The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1900-02-12
HOW THE GRAB WOULD work.

!
work distributing "glittenng generalitles''
and specious arguments through the me-
-dium of the ultra-Re publican newspapers
in favor of that bounty grab. 1t is worthy
of passing note. by the way, that some
Of the most reputable of the Republican
newspapers, like the Pittsburg Dispatch.
! decline fatty to sanction the subsidy bill,
| insisting that there is no need for it.
One of the arguments that is being ad-
vanced by the subsidy boomers rs that of
the Sl6O,OOO.OOO now paid 10 foreigners for
doing our ocean-carrying trade, the great
er part is coming out of the pockets of
the farmers. 1t is desired that the farm
ers shall leap TO the conclusion, from this,
that if the bill were passed they would
not have to pay out these millions for
freight But the propagandists of the sub
sidy have not explained how nor whence
the benefit TO the farmers woud come
As we pointed out the other day, the ships
proposed to be subsidized are not the ships
that carry wheat cotton and corn TO Eu-
rope, but the fast express steamers, which
carry principally high-class passengers
and the mails. There is not now building
projected Of contemplated, so far as the
Information goes, a solitary freight steam
er that would come under the terms of the
bounty law. on the other hand there are
in course of construction or projected ten
express steamers, or ocean greyhounds,
which under the proposed law would be
able to draw from the public treasury
the annual aggregate of millions of dol
lars. With their sister express ships of
the same lines they would, beyond doubt
exhaust the limit of the subsidy appro-
priation; and then would come a demand
for increased appropriations. Nor would
the farmers be benefited to the extent
of one penny. unless it CHANGED that they
were stockholders in the corporations.
BY way of illustrating how the proposed
bounty would work, Mr.. Eugene T. Cham
berlain. the commissioner of navigation,
says in an article in the New York Even
ing Post: THE steamship St. Louis clear
ed from New YorA for Southampton
distance of 800 nautical mnes-ffteen
times during the fiscal year 1897. At the
rate of IL cents per 100 miles for the first
l,500 miles and thereafter 1 cent per 100
miles, the st. Louis would have been paid
3S.5 cents per ton for 800 miles, and, In
addition, as a 21-knot steamship, 2.3 cents
for each 100 miles, or 7l.S cents, making
a total per ton of 1898 cents, or for the
round voyage. $2.19.6. The vessel cleared
fifteen times. If she made fifteen round
voyages she would have been paid $S2 "a
per ton, or, on gross tonnage of 11,629
gross tons, a total of 1888, 059.26. The ST.
Paul cleared fourteen times, and by the
same process would have been paid $751;
52les. The New York. 20-knot ship
cleared thirteen times, and by the same
process would have been paid s27S.9ll62,
and the Paris cleared twelve times, pro-
ducing 1851, 456.SS."
Taking the four ships of the Internation-
al Navigation Company Mr.. Chamberlain
finds that their bounty during the year
1897 would have been as follows:
Nance Subsidy.
st. Louis, per year ................$ 3S3, 059 Is
st. Paul, per year ..-............. 357, 521 IS
New York, per year ............ 1881 60
Paris, per year ................... 257,456 IS
Total ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. 81, 276, 949 "a
This amount represents the Interest on
more than 100000 of government per
cent bonds, which would go into the cof-
fers of a single company as a gratuity
for doing a business which 1t has found
sufficiently profitable to warrant the plac-
ing of orders for six additional ships The
fact that England subsidies her ships is
constantly referred TO by the promoters
Of the Hanna-Payne Bill; but they take
care not to explain that the average bounty
to British steamer is about $4,000, or
less than one-ffteenth the sum Commits
sioner Chamberlain estimates would have
been paid to the Paris had the bill been
in effect three years ago. The simple fact
is that few great corporations would
be benefited by the law, and the people
would have to put UP the money to pay the
cost.