The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1901-01-24
FAST MAIL PRE7HNCES
Absurdity of Claims Made by Ship
Subsidy Advocates.
FnvOritism Under the Pending Bill
American business Interests
Building of Really Speedy Vessels
Not Aided by the Hanna Scheme.

NEW YORK, Jan. 23.-The Tariff Re-
form Club has issued the following re-
garding the Ship Subsidy bill:
IF there is one pretence more bold
than the rest under which the pending
Subsidy bill is pushed, it is that it will
help our foreign mail service.
"At page 50 of his report, Mr.. Cham
berlain Commissioner OF Navigation, sug-
gests that a reduction in the special
rates proposed for steamships of four
teen knots or upward will preclude the
possibility of establishing new lines of
American mail steamships to different
quarters of the globe, and would thus de-
feat one of the most important public OBJ
jects of the measure. The rates
proposed for American mail steamships
by both Senate and House bills. on the
other hand. must share in the uniform re-
duction when the ilaximum expenditure
has reached the limit, 100000.
This reminds us of Senator Frye's
claim that of the So, 900 per annum.
contemplated as subsidy. only $500, 600
should be really SO considered; since on
his theory We are now paying 81 500 900
for mail service, for which the United
States. under the subsidy bills, would pay
nothing
The fact however, is--as no one would
more promptly admit than will Mr.. Frye
and Mr.. Chamberlain-that while there
might sometimes be little benefit to the
United States from free mail carriage to
Offset against subsidies paid its amount
would be petty and uncertain.
For, in the very nature OF things we
must employ to carry our mails the best
and fastest ships to be secured. When the
pending contract with the International
was made its ships-the Paris and the
New York, and the newly built ST. Paul
and st. Louis-were among the fastest in
existence. Since that time, however, and
notably within the last two years, marine
engineering has so developed that where
as ten years since there were none faster,
and only four others as fast as the In
ternationaHs (then) two steamers in 1900
there were flOated nine which surpass them
in speed-three by one knot per hour, two
by two knots PR hour. and four by three
knots per hour. Moreover. line after line
has contracted for ships of from twenty
three to twenty-four knots speed. until
within five years twenty to twenty-one
knot ship (even now not considered an
eligible carrier for fast mail between here
and Europe) will be a leisurely going tub,
as compared with the faster steamer that
will then carry our mails
But under the Subsidy bill we are not
likely to have American mail steamers. In
the first place its promoters admit that
such is not the case. as in the following:
My Clyde-We know as practical men.
that the twenty one-knot ship is a bad
ship for the shipownar, and we know
from the enquiries We have made as to
what ships will be built if this bill is
passed-that all the vessels contemplated
will be vessels Of moderate speed, none of
them exceeding seventeen knots -
House hearings. p. 34)
I'm the second place, the bill is so
drafted as to discourage the building of
really fast steamers by American ship
yards. It is on every hand conceded that
the cost of building, fitting, and running
a steamer increases very rapidly, and out
of all proportion to the speed attained
And when we remember that, though
scheduled by Lloyd's as twenty knot
steamers-and so rated only last year by
Mr.. Chamberlain-the InternationaFs
flyers are now considered by Mr. Cham
berlahi as competent to draw subsidy as
twenty-one knot vessels (see page 1881 we
evidently have the data in view of which
the Subsidy bill was drafted.
THE International's four steamers
could not hope, even on a temporary test,
to be rated as over twenty-one knot
speed; hence, though the bill provides
special speed subsidy at % cents per gross
ton per 100 miles on twenty-one knot
steamers, while giving only IA cents for
the next fastest seventeen knott Ameri-
can steamers in existence, it provides
for no higher rate for swifter vessels;
and therefore, it offers least inducement
OF all TO the building of faster steamers
than twenty-one knots. The provisions
of the bill, as TO speed subsidy, there
fore, are not intended TO induce the build
ing of single fast American mail ship,
but rather to pauperize the four super
animated 'greyhounds of the American
Line to the tune (when the Paris shall be
back in the service) of some 81 500 coo a
year.
Instead, therefore, of any prospect that
our Government will save 81. 500 900 by
free carriage of mails IN subsidized ships
the fact is that the InternEtionals mail
are mainly in respect of YES
sells that already are or will soon become
unfit for mail carriage at all; so that our
Government must in any case contract
with faster steamers
This particularly applies to shipping
in the Atlantic trade. That is TO say.
the Internationars four great subsidy |
grabbers-the New York the Philadel- |
the st. Louis-last year received S647, 2TS |
from the United States for mail carriage |
under contracts which, though proper |
when made, can never be renewed. 1t is |
now proposed by the pending bills to |
double even this enormous subsidy for ten |
years TO come after they shall have prac- |
tically ceased to be eligible for carrying |
the mails at all
Indeed, scandal has already arisen |
in this connection. At page IS of the |
report OF the Superintendent of Foreign |
Mails, dated October 20, 1900. appears the |
The rule under which the mails for |
destinations were for many |
years assigned to the fastest vessels |
AVAILABLE for their conveyance-that is to |
say. in the case Of two steamers leaving |
New York for Great Britain at or about |
The same time, the mails were assigned |
10 the steamer which, according to the |
record of its three voyages just preceding |
he assignment. delivered the mails in the
shortest time in London-has not been
rigidly adhered to during the year just
,losed preference having been given to
vessels flying the flag of the United
States
1T is not here specifically stated what
American vessels were thus favored, but