The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1901-10-10
OCEAN TRADE.



10 Fopsiea vessels For Carrying Our
Trade Across seas-ws should Do
II Ourselves.
h 10 from German government re-
ports submitted to the British govern
ment by its own highest ofncials res
ident in the German empire that the
proof is absolute and complete Of Ger
man government aid to promote the |
German merchant marine. This
amounts In actual cash payments to
some millions Of dollars every year,
and whether It 10 called subsidies or
concealed under some other name,
does not affect the fact that Germany
has used and 10 today using artificial
stimulus Of this kind to build up Its
merchant marine.
These reports also make plain that
without anything near the immense
export trade that the United States
has with all the world. the German
government Is paying half a million
dollars more every year to German
steamships than all the money that
the United States pays for carrying its
mails on all the oceans Of the world
to not only its own merchant vessels,
but to all the vessels Of all the world
And yet 1t is the Democratic policy to
prevent any attempt at any American
| help for American vessels. even the
least. They oppose everything they
favor nothiRg-they simply stand back
and kick and howl.
Nor Is this all. It is also an official
fact that beside the German money
payments, that nation, controlling the
railroads Of the empire. discriminates
directly and very largely in favor Of
all freights on those railroads that are
| to be carried to German ships as
against freights for the ships Of any
other nation. This in itself is an i'm.
mense handicap to the steamcraft Of
other countries. and a discrimination
in favor Of the German merchantmen;
but IL is not subsidy-oh, no-noth.
ing but boost, you know.
One more influence that appeals di.
rectly to every wage-earner In this
country is the fact that 1t costs about
one.half more for labor upon Ameri-
can ships than upon German ships Of
corresponding class and size. An
American marine, manned by Ameri-
can sailors with ships sailed upon the
American plan as to the comfort "a !.
pay Of their sailors, means thousands
drawn from various avocations to be-
come American sailors, reducing by
SO much any excess in supply of Amer.
lean labor in other lines. AS against
this we have the fact that In addition
to direct and indirect bounties the
German lines have a great advantage
! in te low wages they pay and the low
er cost of operating their ships.
Samuel Samuel, the senior member
of a British firm which owns thirty.
six steamers testified before parlia
mentary committee this year that his
firm ran a steamship under the Ger
man flag which they afterward put
under the British flag. He said that
the change greatly increased their ex
penses, as "the cost of working the
: steamer one short trip under the Brit
ish flag was 1910, as compared with
$1.016 under the German flag, because
British officers and engineers demand
ed higher pay"
. The difference in operating Q shiI
under the American flag as compared
with the British nag in particular
vessel Is given fully and in detail II
, the last annual report of the comnis
sioner of navigation, and amounts t.
over 30 per cent As compared with
the German nag II Is much greater
, How then is II possible with this grea
J difference In cost Of operation, owinl
to higher wages, government require
ment as to food, ETC., for an American
t vessel to compete with German yes
sci without subsidy, to say nothing
, Of the indisputable fact that the Ger
man ships are aided by their govern
, ment by direct and indirect bounties'
: To oppose aid by our government, II
3 to advocate the continuation Of thu
l present state of things, under which
3 larger percentage Of our trade pass
20 every year into the hands Of for
( eign ship owners, thus draining thii
country Of An enormous annual sum
t $200000.ooo In gold. while at the sam,
! time deprivipg our exporters Of eppor
! tunitles to open new markets and ex
| hal