Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1901-02-11


interests to set limits to the rise of domes-
tic prices of iron and steel materials
These same treasury reports indicate
that month after month, for the last year.
we have been sending across the Atlantic
the steel plates required by English ship
builders, TO the annual value of millions
OF dollars. and during the greater part of
this time, as the statements just given
show, the price of steel plates sold to
American ship builders has been MAIN
tanned at range far higher than that de-
manded by American makers of steel
plates ircm their English ship building
customers. These great American steel
COMBINATIONS have been prepared to take
orders for, say, 10000 tons of steel plates.
10 De delivered at foreign shipyard. on
the Clyde or at Belfast. at a lower price.
including the entire cost of transportation.
than they have been willing to name to
an American purchaser who WISHED to buy
similar plates. ana who was willing 10
take them loaded on the cars al the steel
| works where they were made
1t is obvious that a condition OF affairs
such as this could not long be maintained.
There is widespread desire throughout
the country for the upbuilding OF our
, years ago we had great merchant fleet
because at that time cheap raw materials
permitted US to build vessels at a lower
cost than they could be built for in any
| other country in The world. The pay OF
our shipwrights was at that time much
higher than the pay af English and Dutch
carpenters, but their efficiency was so
much greater and the price Of wood-the
raw material-was so much lever that We
found no difficulty IN competing with for
| eign constructors
There is not the least doubt that similar
results would tout W IN the lie OF iron and
steel construction, provided our ship build
ers could regularly obtain this raw mater
ial at the lower price which their near
ness to the source of supply would Justify
them in expecting. THIS, however. Is a
concession which the steel masters. who
have combined together in their control
! or the American market, are not prepared
| 70 make, and yet, as is pointed out in
the extract from the treasury report which
| is given above, 1t is evident that the
| American people are not long to remain
| passive under such a fragrant instance OF
| trust control through the instrumentality
OF the protective tariff. If there were no
/ tariff on steel plates. there would be no
| material difference in the price of these
| articles whether in an American or Eng
| fish or Scotch ship yard. All the advan-
! tage that the American manufacturer OF
| steel plates would then have over a for
| eign competitor in the United States mar
1
porting English plates across the Atlantic.
| Under such circumstances the American
ship building interest would spring up and
| flourish. AS il is the steel trust. aided
| by the protective tariff holds up the
American price and thus makes ship build
ing, in those instances where the cost OF
material is a controlling factor, an eX-
| ceedingly expensive operation in an Amer
| lean ship yard. In this way il at the same
| time prevents that revival of our merchant
| marine which all Americans so much de-
! sire.
| This situation gives clue to the power
| full interests which are back of the Hanna
Paine subsidy bill. If the steel trust con-
| tinues to discriminate in this manner
sagainst a domestic Industry. not only the
| snip builders and ship merchants. but the
American people generally will be aroused
| to the task of making determined effort
| to nave the protective tariff so FAR
| amended as to at least repeal the duty
| upon steel plates, as 1t is evident that
| TINS is the Chief barrier in the way of the
| restoration of our merchant marine. If,
| on the other hand. the steel trust. acting
with the ship builders, can persuade the
| government of the Grltsd States to pay
liberal bounty &c all vessels built in
American ship wards then the ship build
| ers can afford to pay " Without grumblng
| to the representatives of the steel trust
| the higher price that the latter demand
| for the raw material out of which mer-
| chant vessels are TO be built. If an Amer
lean ship builder complains that the steel
| trust Is charging him an extraordinary
| price, the representatives of the steel
| trust will have a good and sufficient am
| swer when they say that this excessive
| charge is more than compensated for by
| the bounty which American built shipping
| draws from the United States treasury.
Even though 1t may cost much more, and
! even though II entails r large annual ex-
penditure to the American people, a mer-
| chant marine of certain dimensions can
| and will be built I'D by means of the
| bounty system, and any trade feeling or
popular Indignation against the exactlons
| Of the steel trust win be- to quite q degree,
| allayed, for the reason that there will not
| be- as there otherwise would be, this
| potent object lesson in the form of a
| ruined merchant marine of the cost to our
| country of establishing and maintaining
steel monopoly.
There is good reason for thinking that
| the tremendous influences that have been
| brought to play at the national capital In
| forwarding this measure have been due
| in no slight degree 20 the interests above
named. 1t Is exceedingly DIFFICULT to have
| even meritorious legislation enacted by
| Congress- The barriers in the way Of pos
| tive action are numerous and potent, and
when legislative project is strongly OPP
| posed there are SO many ways of pre-
venting action that the promoters of
measure rarely think 1t desirable TO push
| 1t through in the face of a considerable
amount of resistance. An illustration of
| this Is found in the case of the oleomar-
| garine bill, which has an enormous sup
| port among the farming classes, but
which has beer side-tracked In the Senate
| by the silent but effective opposition of q
| comparatively lew members but lilt
| shipping subsidy bill. which seemingly has
| many more opponents, and relatively few
| visible friends, has been pushed and
| maintained with pertinacity that can
| only be accounted for on the ground that
enormously powerful interests are at work
| to secure Its passage.
1t has been suggested that even II the
| bill becomes a law, IL will be possible TO
at any time have 1t amended to the extent
| of permitting all American citizens to pur-
chase foreign built vessels and have these
given an American reglsted, which viii
permit them to be sailed under the Amer
! lean flag, with the understanding that
they are not to draw a cent of subsidy
/ from the national treasury. This would
to a large degree neutralize the benefit OF
son that, IL, as is now the case. the trust
sold it's steel plates IN Europe at lower
price than in the Jnited States. American
ship merchants would purchase vessels
built on the other side % tie Atlantic, for
the reason that though these did not draw
a subsidy they could be, in consequence
of their lower cost, advantageously used
in the general carrying trade of the
world.
The proposed subsidy is to be paid only
to those vessels engaged in American bus
| mess. that is. carrying cargoes either to
or from the United States. But the busi-
ness of general transportation all over the
world is far greater than this restricted
trade, and If our merchant marine, form
ed of low-cost foreign built ships, could
be built up through employment in this
general trade, it would tend to throw the
entire subsidy system into digrepute, and
tend also to force the steel trust-in order
that our ship builders could compete with