The San Francisco call., 1903-12-07
HERR BALLIN'S ADVICE.
ERR ALBERT BALLIN. director general of the
Fl Hamburg American Company, of the largest

ERR ALBERT BALLIN. director general of the
II Hamburg American Company of the largest
of German steamship corporations, recently
through the New York Herald made earnest plea
the American people abstain from granting subsidies
TO American shipping. The plea strangely from
official of company that has long received very
large subsidy from his Government and whose pros
perity virtually built by governmental aid but
is altogether unnatural The fact is that Herr Bal
Inns company gets large share of the American carry
ing trade and would lose it have merchant
marine of When those facts taken into
consideration it will be that the plea of Herr Balm
nothing than suggestion to the American peo
pie that they leave their trade foreign ship
and be pay the tribute which of late years has
averaged about $2ooooo 900 year.
Senator Frye whose attention called to the
ment of the advice giving director general has
sponded to it. citing the reports of Frank H Mason,
Consul General at Berlin upon the resorted
by the Berlin Government to build up the German
merchant marine These reports show clearly that the
great success the have achieved of
eign commerce is due almost wholly to the measures
adopted by Bismarck to provide liberal subsidies for
ships engaged in foreign trade. The example thus
worked in practice much worthy of American
attention than the advice of Herr Balm that do the
other thing.
In reviewing Consul General Mason's report Senator
Frye says Mr Mason that twenty years ago. on
the initiative of Prince Brmarck then Chancellor of the
German empire, the imperial Government bound itself
a or
for fifteen years the North German Lloyd Steamship
Company for line to Australia and the Orient com
posed of vessels to be built in German yards of German
material and manned throughout by German subjects
Our Consul General goes to show how this truly
extraordinary subsidy and the accompanying require
that the subsidized ships should be built German
yards, stimulated construction in the empire that
both the North German Lloyd and the Hamburg-Amer-
companies enabled to order home ships like the
Kaiser Wilhelm der Crosse. Friedrich der Crosse Kon
gin Luise, Augusta Victoria, Furst Bismarck Patricia
Paatia. That they did this ALL Consul General
Mason declares. was mainly due the fact that they
were forced into it by act of legislation And this
opinion that the celebrated German liners are thus the
direct fruit of aid to German shpyards is con
6rned by the specific of the report steam
ship subsidies submitted to the Rechstag in 1893 that all
experts assert that without the influence of the Govern
ment ocean mail service such steamer as the Kaiser
Wilhelm der Crosse could not have been built And
this equally of Herr Ballns great Deutschland
The direct subsidies do by any means constitute all
the aid given by the German Government to German
shipping Zines. Among other of promoting the
shipping industry of the empire the Government has
given orders that all material used for sipbuiding in
German yards shall be carried by the state railroads at
bare cost of transportation That of course means a
considerable bounty and is equivalent itself liberal
subsidy.
Having profted by such subsidies and other govern
mental aids the German shipping companies are now in
position compete with the British as carriers of the
worlds They have carried the competition
so far that the British in their have had to grant
heavy subsidies as recently given to the Cunard
line 1t is under such circumstances Herr Balm advises
us not to protect industries we protect those
on land Doubtless the American people, will perceive
the significance of the advice know how to draw the
right conclusion from if.