Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1901-02-28
Saint TIarIJ'S Beacon.
AN INTERESTING COMPARISON.

British Versus American Subsidies.
In the report of the commissioner Of
navigation for the year 1900 we find
that the steamships of the Cunard and
White Star lines received from the
British government for the II months
ending March 81, 1000, as mail sub
sidy $552,290 and as admiralty subven-
tons the sum of $223, S66-in all, $776,-
1856. There were 10 of these ships.
Four of them are 20 knot vessels, and
three others maintain speed of above
q knots. Their total tonnage is $780,
556, and they made 100 trips from New
York to Liverpool.
On page 1913 of this report we find an
estimate of the subsidy that would
have been received by the four Ameri-
can vessels of the International Nayl-
cation company for trips actually made
during the IL months ending Dec. 81,
1890, had the proposed Hanna-Payne
bill been in operation. The total sub
sldy of these four ships under the sem
ate bill is there estimated to be SLIT
667. The total tonnage Is 44G00. None
Of them Is over q q knot vessel, and
they made but 45 trips from New York
to Southampton.
Comparing subsidy with subsidy, we
find that the proposition Of the Hanna
Payne bill is for us to pay to four ships
OF the international Navigation COM
pany over 30 per cent more subsidy
than is paid by the British government
for both mail pay and admiralty sub
ventions to 13 ships with three times
the gross tonnage and making more
than twice as many trips.
British. American line.
tonnage ......'... '.'''.. 1855 n.ooo
Number Of trips made.... 100 20
Aggregate tonnage ....... l.03s.Nl 50s,Oi6
Subsidy tmail and other). S776,i56 a.ll7.oT
Subsidy per ton.....,... rs g q
That is to say, the senate subsidy bill
provides for the payment Of subsidy at
the rate Of three times the amount per
gross ton paid by England for both
mail pay and admiralty subsidies.
Nor Is that the worst of t. For these
four ships of the American line are so
much slower than the -four fastest ships
Of the Cunard and White Star lines
that In order to get our malls carried
in anything like proper time we were
obliged. In spite OF oar already too lib-
eral mall subsidy to the American line.
to have large part Of our mail car.
ried by the ships of these two British
lines - which was done at cost Of
$233.541.T5.
To get an idea OF the way the pro.
posed subsidy to the American line
compares with the cost OF sending the
malls by other lines one has only to
glance nt the following statement com
piled from the report of the supern-
tendent Of foreign mails for the fiscal
year 1900:
white star and
American line. Cunard lines.
Letters carried, grams. 72.Gil.0oO i5l,2G5,J2p
Printed matter carried,
grams ................. 7j2.72s,773 oo7 1851
Total. grams ........... 5,s3o,77s 1858 rae oc5
compensation ....ss...-., Nb4'.Es s%J5.3l
Proposed subsidy .....,s. Sl,llHdW
Yet the average time made by the
four ships Of the American line be.
tween New York and London was
1873 1-3 hours. while that made by the
four best ships OF the two British lines
was 174A hours.
In other words. we are already pay.
ing the American line nearly three
times as much for carrying a part ~
our mails as we are paying the British
ships for carrying a much larger por-
ton and in quicker time. And IN tic
face Of this II is proposed TO double
the subsidy Of the American line