Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-05-14
Sumner TO ENGLAND
British Cannot Comprehend
the Steamship Merger.
NEWSPAPER COMMENT
DREAD SEEING OLD GLORY SUP
PLANT ENGLISH JACK.
Opposition Press Visits It's Resent
ment on the Caci1 EauiJv-Ton-
NEWSPAPER COMMENT
Opposition Press Visits Its Resent
ment on the Cecil Family-Lon-
don News and Gossip.

Special Correspondence of The Evening Star.
LONDON. April 30, 1902.
The American invasion has become a
very serious thing to cousins in Eng
land. They have been used for years to
putting down to big talk all projected large
plans made on the other side of the Attain
tic. They have been saying TO the effect
that AL big things happen in America"
and until now nave frankly dsbelieved in
reports of great American affairs. except
high buildings and big fires and disasters.
The arrival however of the invasion"
which has come in earnest, has walked
them up a bit, and now the shipping COM
binatiOn has fairly taken their breath
away. and the interest in it in business cir
c!es and in every political center where
men meet together increases from day to
day In the house of commons the repre-
sentatives of the board of trade and the
admiralty have done very little to satisfy
the public appetite for information, and
they have been uncommunicative as
they well could be- 1t is understood that
the admiralty, having special interests in
some of the vessels affected by the COM
bination. is in possession of the agreement
between the combining companies II is wide
ly believed that behind the agreement there
are secret clauses which will not be dis
closed. but the existence of any such secret
clauses is denied with much positiveness in
quarters interested. Notwithstanding such
denial, ii is absolutely certain that the
agreement. when published, will be scru-
tinized with a profound conviction that it
reveals only portion Of the arrangement.
What the British Really Fear.
There is no analogy between the Ameri-
canizing of the London underground rail-
ways and the Americanizing of the ship
ping industry. The railways cannot be
shifted about, but if the combination
chooses to prefer Bristol Southampton
to Liverpool there is apparently nothing to
prevent that. But the haunting fear is
that II will only be a matter of time when
>all the ships in the trust will fly the stars
and stripes.
The departmental committee now ap-
pointed will have to consider how far the
government may intervene in the sale or
transfer of steamers receiving subsidies
from the government, and whether it is
necessary that these subsidies should be
increased. During the past five wears the
subsidies paid by Great Britain have in
creased from t592,O00 to 1854 900 not be-
cause of any increase in remuneration, but
simply on account of the increase in the
amount of business DONE
Some idea of inadequate subsidies paid to
English lines can be obtained from a
perusal of the following figures: The Nord-
the International Navigation Company
tl5s,Ho. the Compagnie Generate Trans
atlantique t4i6.0US. the Mesa geries Mari
times. LOCO and the Navigazione Cen
erdle t.sSo,UH whereas the White Star and
Canard together only get f126o0O and the
p and o. in one service t2f:i,oDO and in an
other. with the orient. 1861 600. The result
or this policy has been to seriously handi-
cap British ship owners. Some years ago
England had five lines of express steam
trs: now she has only two. The fear is
that II the policy of Reorganization pro-
eeeds much further she will not have this
number.
Opposition Papers Attack the Cecils.
The opposition newspapers are pitching
into the government of the Cecls'' con-
stantly. and every new announcement of
American enterprise here affords fresh
opportunity Today's Star, a radical paper
of pink hue. ridicules the chancellor of the
exchequers stupid proposal regarding the
refunding of the extra penny on small
checks and uses the invasion as a peg
To hang text on.
. 1t says a cabinet of lunatics could hardly
devise a more lunatical scheme for raising
cain and five hundred thousand pounds
The hunting of the shark is sober and
sensible occupation compared with this new
game. the hunting of the penny" Sir
Michael perhaps has been bitten by the
adaSe take care of the pence and the
pounds will take care of themselves" But
inanlty TO the world at this particular mo-
I ment? We are all lying awake at night in
mortal terror of being Americanized before
breakfast Mr. Pierpont Morgan is eating
railways for lunch and Atlantic lines for
afternoon tea. Britannia before long will
have no waves to rule unless We all wake
up and do something. And while the ma
ton is in a state of nervous irritation al
most bordering panic our blessed gov
eminent is busy pondering over the best
way of putting penny tax on two-pound
checks. and taking it off again Wake up-'
+ We yell at the government. Wake upr'
En-? What" they humble. Wake up-'
and We kick the recumbent corpse which
yawns and suffers: Take your check to
the nearest money order Office and ask for
your penny.
II the nation deserves to be governed by
these eminent fatuities it is in a bad way
Is 1t strange that everything goes wrong
everywhere-in the war. in the navy in
education. in Ireland and in commerce? Is
+ IL strange that Mr.. Gerald Balfour when
he is asked about the Morganizat ton of the
Atlantic. says that the government has
no official information on the subject" No
We are all fools. governed by fools and il
is well to realize IL.