Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-04-02
TO AID MERCHANT MARINE
REPORT ON THE AMENDED SHIP
PING BILL.
An Attempt to Regain Control of
Foreign Trade and to Increase
Our Expectation.

OuA 49,
The report Of the House committee on
merchant marine and fisheries on the
amended shipping bill has been made to
the House by Chairman Grosvenor. The
principal purposes of the bill are stated to
be as follows:
Objects of the Bill.
II. To aid in a real practical way-and
no doubt, under existing conditions, the
only possible way--in bringing, to the
greatest extent possible, our own foreign
trade back into our own hands, and thus
saving to our country certainly more than
500, 900, 600 transportation money annually,
which now goes to increase the wealth of
other nations.
''2. To greatly increase the expectation
and sale of all kinds of our superintendent
productions, and especially in the vast re-
gions of eastern Asia, evidently very soon
to be opened to the trade of the world. This
is trade that the nation best prepared to
engage in will necessarily get the greater
proportion of by it's own ships under its
own flag, and with it's own postal facilities,
and its own commercial establishments for
the disposal of its productions
20. To bring into existence at the earliest
possible time q great American fleet of
merchant vessels, built in our own coun-
try, with our own material and by our
own LABOR, as most necessary means OIL
national aid and national safety in times
of international war or other disturbances,
the probability of which is, unhappily, not
small even now.
-. To increase the number of our citi-
zens who will be educated in sea faring work,
and who will thus have the skill and be
better able to defend the honor and inter-
ests of our country on the seas, however
suddenly the occasion may happen.
20. The bill, we think. will, If the pro-
posed compensation is large enough, ac-
complish these great and important pur-
poses.
Provisions of the Bill.
Section 1 provides beginning July 1.
1900:
1. For compensation to American vessels,
both sail and steam, and without regard TO
speed or tonnage, but with regard to cargo,
if registered for and engaged in the foreign
trade of the United States.
2. 1t provides that the service shall be ac-
complshed under ten and twenty-year con-
tracts adjusted according to the age of the
vessel
3 1t provides for compensation 10 all
these vessels thus under contract, for VCy-
ages not exceeding sixteen in any Twelve
consecutive months, 11a cents per gross
ton for each 100 miles, not exceeding IN
the aggregate 15OO miles outward and
homeward bound, and additional compen-
saton of 1 per cent per gross ton Tor each
additional 100 miles on longer voyages. II
vessel shall carry passengers; it Is simply
to make trips with cargoes of not less than
a prescribed amount, in the foreign trade,
no matter what the nature OF the trade may
be.
f. 1t provides for additional compensa-
ton for eacn 100 miles sailed, to steam YES
sells according to classified tonnage and
speed as follows:
Vessels over 1900 gross tons, per gross
ton of II knots speed 4, IL knots 6, IL
knots 8 of enc cent; of IA knots cent, 10
knots IL, and 16 knots IL cents.
s. Vessels over 1000 gross tons per gross
ton. of II knots speed Ii, IS knots 10 and
10 knots is cents.
g. Vessels over 10000 gross tons, per gross
ton. of 20 knots speed cents, q knots %
cents.
I. 1t provides that no vessel shall be en-
titled to compensation under more than one
OF the tonnage and speed classifcations be-
fore named.
S. The section then regulates and defines
the distance of the voyage, etc.
9. 1t provides that any foregn-built YES
sci admitted to American registry under the
bill shall receive only 30 per cent of the
compensation before mentioned.
10. 1t then provides that the aggregate
compensation for the whole service shall
not in any one year, exceed S9.OO0,OOO and
fixes the proportion between the Atlantic
and Pacific trade.
II. 1t then provides that if more than
100000 shall be earned under the bill in
any year. the compensation of the
so as to give every vessel its due share Of
the limited 81 900 900.
II. 1t next provides for making contracts
with citizens of the United States who shall
apply for them within five years and en-
gage on such application under adequate
security to build in the United States regis
ter and make ready for foreign trade. such
ships as are described in the bill within five
years from the time of the contract and in
that case 1t gives such new built vessels the
same rights to compensation already de-
scribed in respect of existing vessels, and
puts such new vessels in all respects under
the same requirements. And 1t provides for
a sliding scale of reduced compensation as
the time of service runs on.
Sec Z. Provides for a limited bounty 10
vessels engaged in the deep-sea fisheries.
Sec. 8. Provides for limited bounty for
the crews of such deep-sea fishing vessels
Sec. 10. Provides for granting American
registers under specific and carefully guard
ed limitations. First, to such foreign built
steamships as were on January l. 1900 en-
gagged in established freight or passenger
business from a port of the United States
to a foreign port, and which must be of the
first class as to quality and seaworthiness
and which must have then been actually
owned by American citizens and really rep
resentlng American capital to the extent
of at least majority interest therein and
this includes such American ownership and
capital as may be in form. as foreign laws
provide. of a foreign corporal ton in which
the majority interest was at the time named
really and truly American. This permission
Is conditioned also upon the American citi-
zens obtaining the whole title to such for
e!gn-built vessels, and proving to the salts
faction of the Secretary of the Treasury
that it has been done.
Second, the section upon the same policy
affecting the first clause just cited author
ICES an American registry to similarly
owned foreign-built steamships as were
actually under construction on the same list
of January, 1900. and which shall. when
completed. be of the first class in quality
and seaworthlness before mentioned
and this clause provides that this owner
ship of an interest In such vessels In the
course of construction must have been an
original ownership and interest, and not
one that possibly might be transferred to
American citizens in view of the passage of
this bill.
There are twenty-six sections in the bill.