Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1902-12-11
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Daily Courier, year. by mail. ..s4.o0
Semi.Weekly Courier. j year. -. l.50
NEED OF LARGER MERCHANT
MARINE

In view of the probable reconsidera
ton oil the ship subsidy bill by con,
.gress this winter. reference to the mer-
chant marine by Secretary Shaw in
his annual report is OF special inter
est. Though the mention of this part
OF the United States interests is brief
1t contains many facts that are exceed
Ing pertinent at this time During the
past year the American shipping has
reached the acme of it's growth since
the foundation of our government
This Increase however. has been fol
the most part confined to the lakes
and coast shipping. In the trans-oce
anic tlade the United States, at the
height OF its shipping interests, is
practically dependent upon the mer.
chant marine OF other nations for car.
rying its foreign shipments.
1t is known that for several years
American capital in increasing
amounts has been invested in ocean
steamers under foreign flags. 1t is
true that the returns from these in
yestnlents are used in this country.
but the money paid by the American
shippers for the transportation of
their goods goes to enrich the foreign
ship owners and keep up the ship
building industry in those countries
Since the first intimation of the for
nation Of the steamship company last
summer there has been a marked op-
position on the part of many Ameri-
cans to aid in any way the upbuild-
ina OF large merchant marine. 1t Is
fact that the tonnage of American
vessels registered for foreign trade is
smaller than year ago. and Of the
vessels belonging to the great steam
ship companies-only about one
eight carries the American flag. Upon
foreign vessels the American shipper
must principally depend to carry
his merchandise. Could the
money paid for this purpose
devoted to the building up of mer-
chant marine we would within few
years have steamship lines of our own
with vessels sailing under the Arneri-
can flag to every important port in the
world, carrying the products of the
American farms and factories to the
consumers, yielding money to the own
ers of the lines, to pay American sail
ors American wages. We would soon
have the largest shipbuilding industry
in the world employing American cap
ital and thousands of American work
men, and thus adding greatly to the
wealth and welfare of the country.
During the late war with Spain the
incapacity of the American marine
was conclusively shown. American
vessels could not be had to transport
the few thousand soldiers who We're
sent to the Philippines during the
first year of the war, and the govern
ment was compelled to charter vessels
floating foreign flags, paying from $500
to S1,500s per day for their transporta-
ton. II can be easily seen that should
some OF the great merchant nations
become involved in war, and
their subsidized vessels pressed
into the auxiliary naval SER
vice, American commerce would be
almost annihilated With our pro-
ducts piled up at the seaports, rotting
for want of transportation facilities
they must necessarily wait for the end
of the conflict before shipping facili-
ties could be secured
That the need for largely
increased merchant marine in the Uni
ted States is apparent cannot be de-
MED and it is evident that it's value to
the commercial interests of this ma
ton would be almost incalculable.
VALUE OF EQUALITY.