500- Oe0 Is new being paid eo AGnaI | nam ships lLD0er normal conditions fer carrying our QaIlS, sum which should be deducted from
 the additional expenditure of operation of
 this Ltil About 900 additional tons cif new shipping, apIroxlma tely $4, ,000,009 and occupying several years in dts construc- tion, would have to be built in the United $ tateS if shis b1l is passed before tine max imum expenditure of $9,00O.000 could be reached.
 '"rhe provisions of the bill from every point of view" au>.s the report, ''are over NLaelmlngly in favor of new and more ves-
 se.s, more ship yards and greater facilities l for ocean transportation N' 1 The report also states that as the most l promising field for the future development 1 of markets for agricultural products I in northern and temperate Asia, the com | mttee believes our grain fields and cot ton plantations will gain In greater pro- l portion than enactment of the law, than
 the seaboard ship building, and ship own l ing states" m Computations are given, showing the ex- | act amount vessels of various rates of 1 speed would get under the bill as com 1 pared with the cost of operating them. 21 knot ship, making SS,200 per annum, would get over and above the cost of coal and handling of it, a net compensation un-
 der the bill of s22, ,932, while a ten knot ship, making 42,O00 knots per annunl, or less than half the distance of the first ship would receive net compensation over the | cost of handling and of the coal of $15120 1 per annum. The fast steamships receive i the lowest net compensation under the bil ] compensation Is given to the amounts l that tank vessels such as are used by tse l Standard Oil company, would receive in | compensation if admitted to American reg | iStry under the bill.