West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1901-08-22

Futile Provisions Tor American
seHmcR - The shipbuiiding which
the nil IL supposed to Encourngc
Ia Already Largely Under Construc-
tion or Ordered.
In the current issue OF The Review
of Reviews ex-Congressman John De
Witt Warner OF New York sets forth
the following objections TO the ship
subsidy bill
or course the bin pretends that It's
authors are concerned for the "farms.
factories, mines, forests ana fisheries
OF the United States" and for the pro-
vision Of vessels, officers, engineers.
machinists. electricians and soamcn"
for United States commerce and de-
fensc
Framed as 1t is exclusively 10y those
who propose To hire themselves at
their own price and who did not admit
10 their dcliberation any representative
either OF agriculture. wage oarncrs.
seamen or our navy or war depart
ment, we should expect to find Just
what VIC find hcre-that the professed
aims OF the bill are shams set up 10
distract attention from the raid plan
ned.
As to export trade, late amendment
expressly provides that TO get full sub
sidy a ship need carry out but half a
cargo load; while she gets the main.
or speed" subsidy though she do not
carry pound Of cargo. Furthermore.
the highest subsidies are specifically
given to the classes Of ships that not
merely do not. but cannot. carry much
export cargo but which export" tour
lists and import" immigrants-thc In
ternational's fast passenger steamers.
for example, getting II times the sub
sidy in proportion TO cargo that docs
a standard frelghter
The vessels now building by our gov
ernment average about - knots speed.
OF all ships I'm existence that would
draw this subsidy there are but four
above 20 knots, and it's friends admit
that no others VIII be built. II Is plain
how useless would be transports and
cruisers that could neither fight nor
run ana how fatally would fast war
vessels be impedcd 10y the company OF
slow ones. Furthermore, the ships
that would get most subsidies are al
ready under mail contracts. which put
them at the disposal OF our government
under requirements more rigid than
proposed by the pending bill-which
expressly permits cancellation OF pres
ent contracts.
IL Is ludicrOus TO estimate that
against the S0OOOOOO per annum
should be offset any considerable sum
for the free mail carriage provided by
the bill. As noted the bill induces no
construction OF new Ships over Il
knots, and It's Inducements for speed
stop at 81 knots on test run. This Is
so far behind the practical needs that.
though the International company
(Which would get the greatest share Of
speed subsidy received last year two
thirds Of the total paid by the United
States for carrying foreign mails from
New York, the postoilicc had to hire
British and German steamers at half
the cost TO carry three on four times
the mail It committed to the Inter
national. Nothing could be more
worthless than the right to have mails
carried free by ships already too slow
TO he trusted with them.
As 20 American sailors. the bill pro-
vidcs that subsidized ships % have
one-fourth their crew citizens or in
tended citizens; C2) that one American
boy be employed for every 1.OOO tons
shipping. and C3l that fishermen serving
ON ships subsidized for the year at 50
per ton, IN case they run three monthsj
be given 81 per month while actually
employed. As to these: Cd is nulllfcd
10y prOvisO that II the master cannot
reasonably get oue-fourth Americans
he need not; o. is made worthless by
proviso that the American boy need
be paid only what his work is worth
and as 20 CO, there being no minimum
wage, our government would simply
pay 81 Of ordinary wages for which the
American fishermen would still work
Finally. the ships which would get
most of this subsidy are now compelled
under their mail contracts to- have half
American crew and TO employ the same
number Of American boys. but TO treat
them as petty onccrs SO that the effect
Of thc subsidy bill which releases these
ships from their present contract.
would De 10 lessen the number Of
American sailors and American boys
employed.
As TO ship owning, the bin leaves i'm
tact our navigation laws prohibiting
Importation Of ships or obscene litera-
turc. letting in for American registry
only fcw vessels that the authors of
the bin md their friends had already
bought As TO shipbuilding. our ship
yards without subsidy. are already
crowded tO thcir utmost capacity. and
the most advanced types Of steamers
larger than any heretofore built
have lately been contracted for here OF
prices lower than foreigners would
build thcm
Worst of all, in respect OF securing
new shiphundine The bill Is largely
sham. Tor example. The owner OF an
American ship now running. on giving
bond Tor $4,000 10 build new tonuagc
might draw $4,000 iu subsidy before
'hc bond became available
Again. as the United states shipping
commissioner notes at page so of bis
/ report for 1900. tonnage now construct
Ing in the United States. whether for
'oasting or foreign trade can be OF
/ iercd TO Offset subsidized tonnage in
| operation. The result is obvious ON com.
pairing the list Of subsidy cxpcciants
On regard TO ships now built with That
Of those now building ships here. That
/ Is TO say, Che chief subsidy bcggars. al
ready owning both foreign and Amcrl-
can built steamers and already. with
out subsidy. building new ships here.
have by this bin provided subsidy for