The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1901-01-28
FALSITY OF THE CLAIMS
Interesting Side, Lights on the
Ship Subsidy Scheme.
The Tariff Reform Club of New York
Points Out Some OF the Absurdities
All Confirmation Running in
Ballast Made IA Paying Business.

NEW YORK, jan 27.-The Tariff Re
form Club has Issued the following re-
garding the Ship Subsidy bill:
That volunteer committee with an
eye single 10 its own profit, should pose
as patriots is in accord with settled prece
dent. Therefore it was as natural that
Senate 727 (the pending Subsidy bilD
should be introduced by the following pre-
amble:
Whereas the profitable employment OF
the surplus productive power Of the farms.
factories, mines, forests, and fisheries Of
the United States imperatively demands
the increase of its foreign commerce; and
Whereas the merchant vessels. off,
GERS, engineers, machinists, electricians,
and seamen necessary to the increase Of
the commerce of the United States, are
also essential as auxiliary to the forces Of
the United States in time of war and
otherwise, and to the better security Of
the nation and the protection OF its yes
sells; and
Whereas il is deemed especially ex-
pedient to make immediate provision to
these ends
1t was also natural that it should be
framed exclusively for those who proposed
10 hire themselves at their own price and
who had excluded from their committee
any representative either of the agricul-
tural classes, wage earners, seamen, or of
our Navy or War Departments.
Experience has also taught us to ex-
poet in such cases just what we find here
that the professed aims OF the bill are
bald shams, set up, and to distract atten-
tion from the Treasury raid thus planned.
so far is the bill from helping or being
intended to help the export trade that,
although the Commissioner of Naviga-
ton reports that 30 per cent of vessels
bound to this country arrive in ballast.
but less than per cent leave without
loads, late amendment to the bill pro-
vldes that as to the general subsidy deg
! lie per ton of ships gross tonnage per
one hundred miles, to draw full subsidy
n ship need carry but half a load cut.
still leaving the speed subsidy in all cases
to be paid, even though not a pound of
cargo be carried.
Again, the shipping which it is pro-
posed thus to subsidize. carries only one
tenth of our exports thus leaving freights
to depend upon the rate at which the
other nine-tenths will carry cargoes, and
leaving the subsidized one tenth, while
pocketing the Government subsidy, TO
charge full freights.
Furthermore, per cent of our ship
ping outward, and 30 per cent of that
inward bound, is already running in bal
last. Subsidy not on cargo must greatly
increase the extent TO which ship owners
will thus run rather than take unfayorable
charters. The subsidy being given accord
ing to the tested speed of the vessel, and
not by the rate run, fourteen knot ship
drifting about at a ten-knot rate could
actually run with profit, as compared with
waiting for cargo, and would thus be paid
by our Government 10 lie idle and not
carry American exports.
Finally, the highest subsidies, as ex-
planned below. are given to ships that rot
merely do not but cannot carry any con-
siderable export cargO-a fast passerg ger
steamer of the international for exam
pie receiving eleven times as much SUBJ
sidy in proportion to cargo as would a
standard freighter of the best class.
THE pretence that auxiliary cruisers
and transports would thus be provided
for Government use is even more absurd
The vessels now building by our own
Government and others now average
above twenty-three knots, while of all
ships in existence. or likely to be in
duccd by this BILL there are only four-of
speed, and none other likely to be
moters. Ii needs no argument to suggest
how useless would be transports and
cruisers that could neither fight nor run
and now fatal to the efficiency of fast war
vessels would be ships. to accompany or
protect which they must delay their
course.
Again. Most ships that the friends OF
this bill claim TO be available for Gov
eminent use are now getting mail subsi-
dies under the law of 1891, by which they
are already expressly reserved for Gov
eminent use in case it chooses to take
them, and in addition compelled to be fit
ted for such use by requirements more
rigid than those proposed by the pending
bill. which, giving them a larger subsidy
expressly permits them to cancel their
pending contracts. So far. therefore. as
concerns use for transports or cruisers
the proposed bill instead of putting bet
ter vessels at the service of Government
actually releases those now at its disposal
from the requirements of fitness therefor
TO which they are now subject.
More ludicrous, If possible, is the sug-
| gestion that fast foreign mails would
thereby be promoted or that there should
| be credited against the gross $4,000, coo
per annum, the subsidy proposed. any
considerable sum as Offset for mail car
riage. thus secured not otherwise paid
| for. As already noted, this bill is expect
ed to induce the construction of no ships
| of over seventeen knots; and its induce
| ments as to speed stop with ability to
make twenty-one knots on a test run.
so far is this behind even pres
ent requirements that. although the In
ternational Company-which would re
ceive the lions share of so-called speed
subsidy-received in the last fiscal year
| two thirds of the total amount paid by
| our government for carriage OF foreign
mails from New York, the pOstofilce found
| its services so inadequate that it hired
British and German steamers at one-half
| the cost to carry three or four times as
| much mail Nothing could be more
| worthless than the right of Government
during the next twenty years to have its
mails carried by ships which. in large
measure, are now too slow to be trusted
with them.
Most contemplate of all is the pretext
that this bill is intended to help the
American seamen. II provides that sub
sidzed ships a have One-quarter OF
| their crew either citizens or those intend
ing to become such; (2l that one Ameri-
can boy be employed at seamanship for