The Montgomery advertiser., 1902-10-19
MUST URGE SHIPBUILDIN G
Secretary DisclaimS Favoring
Ship Subsidy Bill.
He Marvels That Cotton Producing
States Do Not Favor Extension
Of Observation-Disclosures
Communication Essential.

Detroit. Oct. 1S-Secretary OF the treas.
ury Leslie M. Shaw was given srea'
ovation at Light Guard Armory whers nv
addressed an audience of fully 2,ooo people
He spoke In part as follows:
The question of markets Is one Oh
paramount importance. We export annu-
aIlv In round numbers, 81. 500. 100000. but
of this amount more than a.0o0,0oo'oVO
goes to Europe. The population OF Europe
Ia in round numbers three baifion' FLOW
long can we expect less than one-1ourtn
of the globe to consume 20 per cent OF
our supplies? We must not only noio the
markets we have but we must seek ou'
new ones.
"our foreign commerce in forty Years
has Increased 100 per cent, but the az
xreeate tonnage OF foreign commerce
carried to and from the ports OF TINS
country In American bottoms has fallen
off two-thirds.
Instead of this American monopoly re-
sulting in advanced rates, 1t has given
us the cheapest transportation IN the
world. The time has come when we pust
construct not transcontinental lines but
transoceanic lines. We have no regular
steamship communication with any OF the
countries lying south Of the Caribbean
Sea- We have few ships plying between
our AIl0ntC coast dhfu GfhhoPVs " AO" ~
tween our Southern ports and the South
American countries washed by the Gulf
and the Caribbean Sea a small line that
regularly crosses the Pacific; In the as-
greeate less than a score OF vessels
England, France Germanq, Norway, Swe-
den and Holland. with subsidized vessels
are making regular trips to the SCUM
American countries and they naturally
get the trade.
"A ship subsidy bill has passed the
Senate. /. am not speaking In It's favor
but 1t 10 due those who have labored II
its interest to say that the drain upor
the treasury would be infinitely small
It costs our people s20o.0oo, 900 year te
carry their transoceanic freight and un'
der the bifi as II passed the Senate. moi
to exceed Sl,2O0O00 can in any wise be
paid out until more ships are built; and
whenever a ship 10 constructed 50 pei
cent of its cost goes to labor. So without
discussing the merits Of the bill now
pending, l want 10 IrSe the importance
of bill constructed upon very different
lines, one that shall insure regular steam
ship communication to South American
countries. South African countries and
the islands adjacent
at is idle to snppose that steamship
hines will be established to those ports
without government aid. There is little
freight now to carry. and no inducement.
and a steamship line would perish before
sufficient trade could be built up to make
1t profitab bic. 1t will take years to make
steamship lines to those ports far to the
southwark profitable and in my opinion.
any ship subsidy bill that will meet the
approval of both houses of Congress Will
contain special provisions for these new
lines and at rates far in excess of what
is necessary to induce competition with
European lines in transatlantic COM
MERGE.
THE marvel to me is that the cotton
producing States are not a unit in favor
of every means that shall enlarge the
markets for their surplus. To my own
mind, there is no public question of so
great Importance as foreign markets for
niIr nlfactured nrndIcta.n