Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1902-01-22
satiseeltantuns &eada1g.
THE NEW SUBSIDY BILL.

| THE NE" SUBSIDY BILL.
1t Contemplstes Independence of the
United States In the Matter of For
eign Mail.
The senate committee on commerce
authorized a favorable report upon
Senator Fryes ship subsidy bill, last
Friday. The report will be made by
Senator Frye The Democratic men,
bers Of the committee voted against
reporting the bill. They also voted
solidly for a motion offered by Senator
Mallory to strike out the general sub
sidy provision Of the bill. The COM
mittee made several amendments to the
bill. The most important were: Allow
ing mail carrying vessles under the bill
to be either iron or steel, instead Of
steel only, as originally provided, and
another reducing to 1000 gross register
ed tons the vessels receiving a bounty
under the bill.
Senator Frye furnishes the follow
ing summary Of the report: "The es-
tablishment Of this complete American
ocean mail service, involving much
ship building, will require several
years. It will render the United States
as independent of foreign powers for
it's ocean mail service as is Great Brit
ian. The cost Of the American service
by American mail steamers will be $4,-
700, 900; the cost Of the British and CO.
lonial mail service by British mail
steamers is A,7O0,000. Receipts from
ocean postage by the United States are
now estimated at 100000.
"The annual deficit under the new
American system proposed, including
minor services. will be about $1,000, 900.
The amount of the deficit under the
British colonial system is $2,1sS,0 The
postal subsidy provisions enable the
postmaster general to establish an
American ocean mail ystem superior
to the systems Of Great Britain, Ger
many and France.
1.-THE American ocean mail system
as outlined contemplates the Pacific
weekly mail service to Hawaii, the
Philippines Japan, China and Hong
Kong, and fortnightly service to Pa
go-Pago, New Zealand, Australia. The
maximum cost would be $2,335,000.
ION the Atlantic the bill contem-
plates semi-weekly mail services to
Jamaica. Havana, and Europe, weekly
to Mexico; once in ten days to Vene-
zuela and fortnightly to Brazil, at a
maximum cost Of s2,365, 900.
1T will give the United States AZ
auxiliary merchant cruisers compared
with Great Britain's so.
1.-The second part Of the report deals
with the general subsidy to all Ameri-
can vessels, steam and sailing, except
mail steamers. 1t quotes President
Roosevelt's message, showing that the
cost Of building American ships Is
greater than abroad. that American
wages on ship board are higher and
that the government should remedy
these inequalities.
discrimination duties, export boun-
ties and subsidies based on export car
goes are in violation Of every interna-
tional obligation; so, direct subsidies
is the only practical method. The sub
sidy proposed Is not a naked bounty,
Ifoftst is based on public services to be
rendered in retiG-n. Americans have
absolute free trade in foreign going
Ships so no ship builders trust is poss
sible under the bill. Ship builders can
import now free Of duty materials for
ships for foreign trade, so no combina-
tion to raise prices Of materials is prac-
ticable.
1.-THE average cost Of building ocean
steamers mainly for cargo Is s102 per
ton in the United States and s76 in
Great Britain. Average monthly wages
on ocean steamers mainly for cargo
are American. $36; British, s26; Ger
man and Scandinavian, SIT. The gen.
eral subsidies proposed equalize Amer
lean and foreign costs on these bases.
BASED on actual navigation of
American vessels in foreign trade in
1900. the subsidies proposed would
amount to s1.072, 900, divided as follows:
Steam Excluding mail vessels), $685.
900: sail, $4,000. Geographically: At
lantic ocean, $4,000: Pacific ocean,
s467. 10000; square rigged ships on both
oceans. s161 900.
Full compliance with all require
ments for the bill would fix the initial
expenditures at between 100000 and
5000, 900.
"Under the general subsidy, increase
in expenditure depends on increase in
ship building. The completion Of 200, 900
tons of ocean steamers for foreign trade
in one year involving $1,3O0,0OO in sub
sides, will place the United States In
advance Of Germany as a ship build
ing nation"
A BARGAIN OFF.-It appears that the
Danish government has been scared