The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1903-11-10
Protection Run Mad.
The British Ocean Mail Service as Con-
trasted With Our Own.

trasted With Our Own.
Great Britain's free trade policy
stops at the waters edge; afoat she
Is the most rigidly proteetionist Of
nations.
This fact, familiar to merchants
and economists, gains new emphasis
from the enormous subsidy Of a mil
hon dollars a year for twenty years.
just poured by the British govern
ment into the lap of the Cunard
Company, together with loan of
$13,0OO,OOO of the royal funds for
the construction OF new steamers.
Here is protection which pales out
of sight the loftiest duties of the
American tariff. But even this does
not tell the entire story Year after
year the British government in Its
ocean mail service has persisten'iy
boyeotted the swift American grey
hounds on the north Atlantic, and
has reserved AL of the mails it could
control to the steamships-many of
them poor, SLOW tubs-fiying British
eolorS.
All this is III eloquent contrast with
The practice of the United States.
Our Government does, indeed, prefer
American steamers, but IN a moderate
sensible way. II sends its mails t.
Europe by swift American vessels on
the days when these ships happen to
sail. On other days 1t sends the
mails by the fastest vessel of any
foreign flag that happens to be avail
able. The result of this liberal ar
langement IS that mails are dispatched
from New York for Europe on every
day in the week with the sole excep-
ton of Monday, while on the other
side there are only two regular mails
IL a week from Great Britain. Sew
eral years ago there used to be three
ails, but when the Inman grey
hounds, the best of the British feet,
were bought by American citizens, the
British postof'ice cancelled the subsidy
to the Ininan ships, begrudging a
single penny of British mail pay to
foreir~ers.
Gn4y letters especially addressed to
be sent by an American steamer arc
allowed TO 60 that way-and, OF
course, few persons are familiar with
shipping lists and sailing hours. As
q consequence, American steamers
however swift, bring few letters from
England and receive almost nothing
for this service. while our own Gov
eminent IN 1902 gave 1921 900 to the
subsidized British Cunard Line, $685.
600 to the North German Lloyd, and
$4,000 to other foreign companies
Here plainly Is a reciprocity which
does not reciprocate, Our broad.
gauge American practice provides the
best possible ocean mail service. Al
ANALYSIS Of the mails in both diree.
lions shows that letters posted in New
York. enc on each day of the week
cross on an -yerage more than :
whole day within the time of letters
mailed in LONDON. Yet there are a
many fast ships sailing from thai
side as frca thls-but the British
government refuses to give the reg
ular mails to any but British steam
ers. however slow and however un
certain
With logged tenacity the British
postoiiiee insists on this practice, II
spite of the circumstances of tn
Merchants Of New York, and ever
OF London. 1t has happened tina
merchandise ssnt from England b,
fast American ships has reached New
York several days before the bills o.
lading forwarded in feebly-powereC
British steamers, by the mandate 0.
the British government. And thr
merchandise has had 10 lie on TIT
pier because the eonsignees had II,
means to identify and claim it
Nov another progressive step ha'
been taken by our own Postofice De