The Washington times., 1901-12-10
TERMS OF NEW
SUBSIDY BILL.
ELIMINATES FOREIGN CRUISERS.
Postmaster General Required TO
Establish Purely American
Systcm-Ncw Clnssificn-
tion md Rutcs.

sup SUBSIDY Dlil. ne lutdSult - hoN ~
an accessible position on the calendar.
The new measure differs radically from
the former bounty bills in that it is
shorter and simpler. 1t is divided into
four titles and fifteen sections. and con-
tains about , 700 words.
The new bill does not provide American
registry for foreign ships owned by
Americans. 1t makes no distinction be-
tween fast and slow steamers, except as
the former may obtain mall contracts un-
der the act of 1891. 1t contains no spe-
cifc requirement for export cargo, on the
ground that II would be a violation or at
tempted evasion Of treaties. with the
United States, and further on the ground
that il is unnecessary because the subsidy
rate is so low that ample export cargo
must be carried in order to avoid loss.
For Purely American Service.
The irsttitle, ocean Mail Steamships"
is devoted to amendments TO the ocean
mail act of 1891. Under the bill the
Postmaster General is required to con-
slider the national defence and the mari.
time interests of the United States. as
| the transportation of American ocean
mails. The purpose of this amendment is
to free the United States from depend
ence upon British, German. and French
auxiliary cruisers for its ocean mail SER
vice. and to substitute purely American
system.
The present limit of ocean mail con-
tracts, ten years, is increased to fifteen
! years to correspond with the limit of
/ the recent German and French contracts.
! The present obsolete and unscientiic
classification of mail steamers provides
only four classes-20-knot steamers of
! 5000 tons 16-knot steamers of 5000 tons,
| l4-knot steamers of $500 tons and 12-
! knot wooden steamers of 1500 tons. The
new bill provides seven distinct classes.
and is based on the progress Of ship
| building and mail requirement abroad
during the past ten years.
New classification and Rates.
Corresponding with the new classiica-
| ticn in vessels are changes iu the rates
Of mail pay. The present rates-si. 50. 81.
| and 67 cents-were fixed by the House of
Representatives in 1891. The bill passed
by the Senate that year fixed the rates
at So. 81, $50 and 81. Experience naS
shown that the present rates are too low
| for the faster mail steamers and too high
| for the slower.
The Frye bill restores the old Senate
rate OF Sc for twenty-lgnot steamers, in
creasing from 5000 TO 10000 tons, the
minimum size. and the rate OF g for six
tecn-knot steamers. provided the size is
/ increased from 5000 tons. the present
minimum. to 5000 tons the modern Brit
| ish and German mail size.
Slow Steamers Dropped.
The bill leaves at the present rates or
reduces mail pay for slower and smaller
I steamers. 1t drops altogether the obso-
/ iete wooden steamer OF only twelve knots
as no longer eligible for ocean mail SER
vice The rates fixed by the bill are max
| imum rates. Mail contracts are open to
competition and viii be awarded at rates
as much below the maximum as will Sc
: cure an American mail service.
The proposed maximum mail rates per
/ gross ton per hundred nautical miles are:
over 10000 tons-20 knots, 2.7 cents: 10
I knots 2.5 cents. over 5000 tons-1S
I knots. % cents; Il knots. 21 cents: 16
knots. 1.9 cents: 10 knots. IL cents. Over
/ 1000 tons-l4 knots. Is cents.
Rates for mail steamers to the West
! Indies. Central America and Mexico can
not exceed 20 per cent OF the maximum
rates on account OF their shorter voyages
and smaller coal supply.
One Cent Per Ton for 100 Miles.
The second title. General Subsidy
includes the general subsidy for all yes
sells. steam or sail. which are not under
mail contract. This general subsidy is
uniform. one cent per gross ton per one
| hundred nautical miles for not exceeding
sixteen entries in one year. This amount
is sufficient, according to the latest fig
| ures. to equalize the difference in Ameri-
can seamen's wages and in the cost OF
building ocean steamers in the United
States and Great Britain referred to in
President Roosevelt's message and Sec
retary Cages report.
To promote the building of new ocean
vessels an additional allowance Of one
fourth of a cent per gross ton is made for
five years. Any vessel to receive the gem
eral subsidy must carry mails, If required;
must train in seananship or engineering
| one American youth for each 1000 tons.
| The owner must agree to hold the vessel
- the service Of the Government. If re-
/ quired for defence. the pay for such serv-
! ice to the appraised by a representative OF
the Government and of the owner These
requirements are taken substantially from
the ocean mail act Of 1891.
Any vessel receiving subsidy must be
class A /. and at least one-fourth Of the
crew must be Americans.
Vessels Not Entitled to bounty.
| A vessel going to foreign port less
than 10 miles from the United States or
/ making less than half its voyage on salt
water. is not entitled TO subsidy. Bargcs.
canal-bcats. tugboats, and wrecklng yoa-
! sells are also excluded.
| The third title Deep Sea Fisheries.
| provides an annual bounty Of S2 a ton Tor
| deep-sea fishing vessels, and Of 81 a
month for American citizens when eli
| gagged IN deep-sea fisheries
| The fourth title. General Provisions.
| provides that a vessel shall receive only
| one form Of subsidy, and that a vessel
which has received subsidy shall not
be sold TO foreigner except by consent
Of the Secretary Of the Treasury. Tire
| President shall designate heads Of de-
| partments 10 provide regulations to carry
| ont this bill.
To Be Chilled Up After Recess.
An attempt viii be made to call up the
bill as soon as the Senate reconvenes af-
ter the holiday recess, and the fight
| which marked the close Of the last ses-
| sion bids fair to be repeated. The Demo-
| Gratis have already organized TO make an
effort TO defeat the measure.