The morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1899-1930, 1901-08-22
EUROPEAN SHIPPING SUBSIDIES.
Seattle Pos;-Intelligencer,

Seattle Pos;-Intelligencer,
The opponents Of subsidies TO Amsri-
can shipping persis,ently ignore tire FAC;
tina, the foreign vessels with which the
United States has to compete on the
high seas are slmos; uniformly In re-
ceip; Of such subsidies. Some so further
and Intimate that the subsidy proposition
has been advanced for the frs, time in
the United States ami that it Is = con-
fesslon Of our inability to compete on
equal terms. From an article on this sub
ject, compiled from our consular reports
and published by the British government
it appears that substantially every ma
ri,ime nation in the world, save the
United States. pays subsidies in some
form 70 encourage ocean shipping. No,
orly does the American ship owner on
the high seas have 70 pay wages out
Of all proportion greater than ara paid
in anv other countries. but his foreign
competitors are directly aided by money
payments out Of the state treasury.
Looking over the list it appears tina;
Austria which has the barest thread
of a sea line is paying in boun;iss and
subsidies FOR shipping upwards Of ST.
100000 annually. six times the amour.
which it was paying eleven years ago.
France pays upwards OF 100000 an
nuauy directly in bounties, part of this
going 20 subsilize shipbuilders as well
as ship operating. Upwards Of 5000.
600 more goes in the form Of postal sub
ventors, differing only In name from
the bounties to be offered under the
terms Of the bills which were offered
in the last congress in this country
Germany grants large direct boundes TO
ship owners, exclusive Of heavy pay for
carrying the mails and an indirect
bounty in reduced rates on the govern
ment railroads fer all freight destined
for export in German vessels. Il was
entirely under the stimulus Of this boun-
" system that the German merchant
marine has grown to lis present large |
proportions, and IS steadily expanding,
faster even than that Of the United
States IS declining. German ship owne-
ers are growing rich on the profits Of
carrying American goods and the boun-
lies Daid by their government.
Italy, with a poverty-siricken popu-
!atiol and an almos, bankrup; treas /
ury which finds it necessary to cut I
down every other item Of public ex-
penil;ure in order to maintain lis ex-
traordinary military and naval estab-
lishmenI, still continues 10 subsiiize its
merchant shipping by direc; bounties
for every mile traversed by an Italian
ship, and additional bounties for every
ton Of new shipping built in Italian
yards. These bounties are considered
necessary notwithstanding the fact
tina. wages in Italian shlpyards and on
Italian vessels are the lowest in Europe
and hardly average one-quartsr as much
as IN the United States.
Japan, with which the American
states OF the Pacific mus, compete in
the carrying trade Of the Pacific, pays
a direct bounty to every steamship in
its ocean carrying trade; the amount
being based on tonnage and miles
with an extraordinary allow
ance for speed. In 1899 the vessels ply
ing on the Seattle route, for example.
drew from the treasury upwards Of
e6j.ooo sterling. Yer those vessels Ger
'alnly can be operated far more cheaply
than any American ship in the same
trade.
The matter is a very simple one II
American deep water shipping is to be
revived, It must be put on the same
footing, so far as regards government
aid, as the shipping Of other countries. q
The opponents Of bounties do not pre- c
-end to deny that the interests Of the
country demand that the United States
AIRY its own exports in American ships.
They cannot deny, in the teeth Of the
that the amount Of exports j
.arried in American shipping is growing
ess, year by year, while the deep water ]