The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1900-04-19

noon In rms Ioiies 49,
shipping Restoration" discussing the size
., che marine that may be realizsd from
tho massage of the subsidy bill. He said
In part:
Altar an agitation OF the shipping Ques-
tion. beginning more than thirty years
aro our people have concluded thsz tne
ufiiity. advantage and necessity OF an am
pie marine for our foreign trade ought
ma longer to be denied. We must have
II. How to get and to keep the marine
which we need IS the next consideration.
Ii should not take US long TO fix upon the
uoIscy and measures best adapted TO the
end in view. Our government had this
work to do H. our early National lie. We
have stock OF experiences on how to create
and maintain marine, and another stock
On how 20 wreck and destroy II. The
story is instructive, but we lack the time
TO tell 1t now What I shall mostly dwell
upon is an experiment in Substituting now
perding IN congress. refer to the
Frye Hanna Payne bill"
When the thought fret took possession
OF certain steamship people TO have the adj
niinistration disregard the words OF plat
form and presidential candidate, and to
substitute subsidy" for discriminating
Duties" they got along nicely until the
principle OF their measure was challenged
and an old fashioned fact brought to the
front. Then, learning for the first time,
that appropriation brings taxation; That.
necessarily limitations must be the rule
OF State expenditures; as an aid" 10 navi-
CATION, only so much money can be raised
Nand paid annually, they began TO hecge
and 70 dodge and TO make amendments by
restrictions and inhibitions. II had been
show that for the present year com
pensaticn" 10 the entire feet in our for
eiru trade A. being American Il were
- e. al frrs,fl ha u00 non
Senators opened their eyes. They would
Immediately erect a stop gate. Only
50 600 600 should be paid out IN any year.
II larger amounts should be earned then
the Ss.0o0,ooo must he pro rated. Thus
rhey would head OF dispute about the
high cost. prcaigai waste, inexpcdienco and
fmpracticability OF subsidy support for the
running Of an entire marine. Like chill
dreh with their cafe. they would save
their money and have the marine, too
This was well devised, especially as moth
ing need be promised as 10 the size OF the
MARINE which they would get-by starving
IL In the womb. Perhaps soon after n.
birth, II might be straugled anyway Fes
Of cur subsidy acts have long survived In
our statute law.
To reduce 70 demonstration the question
whether the pending bin Is capable al
success or bound to fat, le, Va see from
different PORTS what impartial figures will
exhibit. Before the senate committee on
commerce limited Compensation" the
commissioner of navigation, the repute1
author OF the bill. threw as little light as
possible upon the expenditure involved
But since the limitation sappe1 the power
OF the bill the bureau CHIEF has given hi
PANEL soma degree OF freedom. careful o
course. 10 point 6gures fo-, rather thar
against, the badly treated bill, and to q
iend with zesl the sponsor for H. r,
a-f Na Y hns ie "a Ia
the Dat run out. The chief Is quoted re
ceatiF as answering certain attacks upoi
the fresident OF the International Navi
gatiotn company-'whose vessels run unds
the british. the Belgian and our ow
nag-f4n part az follows
The American line for some reason 1
eomf quarters, seems TO be the special OBJ
jeet {of attack On the voyages OF It's yes
sells! inclnded In the BILL actually mad
dn5Ing the last calendar year, and on tn
g6yases which the vessels 1t Is buildin
Z VIII make. the International Navlgatio
Z company would receive s2,15l, 1856. Thl
seems a large sum, but the tonnage in
VOWED, liS092 grass tons, is also barge.
Assuming these figures to have bee
made with fairness. let us see what the
indicate corcelning the size OF nur comm
marine. First, We will caution the an
dieace that this statement of outlay need
explanation. A few OF the ships al
Amerioln, the most are foreign and woul
receive but half rate compensation. Tn
average rate Is SASS per ton. In his las
report the commissioner gives the tonnar
OF the American part Of this feet at A 6j
tons and the comp $i,24T19
This allots TO the foreign part a fleet
l0s,491 tons, with Compensation"
1901 49, and an average rate OF IS Z.
On this basis the Compensation for II
whole fleet, II It were hperlcan, would
q - \.
per ton For the ships Of the America
line alone, The average rate would |
1896 These are fast mail carriers: Il
Diher vessels are frelghting steamers
Let us next find the figures for stea
feet now in service, wholly America
The data is from the last report OF Il
commissioner OF navigation. This le
aggregates 122,94o gross tons. and /
cludes ''all the American steamships
over fourteen knots. regularly engaged
the foreign trade" A table is set out
probable performance and expenditure /
volyed,' whose grand total Is 2,2S2, ]
average rate $3.50 per ton
Let us put into one large fleet the ID
two considered and allow IL the Anne
can rate under the bill, what would
figures be--2Ti 03e tons, IS 2SS, 957 OF co
pensation, and an average rate OF $40
per ton
90 my mind only one fact appears "
IL Shcuid not De proper 70 premise q
the average ship and voyage OF this lsl
feet would fairly represent the ayerl
ship and voyage OF the grand feet tina
practical. business-liks measure would
cure as an American marine Tor tic I
eign trade. That fast is, that al
vessels are steamers. none are salers.
tho present tune our foreign trade
use for is per cent OF SAIL the dem
decreasing per cent annually Inelud
this proportion OF sail, the conpari
would be fairly accurate and the aver
rate per ton would be si71o, with y,
ly addition OF 10 cents for diminutiog
sail.
We are now prepared TO find the slz
a marine consisting Of American vesi
that nine millions OF dollars would c
pe0ate fully by the terms OF the
Dividing ss.00o,000 by $i5.i0. NE md
tonnage TO be 526, 1921 tons. This IS a
10 per cent OF our needs today But
shall be told that the bill provides &
larger aggregate tonnage; hrst, by "a
under American registry large fee
foreign steamers: second, BY paying
only hen-rate compensation. Noting
facts. let us pursue results.
In hts iast report the commissioning
navigation gives in round figures OF