Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1901-03-08
SHIP SUBSIDY CLAIMS ANALYzeo.

SHIP SUBSIDY CLAIMS ANALYzED.
The Bill Will Neither Promote Conn |
merce Nor Provide Fast Cruisers
For Time of War.
The subsidy bill claims to be Il bill
to promote the commerce of the coun-
try and it's foreign trade and to profit
ably employ the surplus products OF
the farms of the United States.
To Justify the expenditure of the
100000 year proposed by this bill
it ought to be shown that all these
objects are accomplished by this bill
better than they could be by any other
means; for if the other SO called OBJ
jects of the bill--to provide cruisers
and transports-are to be considered
by themselves, it is clear that cheap
or and surer way Of having efficient
service would be for the government
to build its own ships.
Just how the bill will not promote
the commerce In Il manner at all COM
mensurate with the enormous eXpendi-
ture is easily seen by study of one
outward voyage, taken at random, of
the steamship New York, vessel be-
longing to the international Naviga-
ton company, the chief beneficiary of
the bill.
On her first voyage from New York
in 1900 this ship carried cargo to the
value of less than 100000, and of this
only S116,000 was agricultural prod
ucts. Now, compare the statement of
the president of this company with
one made by Mr.. Stratton, represent
ing before the house committee in
January, 1899, the board of underwrit-
ers of New York and the American
bureau of shipping. Mr.. Griscom has
repeatedly said that the cost of his
four fast steamships was $10,000,O00.
Mr.. Stratton, at the hearing mentioned
above, said, when speaking Of the re-
lationship existing between vessel
and her cargo Say a ship is worth
100000 or $1,00O,000 and that vessel
goes to seattle cargo is worth on an
average twice what that ship is" and
a little later, "If you find a ship is
| worth 100000, you will find the cargo
is worth $1,1OO,000 or $1,2O0,000."
On this basis ship worth 100000
to $2,5OO,OO0 ought to have cargo
worth from 100000 to $5,000,000, in
stead of one worth less than three
quarters of a million of dollars.
Surely this ship, which under the
proposed bill would receive subsidy
Of quarter of million dollars or
more year-that is, about one-eighth
Of the entire subsidy to be paid Amer
| lean steamships already built before
Feb. /, 1S99-cannot be said to pro-
mote commerce or foreign trade or
provide profitable employment for the
products of the farm to any apprecia-
BILE extent.
Whatever else she does she cannot
in any way be said to help in any Of
the commercial objects of the bill I'M
less the promoters and supporters of
the bill can show that Mr.. Stratton is
as Ignorant" as they claim every one
not agreeing with them must be.
The defenders Of the bill are con-
stantly setting forth before those who
in their Ignorance" are opposing it
that the British and German govern
ments and other nations are subsidiz-
ing their fast steamships for war pur-
poses in case of need and we must do
as much. Then they appeal to the
work done by the two ships Of the In
ternational Navigation company in the
late fracas with Spain as an instance
of what might happen again. But the
bill as now amended gives no subsidy
for speed beyond 10 knots, while the
fast ships of the English and German
merchant marine attain a speed Of %
knots or better. In the event, then, OF
York, which can make at most q
knots, her owners say, could neither &C
in pursuit of the enemy's fast ships
nor run away from them. But by the
bill no new fast ships are to be called
} into existence, so that the SO called OBJ
ject of providing fast cruisers is no
fulfilled by the bill 1t fails as lament
ably as it does to promote commerce
and foreign trade.
Inasmuch as the government in 189!
employed as temporary transports 70
her soldiers to and from Manila (se
report of commissioner of navigation
pages 203 and 205) certain ships whicl
would under this bill have been sub
sidy winners had the bill been in force
we can judge the kind Of ships tina
would be used were this bill now i
operation. There were eight Of thes
vessels One was IA years old, one Il
one 19 and the other six from 81 to
years old.
This is the kind Of ships the comps
MES would turn over to the govern
ment to carry her soldiers if they wer
called on for transports. 1t is &c
worth while to pay 100000 a yes
for the sake of having this sort {
thing. 1t would be far cheaper to bull
some ships, and when there was L
need of them to give the use of the
to some poor company that could III
make both ends meet without begin
from the whole country.
In his speech before the senate g
Friday, Feb. 10, Senator Perkins
California showed that the entire SUI
of 100000 was already taken up an
i that the bill was actually no help to IL
building Of new ships, much less I
| the establishing Of new lines. In otht
| words, the bill as now drawn is boul
! ty giver to lines already establishe
| and given in such manner that no ne
! line will be able to compete with thos
now able to seize upon the subsidy.
! short the bill gives to a few lines lars
| nf 4