The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1900-02-20


operating. These figures show that the
compensation under this bin would be
about % per cent Of the foreign operating
Hence, at the very lowest cost, a ship
attempting to operate under this law
would not get 25 per cent of the cost OF
the other rs per cent. by carrying pas
sengers or cargo, and then 1t would only
OF the cost OF running a ship from Bre-
men TO New Orleans in ballast and re-
turning with a cargo of $500 tons. The
books of the company showed that the
cost OF the round trip of chat vessel,
which took eighty DAYS, was sll,0e2. A
precisely similar vessel running under
The the bin nov. now psndIling: 4 bqf IN the
ried cargo both ways. instead of one.
2.s52, or ss11o less than the cost OF operat-
Ing the ship proyidi9g The cost s Mere J put
sells. The cost of other voyages were
given, every one Of which showed that
II would be absolutely impossible for z
vessel to pay expenses under. this bill
without doing good commercial business"
Amendments Explained.
Mr. Frye was asked to explain the
amendments adopted by the subcommit-
tee. In reply he said:
1--WE increase the tonnage Of the YES
sells TO which payments would be made
from 800 to 2o0o gross tons for the reason
that vessel of 1900 tons could not carry
sufficient cargo TO make II worth while
to encourage their use in the foreign
trade The second amendment provides
for speed compensation for vessels of
less speed than fourteen knots There
is a payment OF so much per ton Tor eacn
400 miles TO every vessel OF over 1000
tons engaged I'M the foreign trade. Then
there IL additional compensation for yes
sells of eleven knots and over, accord
ing TO their speed. We reduced this speed
compensation from fourteen knots to eleven
because in the Pacific trade slow steamers
are largely used for the reason that the
distances are so great that cargo vessels
could not carry enough coal TO go at
rapid rate and make profit, We therefore
start the extra speed payments al eleven
knots, which would include tramp steanl-
ships, and increase as We go up to twenty
knots and over Some persons have
been saying that the larger part OF the
payments viii so TO the fast vessels. That
Ia absurd and for that reason we willingly
adopted an amendment to limit the amount
paid to vessels OF twenty knots and over
to S2.o0o,o0 in any one year. There are
very few vessels of twenty knots and
over in speed now building anywhere.
In my opinion no more will be built for the
merchant trade. They do not pay. IL II
had not been for the peculiar conditions
under which the International Navigation
Company was cut off from mail pay by the
British government we would not have had
the American line of fast vessels today.
That Is clear from the fact that no other
fast line has ever been started under the
postal subsidy bill The cost OF running
these fast vessels IL proportionately so
much greater than that of the slower YES
sells. which carry much more cargo. that Il
does not pay to operate the former rhe
fast vessels VIII get more In the aggregate
on voyage than slower one under this
bill, but less net compensation, Take the
matter of coal, for instance. As has been
shown before our committee, the compen-
sation for given distance TO a twenty-cne
knot vessel win amount TO $4,000 in excess
of the cost OF coal used at present prices
for the voyage, 10 say nothing Of otner
things But on a fourteen-knot vessel the
excess Of compensation over the cost OF
coal would be $4,000. and ten-knot YES
sci proportionately gets more. so as a
matter OF fact this bill gives much aTeatcr
net compensation TO the slower or tramp
ships than TO the fast vessels But do
not expect to see any more OF these very
fast vessels built as they can carry such
small cargo because OF the necessity OF
giving up 50 much OF their SPACE to ma
chinery and coal that they do not pay.
standard oiI~Not Interested.
Mr.. Frye's attention was called TO
charge that the Standard on Company was
interested In the bill lie replied:
THAT is absurd. I DO not believe that
they have shy interest whatever in the
measure excepting the interest thai a..
iaches to every citizen. The Standard oil
Company operates a tank line ~ steamers
under foreign flag. Those vessels carry
cargoes only one way. coming home in
ballast. IL the company brought thoss
ships under the American flag Il would
have 90 double their number by construct
ing equal tonnage in American yards be-
fore II could get cent OF bounty. And
then II could only receive ~ per cent for
these foreign vessels, and as they would
carry cargoes only one way they would
really ret only Is per cent All tire fesli-
mony goes TO show that that would no.
anywhere near make up the Increased cost
OF operating The line under the American
flag There Is no probability % them bring
ing that line under the American fiag. even
~ thls bill passes. And ! do not believe
that they have any personal Interest what
ever In the measure"
Il hear Il stated. senator mat Mr.. Hhi.
president ~ the Great Northern railroad ~
opposed 20 the Dbl, and that he controls
thirteen senator's
- n no. know az 30 that Mr. HiIl an.
pearcd before oar committee last year on
this same measure. and ne said nothing
against it :aea He complained tnal there
we're not enough ships 20 do the trade on
tina Paetnc coast Vie then remarked that
there Is no important steamship line run
ming anywhere that - not 9GhaidiEea so
one form or another, he also Said fhst
n ihis bin should become las an Amer
ican flne would be established upon the
Pacific coast by hiF company az soon %
they could get the ships And he Further
remarked t5at IN cas- there should pc
three-cornered war, ~ which f'nEie nj.
France and Germany should hacoma en-
gagged that our foreign trade would Re
gone un az once and we would De lcit
absolutely with nothing ou hand 10 get
our goods carried abroad That a2~s nor
iock much as thouah Mr. INA was Oppose
60 tee bill then. " mas ne wants laoRs
understand s. fhat bountles shosia be paid
On exports but that "a Impossible There
ere some twenty-five or thirty treaties with
foreign countries Under which their ships
rra entitled 20 the same boun1leE on ex-
rorta SRI orr frada that phsl he given 70
any Tinted States vessel Therefore. n W.
naid hcunties fo our own Ncsseiz. 80 would
have 10 ray hgunties 90 vessels ~ the se
foreign nations and there would be 30
gain I'm that n We undertook 70 abr gave
$780, ,,,,,,r-ar,iaI treaties Il would ~ a
work OF years ard might result in mitch
harm 20 thh country The other PROPOSE
ficn Mr. FiI now makes "a 70 give bO1n'ies
on exports o. agricultural products alone
Evpu n the treaties were nor IN tho wav.
,haf could mot be done under the cunMtitu-
ton of the United states without giving
similar hounties on an other exports Mr
I'M 7 think has contracted for ships 20
he built abroad and 20 De run under q
foreign Gag for the proposed line 10 SON
meet With his railroad on the pacifc Per
hans be msv. on that scrourt have lees
interest IN lhc Hill than when he was bc-