The age-herald., 1902-03-04
Says Its Nothing More Than a Step Toward Pro-
 lection
SHIPPING INTERESTS OF
 COUNTRY ARE NEGLECTED
Contends United States Needs Mar. ket For Products More Than Any Other Country and Better
 Shipping Facilities.

Washington, March s.-The Senate to- day began consideration of what is popu- larly known as the shipping bill. meas ure to provide for ocean mail service be- tween the United States and foreign ports and the common defense to pro- mote commercial and to encourage deep sea fisheries. Mir. Frye. Maine. chairman of the committee on commerce made the opening statement in support of the bill. He occupied the floor for nearly two hours. The policy of protection, which has been applied he said. to American industries with such benefcent results had not been applied to the shipping industry The result of this short sighted policy had been the decadence of the American merchant marine and the consequent hu- initiation of Americans engaged in the shipping industry.
 At 2 o'clock the shipping bill was made the regular order. To the section defining such craft as shall not be allowed com | pensation under the bill paragraph "E," | changed to read as follows.
 l "A barge canal boat or vessel proceed ing from port to port in tow, or a tug boat or vessel engaged In wrecking
 Protection Beneficial.
 | MT. Frye, Maine, chairman of the com l mittee on commerce. then opened the de- | bate on the measure. It seemed to him, he said, that the policy of protection had l been vastly beneficial to the American 3 | people. Only one industry had been with ! out protection.7and without protection for | fifty years and with the logical result l | The shipping interests of the country had t 1 been neglected in the giving of protection With a seacoast boundless, with enormous ) deposits of iron and coal, with the most saRacious business in the world, with the ! l advantage of nearly every natural re- source upon this side of the United States, this country had permitted It's interiors tu seize upon the pathway of ocean com merce almost without struggle.
 Ut seems to me-" said MT. Frye, 'that t that picture ought to worK up the pa- trotism of the United States who glory in the power and prosperity or this coun- try It Is not alone humiliating-it Is ab- | solutely dangeroust
 MT. Frye asked who was going to carry the $4S7 GOO. 900 of exports in the event of war between Germany and Great Brit ian. "Why," said he, the farmers and the manufacturers and the wage earners of the United tSates would pay penalty equal to that paid by either of the con tending parties.
 Condition Caused by Wages. t
 MT. Frye then sought to show that these conditions were caused by wages which increased the cost of our ships compared with foreign built vessels at least 20 per cent. He declared that of all steamships in the world of fourteen knots and upward, 80 per cent are sub sdized by the countries whose flags they | carry. Of sixteen knots and upward | he said all but six in the world are heavi- | ly subsidized by the countries whose flags they fly. The nations paying those subsidies, he declared. did so for the purpose of extending their trade and for nothing else. Trade cannot precede the mail" said he The mail must precede the trade" MT. Frye contended that there Is not a nation this earth that needs markets for it's surplus products more than the United States. An Amer ican ship handled by intelligent, active. earnest and interested American officers, he said, is a better instrument for the distribution of products abroad than | German ship officered with Germans, | Germany being a dangerous rival of the | United States MT. Frye declared that
 free ships would mean an increase in cost
 of ships of D per cent more than they | now cost and would close every ship yard in the United States against building any ship for foreign trade. Counties were impracticable. He said that the only way to accomplish anything in the direction ind=cated by him would be to pay from | the treasury of the United States annual | ly sum of money which shall be equal to the difference between the operating and carrying on of the trade in foreign ships and that carried in own The word subsidy he said. should not terri fy any one because 1t was only another name for protection.
 Many Advantages.
 MT. Frye said that in two years the en- actment of the pending bill would in- | crease the expenditure in American ship yards $40 900. Our mall subsidies now | amount to nearly $3,000 GOO a year. and | would act as an offset to the $6.000.009 | that would be paid in subsidies to Ameri- not present very serious problem to the | Senate which would authorize In five l minutes the construction of a battleship 1 costing $5.000000 and passing a rivers and l harbors bill carrying $60, 900 900 in a few l hours or days.
 MT. Bacon of Georgia inquired as to l the condition of business in American | shipyards. Was it true that they were 1 full of orders2
 | "It is not true replied MT. Frye. l MT. Bacon asked If MT. Frye had not l given the newspapers the glowing &C., | counts of the work being done in Ameri- | can shipyards.
 l MT. Frye replied that he had seen 8 l paragraph to the effect that Mir. Furness | of Great Britain had made contract re- l gently for the construction of eight | steamships in American shpyards. The 1 fact was that contracts had been made l for the construction of the steamships in | Great Britain.
 | In response to an inquiry from Mir. Clay | n