The age-herald., 1900-12-05
THE SHIP SUBSIDY
 BILL BEFORE SENATE
Mir. Frye Spoke for Nearly Two Hours in Support
 of the Committee Report

question of export bounties and discrimi- mating duties, maintaining that export bounties were impracticable and that in the matter of discriminating duties the United States would encounter no less than thirty one different treaties. These would have to be abrogated if discriminating duties were enforced. The abrogation of these treaties would be an offense to every nation involved.
 Our relations with European countries today" said he "are most amicable Do you think it wise to disturb these relations at this time?"
 Difference in Cost.
 MT. Frye said he could see no reason why any man should favor free ships as rem edy. In this connection he referred to the ship yards of the United States and ex- pressed the opinion that great maritime nation like this might as well be without a constitution as to be without shipyards.
 MT. Frye showed how much greater was the cost of building and operating ships un- der the American flag. If these expenses were not greater, he said, there would be no excuse for the pending bill and its founda- ton would fall. He presented therefore an array of figures to prove that it cost not only more to construct American ships, but more to operate them after they were built than foreign ships His figures indicated that ships of great Britain had an advant- age or Mo 10 20 per STOSS lOn ONGI AIleII- can ships in the expense of construction and operation. He related the incident cited by MT. Clyde of the Clyde Steamship Con- pany before the Commerce Commission of the operation of ship under the Nor Wegian flag and exactly similar vessels un- der the American flag. The expense of op- erating the Norwegian ship, he said, was just half that of operating the American ship between the same ports.
 MT Frye also referred to the line of ves- sells run by the late John Roach from New York to Brazil. They came into competi- ton with line of Spanish ships exactly similar in size and speed to the American ships The Spanish ships had yearly ad- vantage of $120,000 over the American shlps and could make money carrying freight at s % per ton while the American vessels in order to make money had to charge S6O per ton.-Mr. Roach was forced to sell the line of vessels and other purchasers of the ships eventually lost their entire invest ment
 MT. Frye then took up that provision of the bill which provides the amount of sub sidy to be paid vessels and explained how the payment was regulated. He said by the terms of the measure a ten knot ves- sel out for 175 days would draw $15,OOO year beyond the cost of her commercial and handling.
 MT. Clay's Question
 Mr. Clay of Georgia asked if 1t was true that a twenty-one knot snip would draw under the bill $9O4OOO a year.
 MT. Frye replied that the amount drawn by such avessel would be about $22, GOO in excess of her coal consumption and hand ling.
 But" persisted MT. Clay lis not the gross amount of the subsidy of the twenty one knot ship $3O4,OOO per year under this bill?"
 MT. Frye said yes.
 'I understand" said MT. Clay, that the ten-knot and twelve-knot ships which carry the agricultural products of the country do not receive more than one-third the sub sidy of the fast passenger vessels which carry no agricultural products?'
 And I was showing" responded MT. Frye, that the low speed vessels were the cnes which received the actual benefits form the subsidy and not the fast passn- ger ships"
 At this point MT Frye yielded the floor for the day and the Senate at 3:55 D. m. held a brief executive session after which it adjourned.