West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1901-01-31
kNGWoOD PRESTON COUNTY, WEST THURSDAY JANUARY 81 1901
TIE Sup sunsloY nlLl
Actual Effect CT the Measure vow
rcndInE IN Conrrsxx

Pending IN Congress.
The report Of the minority of the
committee on merchant marine and
fisheries. thus exposes the actual ef-
fects OF the ship subsidy bill which
Senator Hanna and hts frleuds In the
International Navigation company are
making such strenuous efforts to get
through the present congress:
A careful examination OF the terms
of the bin and OF the conditions of
shipbuilding and shipowning. as stated
by the commissioner OF navigation.
has convinced us that the real effect
of this Gll win not be 10 encourage
the building or ships which would
not otherwise be built or TO In.
crease trade. but 10 further Increase
the profits of the already prosper
Gus lines which without sr~sidy have
been built or contracted q the very
ships TO subsidise which this bill is
framed.
Mr. Griscom In House Hearings.
pages 2i and -. explained as 60 sl,ips
which would be specially favored:
II should say offhand that the IA
knot ship of the largest possible size.
that would carry about 10000 tons.
would be the ship that under that
(subsidyl bin would get the best COM
pensation-that Is. IA knots Is about
the speed that we think is economical
speed TO do the business. especially ON
the Pacific and also on the Atlantic.
We have ships building OF between
10000 and 1900 Ctons) and OF moder-
ate speed. y great many are building
In Great Britain now which will carry
10000 tons OF cargo ard not measure
10000 Registered tonnage).
"Of such ships there are compaa-
lively few In the world today. IL n
only recently that they have been
built at all. In 1898. the greatest year
for shlpbuildlng of which we have
read IN the worlds history. but six
in all were turned out--four in Great
Britain and two In Germany. But on
Sept. 30, 1890, there were then building
OF such vessels 16 IN Great Britain and
several In Germany largely for subsidy
promised by this bill"
AS most OF these ships were being
constructed under contracts made I'm
1897 and 1898 and for the lines repre-
sented on the committee which drew
the original subsidy bill and sent Il 10
congress- I'm 1898, II only remains TO bo
stated that. rs Senator Frye has OK.
planned tseDate bearings. p. -. II waa
In 1897 that the coteric behind this bill
was formed. Having originally plan.
ned to let I'm only foreign ships con.
tracted for abroad Jan. I, 1899. they
fol
contracts.
The date was not changed 20 Jan. I,
1000. until II was too late for those out.
side OF this coterie TO secure contracts
on that date
We sec no reason why only favored
few should he permitted to bring In
foreign ships and get subsidy upon
them and believe that the date should
be set ahead, so that all will have an
equal opportunity TO take advantage OF
our eountry's generosity.
The cargo" amendment, while II Will
probably not hurt anybody. VIII Ger,
tainly never touch the owners OF pas
senger steamers. Under II steamships
like the st. Paul would not need TO car
ry more than 1900 or 1000 tons OF car
go to get the full subsidy. while they
never leave our ports with much less
than full cargo--3.5OO TO $500 tons
Should IT ever happen that they would
wish to leave our ports with less than
1900 tons the owners have but to sell
moro space by the yenr, and the sub.
sidy stream Will continue to flow full,
as before.
Such large amount OF subsidy prac.
tically pat nt the disposal Of the few
who benefit by this bill cannot but tend
/ TO unite even more closely than now
the great shipbuilding, shlpownng and
railroad interests concerned In this
measure.
BY the time thesc.few interests bring
in their foreign owned ships and get
their ships now being built into the
subsidy race the $9O00.0O0 limit Will.
undoubtedly be reached; hence It viii
be TO their interest to combine 20 stoL
competition and TO prevent theh' sub
sldy rates and profits from declining
We believe that such a combination
would be completed soon after the pas
sage of this bill.