Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1903-05-20
Large Ship Owners Were Re-
sponsible For Defeat of the
Subsidy Bill
WERE AGAINST SMALL OWNERS
Combine Was Determined to Have Law
Tha. Would Give All the Benefits to
the Large Owners and Thus Crush
Out Competition, Says Congressman
Minor.
Minor

special to Tribune-"If the large ship
owners had not been so selfish, and had
been willing to accept a reasonable
proposition, one which would have pui
large and small shipowners on the same
footing, the subsidy bill would now be
on the statute books" said Representa-
tive Minor, the Wisconsin member OF
the house merchant marine committee
yesterday. I'VE can enact a law which
viii build up the American merchant
marine, IL the shipping combine will
agree to proposition which will trsat
large and small owners alike. but az
soon as 1t is proposed to ave the bene-
nus OF subsidy to the small owners.
tne representatives of the combine OH
pose the proposition and assert tina
they care nothing about subsidy.
Ihe combination is in position to
be more or less independent, but I sun
pose II we shall provide for a subsidy
they would accept their share of 4
without much objection. l am not on
:
thorlze one which will build up the
merchant marine, and which can be
honestly administered Once our ships
sailed on every sea, but now they have
disappeared almost entirely as com.
pared with the merchant marine of
other nations. Therefore something
should be done to rehabilitate our COM
mercial fleets. l believe it will be done
in the near future.
Many propositions with this end in
view have been advanced One which
seems to meet considerable favor pro-
poses to allow rebate OF the tariff
on all goods imported in American
built ships. This is all poppycock ana
would not accomplish what we seek to
do, which is to build up the merchant
marine and create new markets. This
scheme would be more favorable to the
shipping trust than anything yet adj
vanced. They have control of prac-
tically all the transatlantic lines, and
If q rebate should be allowed on all
goods imported in American bottoms,
the trust would undoubtedly derive all
the benefit from the subsidy. This be-
ing true 1T is doubtful If any new ships
would be built and our markets would
not be expanded.
One of the best plans to encourage
the building of new ships and create
new markets in my judgment, would
be the payment of graded subsidy
for a limited number of years. For the
ships constructed to transport Amer
lean goods into new markets, I would
pay large subsidy. while to ships built
in American yards and engaged in the
regular trade, I would pay a smaller
sum. The subsidy should be limited to
a term of ten years on each new ship.
Within that period the subsidy would
pay the cost of constructing the vessel.
IF we should continue paying a bon
US on ship for a period longer than
ten years, shipbuilding would stop.
would not wipe out the subsidy en-
tirely in ten years, but would pay II
to one ship for that time and if the
owners continued to build new vessels
they could receive a subsidy for them.
This would promote shipbuilding and
induce owners to construct and keep
afioat modern fleets"