The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1902-04-02
THE SHIP SUBSIDY BILL.

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recently passed by the Senate, and
against which the Vermont Senators
voted, to the great disgust of the Bos
ton Journal?
AS explained by Senator Frye of
Maine, who formulated its provisions
and had charge of the measure-and
by other Republican Senators, the pur-
pose of the bill is to encourage the
building of American ships for the
foreign carrying trade. Before the
civil war the bulk of American COM
merce with Europe was carried on
by American built wooden ships
During the war, the American carry
ing trade was driven from the ocean
by English built Confederate cruisers
For safe transit American merchandise
shipped abroad was intrusted to foreign
ships-British for the most part.
When the war ended two things had
happened to the American merchant
marine; its ships had been driven
from the seas, and iron or steel had
usurped the place of wood in building
vessels. The days of building wooden
ships had passed, and wood was the
material the United States had, in
great abundance, for shipbuilding.
These palmy days of American iron
and steel production and world wide
distribution had not even begun.
American ship yards were deserted.
Iron and steel production was already
at an advanced stage i'll England, and
English shipyards were building YES
sells of steel and iron. The United
States was taken at the greatest pos
sible disadvantage. She had no man
ufactures of steel and iron worth men,
tioning, particularly of the better
grades, and British ships were bring
ing in American imports and taking
back to Europe American exports,
This condition has continued until
now.
At the present time, statisticians
report, only about eight per cent of
American foreign exports and imports
how of enormous eXtent-is carried
III ships built and owned by citizens
of the United States, and some SO,
600, 600 is annually paid-taken out of
the country-for freights to foreign
owners of foreign built ships. In
brief, this is the state Of things
which the advocates of the ship sub
sidy bill set forth To return the
country's foreign commerce to home
built and home-owned ships, to en-
courage Americans to build ships and
enable them to compete successfully
with foreign ship owners i'll the
ocean carrying business, is the pur-
pose of the subsidy bill which has re-
Gently passed the Senate, under the
title of a measure "To provide for
ocean mail service between the Unit
ed States and foreign ports and the
common Defense to promote COM
merce, and to encourage the deep sea
fisheries" and whose provisions are
thus summarized:
The postal subsidy act of 1891 is SC
amended as to direct the postmaster
general to enter into contracts for not
less than five, nor more than fifteen
years, with American citizens fol
the carrying of mails on American
steamships to such foreign points as
will best promote the postal, CONNER
cial and maritime interests of the
United States, the contracts to bt
made with the lowest responsible bid
ders.
The vessels employed in the mai
service shall be American built ant
owned, and Differed by American
citizens. During the first two year
one-fourth of the crew must be Amer
lean citizens during the next tire,
years, one-third must be American
citizens, and during the remaining
life of the contract at least one-hal
must be American citizens. The ship
must be screw steamships of iron o
steel, and divided into the followin
classes, according to speed: Firs
class, 20 knots or over second class
10 knots third class, Is knots
fourth class, II knots fifth class,
knots; sixth class, 10 knots sevent
class, IA knots. All steamships {
the first four classes shall be col
structed with particular reference
prompt conversion into auxiliary ni
val cruisers, and shall be of the higl
est rating known to maritime con
merce.
The rate of compensation for ocea
mail service, to be paid per gross rel
istered ton for each 100 nautical mill
sailed from the port of clearance
the United States to the port of Ell
try in the United States. according
the route required by the post-otfi
department, shall not exceed the fo
lowing: Steamships of the first elias
2 40 cents; second class, 2 $40 cent
third class, 2 $40 cents; fourth elias
2 Ito cents; fifth class, $40 cent
sixth class, / 7-l0 cents seventh elias
$40 cents, The rates of compens
ton to any vessel carrying mails to
foreign port in North America shi
not exceed 70 per cent of the maXimu
rates established. Mail steamshi
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