Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1902-03-06
57TH CONGRESS.
Vote on Frye Shipping Subsidy
Bill on March H..
Legislative, Executive and Judicial
Appropriations Passed by Senate.
House Adjourns Early Owing to Death
of Representative Polk.

likely now that the Senate will reach
a vote on the pending shipping bill
one week from next Monday. When
Mr.. Frye, in charge of the measure,
endeavored, today, to secure an agree
ment for the time of taking vote,
that date was mentioned as being sat
isfactory to the minority members of
the commerce committee. Clay, Ga,
addressed the Senate, today, in oppo-
sition to the bill and had not con-
cluded when the Senate adjourned He
made a forceful and interesting argu-
ment, which was given careful atten-
ton by his colleagues. Early in the
session the Senate passed the legisla-
tive, executive and judicial apprOpria-
ton bill, the second of the big supply
measures to be acted on at this ses-
sion.
At the conclusion of routine business,
consideration was begun of the bill ask
ing appropriations or Legislative, execu-
tive and judicial expenses. This is the
second of the big supply bills Of the
government to be taken up by the Sem
ate. The reading of the bill was con-
cluded at o'clock, all of the commit
tee amendments having been agreed to
without debate. The bill was then
passed without division.
The unfinished business. the shipping
bill, was then laid before the Senate and
Clay, Ga, delivered a speech in oppo-
sition to the measure.
Clay began by making it clear that
he favors an ocean mail service fully
Cunnrinr m tho cir1ila T.
service Of other nations. 1t should be
obtained, however, he argued, at just
and reasonable price and should not be
connected with any subsidy scheme.
The feature of the present bill which
carried the largest appropriation was
that relative to betterment of ocean
mail service by the establishment of d
number of new lines. There was pro-
posed an increased annual expenditure
of s3,000,000 a year and yet there was
nothing from the postal authorities to
warrant the assumption that this was
necessary or desired. The present for
eign mail system he considered ample
and sufficient for present needs, but
even if it should not prove to be fully
so, the existing law gave warrant for
any necessary increase. He deprecated
a policy which had for it's purpose a
subsidy to ship owners under the guise
of mail pay.
Clay devoted the main portion of his
arguments, however, to an attack upon
the general subsidy features of the bill
which is separate from the ocean mail
feature. He argued that the low rates
given by foreign ships, against which
amount ship owners complained do not
at all work to the injury of American
exporters who get the benefit of these
low rates. Ocean freight rates are the
cheapest in our history and the result
of these low rates is seen in the great
increase in American exports.
There were only three grounds on
which the supporters of this bill based
their advocacy of a general subsidy.
First, that it cost more to build ships
in the United States than abroad; sec
ond. that the American wage scale is
higher and therefore the cost of oper-
ating ships under the American flag is
greater that under foreign flags; third.
that foreign governments SubsidiZe
their merchant marine.
Clay quoted a number of authorities
to prove that with the better methods
prevailing in the shipyards of this
country the cost of construction is no
higher here than abroad. He contend
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