Omaha daily bee., 1903-03-22
SHAW URGES SUBSIDIES
Wishes American Goods Carried Over Seas
in American Bottoms.
UNITED STATES SHIPPING FALLING OFF
While Trade Increases wonderfully
and People Consume M~nrveIousIy
exports TO south America Halt
for Want of Vessels.

NEW ORLEANS, March 21.-secretary Of
the Treasury Shaw was the principal guest
at the first annual banquet Of the board Of
trade tonight.
Governor Heard, telegraphing his inabil-
ity to be present, said the flood situation
made IL necessary for him to remain at the
capitol and give immediate attention to
frequent communications from the terri
tory affected.
Secretary Shaw discussed at some length
the results of non-partisan politics, refer
ring to what it had accomplished in the
extension OF transportation lines, the de-
velopment OF the mail service, the improve
ment Of rivers and harbors, the expansion
Of and finally In the determine
ton Of the American government to con-
struct the thmia canal.
American Shipping Falls on.
Continuing he said:
Now ! am going to venture the sugges-
ton that there is one more opportunity
for non-partisan American craftsmanship
mat would be of great advantage not only
70 New Orleans, but to the gulf states
generally.
In forty years the foreign of
cent, but foreign m in American
bottoms has decreased So per cent.
Our farms produce more than the farms
- MY pNAAN OulAA III A"C WOAlus we
mine more coal and more iron than any
other people; we grow three-fourths of the
cotton Of the, world, and we manufacture
more than all the shops and all the fact
map by more than 5000. 5000 o We trans
port all OF this from port to port along
our coast, under our flag and in cur own
ships-dnd more cheapy tnan any. other
C s9Gntryi " we e, carry arr il over our railroads,
tries but when we have produced It and
transported It to our shores we, have
cry aloud FOR help. So we ask England
and. and France and Italy and
Spain and Japan to come and help us, and
they respond most willingly, but we pay
them for their service S2OO,OOO,OOO per an
mum.
1t is not surprising then that we take
per cent Of all 1t has to sell and sell 1t In
return only 10 per cent Of all IT has to buy.
send our goods there In foreign ships, and
generally first to Europe and thence TO
GiscTim III ted'i AGAINST % Ss to aFe make aGt So So i far
possible to export anything to South Amer
lean countries.
Buy Much More Than Sell.
We buy OF South American countries
$llOOoO'oO per annum and sell $4,000.
In ten years the balance of trade against
am not advocating any particular ship
subsidy measure and II ] had a vote It
would be against any bill that did not
make, as a condition precedent to any gov
ernmental aid, the establishment OF reg
ular steamship communication with South
American or South African countries adj
1acent Islands, or the countries washed by
the Pacific ocean.
We export in round numbers a billion
and a half per annum, and we send two
thirds of this to Europe. Twenty per
cent OF the people of the world Will not
always consume 60 per cent of our sur
plus production. We must seek new mar
kets. Let no one suppose that simply
opening our ports TO the free Importation
OF foreign merchandise wifi insure CORES
ponding increase in the foreign demand for
our surplus; Our experience in the West
indies and In South American countries is
a complete demonstration of the fallacy OF
such a theory. The foreign importer is
American importer. He buys where he can
buy to the best advantage and without
regard to the balance or trade between his
We. grow in the United States three
fourths of the cotton of the world. We
convert one-fourth of the cotton of the
world upon American spindles. We export
Of manufactured cotton, in round numbers
SOoOOOOO per annum, and import of manu-
Assuming that there is as much fibre in
the forty millions imported as in the thirty
commercially wear out-one-fourth Of
the cotton fibre of the world. L doubt that
we appreciate the astonishing fact n 5
sumo rs per cent Of the cotton fibre of the
world. The reason for It is the marvellous
prosperity Of the American people. We
burn to save laundry bills.
Neither is this the only astonishing
feature of the cotton industry. The world
exports Of manufactured cotton S625, 900, 900
yearly, of which the United States gets
only 5 per cent. In other words, the Amer
lean market for manufactured cotton is
worth fully 20 per cent of the market of
the world for the same class of goods. This
We retain. Other countries buy our raw
cotton, manufacture IT. and because OF
their cheaper labor, are able to secure
90 per cent of the export trade on manu-
featured cotton. Cotton mills have in
creased In this country in the last few
marvelously, but hey nave ONLY
kept pace with the consumptive capacity
of our own people.
II we shall ever increase our trade with
the countries lying to the south of us or
with those washed by the Pacific ocean
the gulf states will be benefited thereby
as much as any portion Of our
common country