The Republican journal., 1902-04-03
THE SHIPPING BILL.
Provisions of the Bill! as Passed by the Sen.
ate. and Sent to the House for Action.

House, where it is believed it will meet
with equal success. Following is the
text of the bill as passed:
TO provide for ocean mail service be-
tween the United States and foreign
ports and the common defense; to pro
mote commerce, and to encourage the
deep-sea fisheries.
Title No of the measure, as passed,
deals with ocean mail steamships and
their subsidies. The Postal Subsidy
Act of 1891 is so amended as to direct
the Postmaster General to enter into
contracts for not less than five nor more
than fifteen years with American citi-
Gems for the carrying of mails on Ameri-
can steamships to such foreign points
as Will best promote the postal com
mercial, and maritime interests of the
nited States: the mail service on such
lines to be equitably distributed among
the Atlantic, Mexican, Gulf, and Pa
cltic ports, and the contracts to be made
with the lowest responsible bidder.
The vessels employed in tile mail ser
vice shall be .American-built, and owned
and Differed by American citizens.
During the first two years one fourth
OF the crew must be American citizens:
during the next three years one-thild
must be American citizens, and during
the remaining life of the contract at
least one-half must be American citi-
ZeuS.
The ships mast be screw steamships
of iron or steel and divided into the
following classes according to speed:
First class. 20 knots OF over: second
class. IL knots: third class. is knots;
fourth class, II knots; fifth class, l6
knots: sixth class. - knots; seventh
class, l. knots.
All steamships of the first four classes
shall be constructed with particular
reference to prompt conversion into
auxiliary naval cruisers, and shall be of
the highest rating known to maritime
commerce.
The rate OF compensation for ocean
mail service, to be paid per gross regis
tered ton for each 100 nautical miles
sailed from the port of clearance in the
United states to the port of entry in
the I nitej States, according to the
route required by the Post Office De
partment, shall not exceed the follow
ing:
Steamships of the first class, ITO
cents: second class , 10 cents; third
class. $40 cents: fourth class 2 Ito
cents fifth class, ! $40 cents: sixth
class. / 7-10 cents; seventh class, l II
cents.
The rates of compensation to any
vessel carrying mails to foreign port
in North America shall not exceed 10
per cent of the maximum rates estab-
Nshed.
Mail steamships are required to carry
as apprentices one Americana boy
for each ] 600 tons gross register. He
shall be educated III seamanship and
engineering, and rank as a petty officer,
Title of the bill provides for the
general subsidy to be paid. 1t directs
the Secretary of the Treasury to pay to
the owners of any vessel in the United
States. duly registered and engaged in
the foreign trade of the United States,
a COMPENSATION amounting to one cent
per gross registered ton for each one
hundred miles sailed. not exceeding
sixteen entries in any one year, and on
each entry. not exceeding sixteen in
any one year, for a period of five years
from the date Of registration of a yes
sci of 1000 gross tons. which shall be
completed after the passage of this
bill. one-fourth Of one cent per gross
ton for each one hundred nautical miles
sailed. III addition to the above-men-
toned compensation. The bill speci-
fies certain vessels which shall not re-
ceive compensation under its provls-
IONS among them being vessels engaged
in the cOastWiSe trade exclusively.
Each subsidized vessel is required to
carry as {, member of its company one
American boy for each 1000 gross tons,
who shall be taught SeamanShlp and
engineering The owners of the vessel
must agree before receiving compensa-
ton that the ship III emergency may be
used by the United States for the ma
tional defense OF for any public pur-
pose at fair valuation for this ser
vice.
Title 3 of the bill! directs the Secre-
tary of the Treasury to pay to the
owner of documented vessel, engaged
i'll deep-sea fishery for at least three
months in any one year, 81 per gross
ton per annum, provided that at least
one-third of the crew shall be citizens
OF the [ nited States; and he is directed
TO pay also to a citizen of the United
States serving as a member of such
crew 81 per month for the time he is
necessarily employed.
Title 4 provides that no vessel shall
be given compensation under two OF
more titles OF this act at the same time
that a subsidized vessel shall not be
sold to subject of a foreign power
and that the President of the United
states shall cause proper regulations tC
be framed for the execution of this act
OPPOSING VIEWS OF THE MEASURE
The passage of this bill by the Senate
is victory for Senator Frye, who has
labored long and earnestly in its behalf
and in behalf of the American mer
chant marine it is designed to aid. Per
haps it is not strange that the New
York Evening Post, free trade news
paper, should oppose the measure
but it is somewhat surprising that d;
Maine man and large owner of ship
ping should consider this bill a blow tt
sailing ships. However, we print be
low what the Post has to say ON the
subject, and its interview with Field.
S. Pendleton of Pendleton Bros, New
York. The Post says:
The thousand and more sailing yes
sells large and small, running i'll an(
out of the small ports along our coast
and beating bravely across the seas
odds nd of 4