Virginian-pilot. (Norfolk, Va.) 1898-1911, 1900-12-20
SHIP SUBSIDY BILL.
SOME OBJECTIONS TO 1T ARE
POINTED OUT.

Ahe AohoWlng letter has been adj
dressed to Congress by the home
agents of the Philadelphia Transact
| lantic Steamship Line:
Philadelphia, Pa, Dec. 10.
To the Honorable, the Members of the
Senate and House of Representa-
tiVes of the United States, in Con-
gress Assemblies:
The ship subsidy bill Is 72O, in the
! amended form in which 1t was re-
ported to the Senate. December z,
!soo, while framed ostensibly in the
interests of American commerce, is
| open to the serious objection of fa-
| voring few American corporations
only and excluding all other Ameri-
can interests from the enjoyment OF
many of the benefits of the proposed
act.
As now drawn, only those foreign
puilt vessels may be admitted to
American registry. and to participa-
ton in the compensation stipulated in
the act which were either already en-
gagged in trade from United States
ports, on February l, 1892 and at that
time either owned in full or in ma
Jority by United States citizens or
such foreign-built steamships as may
nave been under contract for the
Treasury on or before February /,
1899
1t will be apparent to any fair mind
ed person that such a provision based
upon such arbitrary conditions, which
must have been complied with nearly
TWO years ago. Is most un-American
ana UNJUST Such an act would be q
| species of special Legislation of the
most obnoxious type. comforting ex-
elusive privileges upon favored few.
If, as must be assumed to be the
nj fl,.a Nf-
ers of the subsidy bin, TO advance
! American commerce and American
shipbuilding, we submit that 1t should
be by means of legislation whose ben
| eft shall be open to all. rather than
framed SO as to exclude all but ia
| vored few from participation in one of
its most desirable features.
The admission of foreign built ton
mage to American registry, even coup
! led with an obligation to build in the
| United States an equal tonnage is u
| privilege sufficiently valuable that it
| should not be restricted in the man
| ner of the present Senate bill We
earnestly urge that this portion of the
| bill be amended SO as to permit
| within carefully defined limits any
| American citizen or corporation. who
will undertake to build in the United
| States iirst-class steamer on lines
| to meet modern commercial conditions,
|
lean registry II similar foreign built
ship; such offer to hold good until
Il specified number of steamers should
| be so constructed. These are the
| terms on which the st. Paul and ST.
Louis We're built, and if these terms
We're made available for the general
| public, 1t would seem to be an eQuit-
! able incentive to the upbuilding of
| American commerce and American
| Shlpbuildlng on American principles.
Should this suggestion, however, not
meet with favor, there is an alterna-
tive. which would make the present
| Senate bill Is 72O, much more fair.
namely-the elimination entirel' of all
| provision for the payment of subsidy
| TO foreign built vessels; then the Sen
| ate bill would be without the special
| features which now lay it open to the
| criticism Of special legislation AS it
| is in its present form, the Senate bill
| Is 40 instead of serving to promote
| American commerce in any large or
| healthy way, tends really to stunt it's
development, except through the me-
| dunn of two or three favored corpora
tions, into whose hands the provi-
| sions OF the present bill very largely
| divert it's benefits.
! We ourselves have for years been
operating established lines of trans
| Atlantic steamers, and have for some
| time been laying our plans for the
| building of American steamers, as
| part of n fleet to be engaged in trans
| Atlantic commerce, but the passage of
measure like the present Senate
subsidy bill would put us under such
| burdensomc handicap with respect
| TO competitors, whom this bill espe-
cially favors. that we may be en-
tirely barred from the construction of
| our plans in this respect.
We are and have been, in common
with many of the prominent CONNER
cial organizations of the United
States, in favor of the passage of
fair and equitable ship subsidy bill,
but for the reasons above indicated
the pending measure does not aptly
and equitably meet the requirements
of the situation.
Our interest in the subject of the
enlargement and extension of Ameri-
can commerce and the facilities there
for is indicated to some extent by the
fact that our steamship lines carried
from the port of Philadelphia for for
cign ports during the current year
Gs1 $4,000 pounds or 304, 400 tons of the
products of our farms and factories.
Very respectfully
CHAS. NJ. TAYLOR'S SONS