Akron daily Democrat. [volume] (Akron, Ohio) 1892-1902, 1901-03-01
SHIP SUBSIDIES.
THE DIVISION OF THE spolLs.
who VIII Get the Subsidy Under the
Pending Bill:

Frye-Payne ship subsidy bill, Is
brought forward, 1t is always loudly
heralded as benefcent system OF
prizes for which all citizens so disposed
can engage in stimulating competition
There is usually "nigger in the wood
pile" with such assertions, as we all
know, but it is not often that he is so
easily discovered as in the case of this
impudent measure. Accepting on their
face the figures put forth by the friends
of the bill, some of which are most pal
pably falsifed, the facts are that about
nine-tenths Of all full subsidies upon
existing steamships of II knots speed
or over would be gobbled up by just
four concerns, which it is well known
are those from whom the bill has ema
mated. These are the International
Navigation company, owned by the
Pennsylvania railroad and the Stand.
ard Oil circle, which would get over
$1.100,000, or with the Paris on her full
service again about S1,500,000 the Pa.
ciflc Mail. S157, 900; the Ward line to
Cuba and Mexico, S442,000, and the
American Mail company, owned by the
principal stockholders in the Ward
line, whose share would be $102, 900,
bringing up the interest of that clique
to from one-half to one-third that Of
the Standard Oil crowd.
Outside of these companies, receiving
in all about S2,000000. there are nine
L. %,
share in full subsidy, but who must be
content with mcager 100000 divided
up among them. More than half even
of this sum goes to one concern, the Pa
cific Coast company. which has already
enjoyed an exceptional amount of gov
ernmental favors In connection with
transfer service to the Philippines.
OF foreign built ships which are to
receive only one-half subsidy the Inter
national Navigation company is esti-
mated to claim only modest S350000,
added to the subsidy on It's express
steamers as noted above, but the Stand
ard Oil interest in its ownership has
quite little fleet of vessels of its own
which, unless excluded by the tank oil
amendment introduced in the senate,
will probably come in for an additional
$25OOO0, while the Atlantic Transport
company, whose affiliations have been
growing closer through Pennsylvania
railroad shareholdings, is set down for
| a 1884, 900 plum in the pie. Still anoth-
er railroad interest, the Chesapeake
and Ohio, will have right to demand
| S102000 on its boats, but search out
side of this little family party does not
reveal enough American owners to en-
| joy as much all told as the smallest of
the interests just enumerated.
That there may be changes in the fu-
ture cannot Of course be disputed, but
these must come slowly for outside in
| terests that had not been laying their
| plans in advance as had the group
which have prepared and are backing
the bill. That these latter gentlemen
have not been anxious to pose as fool
lsb virgins may be discovered on look
ing up the position of affairs as to ves-
sells now under construction in the va
rious shipyards. On the Pacific waters
the leading interest next to the Pacific
Mail and Pacific Coast companies hasal-
ways been that of the Spreckels sug-
ar monopolists. Like the Pacific Coast
companies, they have been engorglng q
particularly large meal of government
pap in transport service, and this may
have rendered them little sluggish at
getting into the pool, but they are just
putting some new boats into operation,
from which they expect to draw S2l2,-
600 subsidy annually. about fifth of
their value-something, at least, to keep
the wolf from the door.
In the way of looking to the future,
however, no one can accuse the Inter-
national Navigation company with be-
ing improvident, and we accordingly
find among the owners of vessels under
construction entitled to subsidy they
again lead the list with about $46S, 900
prospective benefits to their credit,
while the Pacific Mail are close on
their heels here, as they look for S433,-
900 additional when they get their new
boats. Curiously enough, the Ward
people have only $1S5,000 subsidy ca
paclty under way, the smallest of any
of the leading consplrators, although
iuI VI DlpltT we
might expect them to be at the head,
as a number of their vessels are grow
Ing old, and theirs is notably the most
prosperous of all 'our transportation
companies, with the exception of the
Mallory line, who are honorably dis
tinguished, by the way, in practical
absence from the list of subsidy bene-
ticiaries.
Still another classification under this
inquiry is that of vessels building
abroad. and here we find that the ubiq-
uitous International company with
$S07000 in sight and the Atlantic
Transport with 100000 are the only
ones that seem to have improved the
shining hour but as those two will
have nine times as much coming TO
them from this source as all outside
interests they are readily seen to have
nobly kept up the average.
Summarizing the situation, 1t would
appear that Of subsidy benefits that
can now be calculated upon the Inter-
national company would have about
S2,5o0,000 annually; the Ward inter-
ests, $4,000; Atlantic Transport.
SSl4,000; Pacific Mail, $590,000; Stand
ard OH, $250,000; Spreckels S212000;
Pacific Coast, Sl26,000; Chesapeake
and Ohio, 100000, or. say, $3.50, 900