Staunton spectator and vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1896-1916, 1901-02-08
THE BHIP SUBSIDY BILL.


PENDING In congress-.
The report of the minority of the
committee on merchant marine and
fisheries thus exposes the actual eff
fects of the ship subsidy bill which
Senator Hanna and his friends in the
International Navigation company are
making such strenuous efforts to get
through the present congress:
A careful examination of the terms
of the bill and of the conditions of
shipbuilding and shipowning, as stated
by the commissioner Of navigation,
has convinced us that the real effect
of this bill will not be to encourage
the building Of ships which would
not otherwise be built or to in
crease trade but to further Increase
the profits of the already prosper
GUS lines which without subsidy have
been built or contracted for the very
ships to substitute which this bill is
| framed.
| Mr.. Griscom in House Hearings,
pages "a and %, explained as to ships
i which would be specially favored:
81 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
Subsidy bill 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
| $4,000 and $4,000 (tons) and of moder
ate speed A great many are building
in Great Britain now which will carry
10000 tons of cargo and not measure
10000 Registered tonnage).
"Of such ships there are compare
lively few in the world today. 1t Il
only recently that they have beef
built at all. In 1898, the greatest yea
for shipbuilding of which we hav'
I read in the worlds history, but si1
/ in all were turned out-four in Grea
) Britain and two in Germany. But OF
' Sept. 80, 1899, there were then building
, Of such vessels 16 in Great Britain an
several in Germany, largely for subsid
promised by this Dill.
AS most of these ships were bein
constructed under contracts made l
: 1897 and 1898 and for the lines repre-
scented on the committee which dreN
the original subsidy bill and sent it
congress in 1898, it only remains to
stated that. as Senator Frye has e,
planned (senate hearings, p. p, it wa
in 1897 that the coterie behind this bi
: was formed Having originally plal
ned to let in only foreign ships col
: tracted for abroad Jan. l, 1899, the
Immediately proceeded to place the
contracts.
The date was not changed to Jan.
1900, until it was too late for those GU
side of this coterie to secure contrac
on that date.
We see no reason why only favore
few should be permitted to bring
foreign ships and get subsidy upe
them and believe that the date shou
be set ahead, so that all will have
equal opportunity to take advantage
our country's generosity.
The Cargo amendment, while it W
, probably not hurt anybody, will &c
. tainly never touch the owners of pa
senger steamers. Under it steamshl
"a like the st. Paul would not need to ca
!. nv more than 1900 or 1000 tons of ca
c 90 to get the full subsidy, while tn
~. never leave our ports with much lie
=, than a full cargo-3, 500 to $500 tor
in Should it ever happen that they wou
III wish to leave our ports with less TIL
FL 1.5OO tons the owners have but to S
q. more space by the year, and the su
sidy stream will continue to flow FL
as before.
Such a large amount of subsidy prs
tically put at the disposal of the II
who benefit by this bill cannot but tie
" to unite even more closely than NJ
the great shipbuilding, shipowning Il
railroad interests concerned in Il
measure.
in By the time these few interests bri
nd in their foreign owned ships and
lie. their ships now being built into
re subsidy race the 100000 limit y
as undoubtedly be reached; hence it v
he be to their interest to combine to 81
ey competition and to prevent their s.
he sidy rates and profits from declini
,st We believe that such a combinat
ur would be completed soon after the
p; sage of this bill.
ill --
asl Senatorial "HOund Up"