The Washington times., 1902-01-17
SUBMITTED TO THE SENATE
Conditions Of COmm3rce Improving
Under the BOuntySy stem.
SIR ALFRED BATEMAN QUOTED.
statistics Compiled by Comptroller
General of Commercial, Labor, and
Statistical Department of the
Hoard of Trade-Secretary smith
Recommends Adoption of Same
Methods.

Senator Hanna has presented to the
| Senate a report received from the sec
retary of the Maritime Association of
New York which embodies quotations from
a recent report on steamship subsidies
made by select committee of the British
| Parliament
The contents of the report are apropos
OF the work now being done by the Sem
ate committee on the Frye ship subsidy
bill.
Sir Alfred Bnteman Quoted.
The document quotes Sir Alfred Bate
! man, comptroller general of the COM
merciaI, labor. and statistical department
| of the board OF trade, as having stated
| that in France the total subyentions for
postal services have amounted in recent
years to rather over q million mounds
sterling per annum,'' and that a sum al
| most as large is annually paid By the
Government in bounties on construction
| and navigation.
AS to Germany, Sir Alfred is quoted as
saying that assistance to shiohuiIding is
given only in the form OF revision of
customs duty and preferential railway
rates ior certain materials in construc-
tion.
Subsidies in Austria.
AS to Austria, he shows that the Aus
trian Lloyd Steamship Company receives
subsidies not to exceed $4,000 pounds
sterling annually; that certain dues are
refunded by the Austrian Government to
the company. and that the State advanced
tn ha
ship building, to be paid in five yearly
payments. beginning January 1902; also
5000 pounds sterling per annum Tor parcel
postal services.
Another instance is cited showing how
German and French mail steamers, both
of which are subsidized take a consid-
cradle share of the export trade, espe-
cially silk.
German Trade Building Up.
Sir Henry Bergue, head of the COM
mercial department and examiner of
treaties in the British Foreign Office. is
also quoted as instancing how much more
rapidly Germany is building up a great
trade through the instrumentality of Ger
man subsidized steamship lines with
ports where but ten or fifteen years ago
no trade whatever with Germany existed
The communication suggests that quo
tations from British consular reports
made by Sir Bergue following these of
Sir Alfred Bateman and bearing upon
specific examples of the value of subsidies
and bouEties to the ships of competing
nations are of sufficient value TO deserve
repetition here, since the obstacles con-
fronting British shipping in the effort
under way to maintain unimpaired Brit
iS fs,-
serious to ourselves; that the British |
own the larger part of the worlds
ocean going shipping and have enjoyed
for generations the command CT the
greater part Of the worlds sea carrying. |
Secretary smiths Conclusions.
Mr.. Alex r. Smith, secretary OF the |
Maritime Association, who submits the |
report, says in conclusion:
with these statements before you and |
your committee, which could be greatly !
ampliiied, it must be apparent that the |
subsidies and bounties paid to the mer- |
chant shipping of other countries are |
potential factors in their maritime de- |
notwithst landing the extent |
to which the denial Of either the exist
ence or efficiency OF shipping subsidies |
and bounties has been published in the
CHlitu SltltS. W NTH mas lGu INC
effect to create hostile sentiment to an
American policy of shipping subsidies and
bounties among the American people and |
their representatives in Congress.
IF the subsidy and bounty policies of
other nations arouse the fears OF the /
British as to the future of Great Britain's !
maritime supremacy, as well as seriously
menace their commercial predominance in
the, worlds great market. what does the |
situation teach us? Surely, as TO our t
own trade, at least, we may hope TO Sc
cure a Just proportion of its carrying in
our own ships by the adoption of the
same policy. Subsidies and bountiss, as |
applied by nations to the creation of sea-
going merchant shipping fleets of their
own. seem TO be successes which can be
achieved by the United States by the
adoption of ,he same methods.
The German Policy.
"Thc Germans are succeeding now
through a pCtcy adopted by Great Britain
over sixty years ago-that of paying sub
.idies to steam lines wherever trade eX-
lansion seems attainable.
II