Washington sentinel., 1901-03-09
SHIP SUBSIDY CLAIMS ANALYzEo.
The Bill Win Neither Promote Com
merCe Nor Provide Fast Cruisers
For Time of War.


The subsidy bill claims to be a bill
to promote the commerce Of the coun-
try and its foreign trade and to profit
ably employ the surplus products Of
the farms of the United States.
To justify the expenditure of the
$e,00O,000 a 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 n cheap
er 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 n manner at all com
mensurate with the enormous expendi-
| ture Is easily seen by a study of one
| outward voyage, taken at random, Of
the steamship New York, a vessel be-
| longing to the International Naviga-
tion 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 $7OO, 600, and Of this
only $4,000 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 SlO,OOO,OOO.
Mr., StrattOn, at the hearing mentioned
above, said, when speaking of the re-
latiOnship existing between a vessel
and her cargo, Say a ship is worth
$500, 900 or S1OOO,OOO 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,OOO or $1,2OOOOO."
On this basis a ship worth S2OOO,OOO
to $4,000 900 ought to have a cargo
worth from S4,OOOOOO to S5,OOO,OOO, in
stead Of one worth less than three
quarters Of a million Of dollars.
Surely this ship, which under the
proposed bill would receive a subsidy
Of a quarter Of a million dollars or
more a year-that is, about one-eighth
of the entire subsidy to be paid Amer
lean steamships already built before
Feb. 1, 1S99-cannot be said to pro-
mote commerce or foreign trade or
provide profitable employment for the
products Of the farm to any apprecia-
bic extent.
Whatever else she does she cannot
a., IL, 70 hn1 I'm of
the commercial objects of the bill un-
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 fastl.- -hAfara 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 i'm 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 IS knots, while the
fast ships Of the English and German
merchant marine attain a speed Of %
knots or better. In the event, then, Of
a war with these countries the New
York, which can make at most q
knots, her owners say, could neither go
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
tect OF providing fast cruisers Is not
fulfilled by the bill. 1t fails as lament
ably as 1t does to promote commerce
and foreign trade.
Inasmuch as the government in 1899
employed as temporary transports for
her soldiers to and from Manila (see
report OF commissioner Of navigation,
pages 2O3 and 2O5J certain ships which
would under this bill have been sub
sidy winners had the bill been In force,
we can Judge the kind Of ships that
would be used were this bill now I'm
operation. There were eight Of these
vessels one was IA years old, one H.
one IS and the other six from 21 to 40
years old.
This is the kind of ships the compa-
nies would turn over to the govern
ment to carry her soldiers If they were
called on for transports. 1t Is not
worth while to pay 100000 a year
for the sake of having this sort OF
thing. 1t would be far cheaper to build
some ships, and when there was no
need OF them to give the use of them
to some poor company that could not
make both ends meet without begging
from the whole country.
In his speech before the senate on
Friday. Feb. Is, Senator Perkins Of
California showed that the entire sum
Of 100000 was already taken up and
that the bill was actually no help to the
building Of new ships, much less to
the establishing Of new lines. In other
words the bin, as now drawn is a boun-
ty giver TO lines already established
and given In such manner that no new
line VIII be able to compete with those
now able TO seize upon the subsidy. In
short, the bill gives to a few lines large
sums Of money, that new lines may be
established. Thus we have the anom-
ally Of a bill professedly I'm favor
Of the commerce and shipping in
terests Of the country so drawn as TO
prevent any competition by American
citizens True, the bill does in words
provide that one not now owning a ship
may contract TO build a new one, but
as lt also provides that as soon as the
100000 limit is reached a general re-
duction shall be made pro rata, the new
shipman will have no share at all Of
| the slice until it is whitfield down to
small proportions, and meanwhile the
lines already in the field will have
| gorged themselves TO their hearts con-
tent. The bill, then, is really one to
prevent the building Of any new ships
| except by the favored few. They, and