Cameron County press. [volume] (Emporium, Cameron County, Pa.) 1866-1922, 1901-02-21
SUBSIDY BILL WILL PASS.
Friends OF the Measure Receive Much
announcement from Re
liable Source.

ndelphia Press, which reviews the
present status of the shipping sub
sidy bill and discusses the prospect
of its enactment at this session of
congress, gives much encouragement
to the friends of that important
measure. While the bill may not be
taken up Immediately, owing to the
desire to get the appropriations out
of the way, the Press correspondent
speaks with a confident belief that it
will GO through. In fact, he says the
bill, in its latest amended form, has
the united support of the republicans
in the senate, and it is thought also
those in the house. A careful poll of
both houses has demonstrated con-
elusively that there is safe ma jor-
ity for the bill in both. t is also
known that some democrats will
vote for it. In the senate tt num-
ber of votes which it will obtain is
So. If this is correct estimate
there can be little or no doubt that
the bill will pass.
1t is worthy of note that men in
hiSh oblNidi S'hNioiis anu NhoSN '''g
it is to look after the public inter
ests, are strongly impressed with the
necessity for the passage of a ship
ping subsidy bill. President McKin-
ley is known to favor such law, and
the same may be said of several
members of his cabinet, including
the secretary of the navy, the sec
4f
Charles Emory Smith, postmaster
general. The latter, in a published
statement, presents some cogent rea-
sons why this country should en-
courage its ocean mercantile marine
industry in the manner proposed:
Foreign governments are far more lib
eral than ours in making their postal serv-
ice contrbutory to the upbuildng of the
merchant marine. Take Great Britain as
an example, and mark the contrast be-
tween the grants of the British govern
ment and those of our own. For the last
fiscal year our receipts from the ocean mail
service were $3 467, 1879, and the total cost of
that service. including subsidies to the
amount of 81, ,026 305, and the ordinary pay
ments for ocean carriage, was SODA 53S,
showing an actual profit in this service of
81, ,452 col.
Taking the last available report of the
British postmaster general, we find that
the loss on foreign mails was s., ,279, ,375, of
which amount 81 lS5, 900 was made up by
the British government and the remainder
by contributions from the colonies. The
British mail subsidies are far greater than
ours Sir ]. Hennker Heaton, whose in
terest and prominence in British pos stal
affairs are well known, said in a public
statement that the British government
paid 10 cents per pound for conveying let
ters to America in a British ship, and only
Al cents per pound for sending them in
equally good ships of the American
line.
THE British government also dispatches
by British lines unless letters are specially
directed to go on the American line. The
United States does not discriminate, but
dispatches mail in the quickest way. The
British subsidy is effective, and ours would
be If it were large enough.
Its inadequacy is shown by the fact that
when the post office department first ad-
vertised for contracts under the postal sub
sidy act of 1891 it did not get a single bid
for fast ships. The establishment of the
American line was the result of a subse-
quent act. Other governments have de-
liberately pursued the policy of building up
their merchant marine by positive, steady
and liberal encouragement We can reach
the same result by the same methods, but
feeble, half-hearted and uncertain meas
ures will be unavailing.
I'm 1891 when the postal subsidy act was
passed we carried l212 per cent of our i'm
ports and exports. Our foreign trade has
greatly increased, but last year we carried
only nine per cent, showing our measures
had not been strong and vigorous enough.
Our industrial development for the last
ten years has been the marvel of the world.
Our commercial development should be our
next object, and d positive and unhesitat-
ing American policy will do as much to Sc
cure the one as it has already done to es-
tablish the other"
Mr.. Smith speaks with intimate
knowledge of the great postal de-
partment of the government, which
'is in especially close touch with the
American people and cognizant of
their needs. The government should
show liberal, progressive policy
there as elsewhere. Postmaster Gen
eral Smith not only approves the
principle of subsidies, but he proves
by indisputable figures that such
methods are essential if we are to
maintain and increase our prestige
as commercial nation. We must
do at least as well as our COMPETE
tors if we would attain like results.
And every other country with a
large commerce which it aims at eX-
tending employs liberal shipping
subsidies as means to such ends
Troy Times.