The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1901-10-02

For none of our othe rslinessis COZ
ssttribution paid by the State, and for
theEconveyance Of mails on al these
slinesSwe receive nothing but the Gus
stomap3 rates, which are cretainly not
larger in Germany than IN yourscoun-
We do not even receive the subsidy
which the British government pays to
the large British steamship companies
for fitting and keeping certain special
suitable steamers at the disposal
the admiralty inscase Of mobfli flization.
The large German steamship compa-
MES have hitherto agreed ITO render
like service Withou ut demanding any
payment in return. am, Sir, your
fobedient servant, Albert Bal1in.
Director General Of the Hamburg
American Line.
Hamburg, August %.
Commenting. on the: above convinc-
ing: letter, the BostonsHe Herald says:
lie Herr Ballin had addressed this
sletterato a prominent newspaper OF the
United; States, it would have been an
equally forcible and pertinent correc-
ton Of printed and spoken misstate-
ments. For several YEARS past the sub
sidysseekers ID this country have per
sisted IN affirming. that the recent
great enlargement In the$ merchant
tonnage of Germany was due to the
fostering care Of, the imperial govern
sment, and that but for such financial
assistance the Germans would never
have been able toS carry on what ap-.
spearsstosbe assgroWing and successful
competition with the English. But
Herr Balm statements indicate that
such assertion are entirely vi thout
foundation The German government
permitsits, ship merchants and steam
ship companies to buy their vessels
where they please. They buy some
abroad and have others built at home.
The result Of this ractice-largely
in consequence of the opportunities
for repairing foreign built vessels
that it has afforded-has been
the development Of ship building
plants in Germany that are now
equal to those to be found In any
part of the world in their ability
to turn out the largest and finest
ocean going craft. But beyond
this the government has given.
nothing except for the service of car
rying its mails, which Herr Balm in
.dicates is upon such moderate scale as
to be q. loss, rather than an advantage,
to the company.
The Hamburg-American line has
been built up by the business ability
and enterprise Of It's managers. 1t IS
now the largest steamship company In
the world, so far as the ownership Of
ocean going tonnage is concerned. Its
vessels, both passenger and freight,
are not only engaged in the transatlan-
tic business, but there is hardly
great ocean route in the world over
which craft flying the company's flag
are not voyaging. This great business
has been built up from small begin
nings by the foresight and enterprise
of the managers of the company, and
by the fact that they have possessed
what our ship merchants do not
possess, the right to purchase their
steamships wherever these can be
bought cheapest. With that excep-
ton, the condition of the German ship
merchants does not in any appreciable
degree differ from that of the Ameri-
can ship merchants. They do not care
for government aid, and have never
sought it; they are willing to fight
their own battle on their own ground,
if they are given free field, and if this
same free field were given to American
ship merchants, it would be equally
productive of good results. We trust
that Herr Ba1lin's letter will have its
due influence in guiding action if the
shipping subsidy bill is brought. up
again for congressional consideration,
put an end to the fiction, SO widely
circulated in this country, that Ger
man maritime success has been due to
the fostering care Of thhe imperial
government.
The cotton receints of Columbia for