Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1904-06-15
THE SUBSIDY GRAFTERS
They Are Planning a Legalized
Raid on Our Treasury.
COMMISSION NAMED TO DRAFT Law

tries to Revive Shipping Intere.t..
Experience of France and Italy.
ShfpbufIders In France Raised
Price of Ships.
s2--l ssh u, - ,-->>
The fact that the old ship subsidy
gang Of alters has again made Its
appearance in Washington and is max
ing q more determined effort than ever
before to break into Uncle Sanl's treas
ury and that a comm ssion will be ap-
pointed to draft a plan for this con
gress to pass at its short session which
will legaliZe the RAID upon the treasury
calls attention to the results Of ship
tries. No countries in proportion to
Their population have paid greater
subsidies to the shipping interests than
have France and Italy. And no coun-
tries afford better examples than do
these of the failure of this means Of
providing shipping.
The French ship subsidy system
arranged in 1893 The payments in the
year 1896 (he latest date contained IN
the United states consular reports,
were.
Francs.
EOuntes to naNtEa ton. n.,............ 54 !, 12G
l!"unti"S 10 cotstructon..-. q. lhs 34e
fotai subside Observation-Disclosures. SO, ,s64 Cos
Thus the YEARLY payment from the
French treasury for the encourage
nlrnt Of shipping reached in 1896. an
average. year the great sum Of nearly
4u.ouH'Nn francs ,$S ,0OOO00, Now, let
us see the result. According to the re
port of the United States consul at
Hayre Of Sept. q. 1899. the total in
CREASE of French mercantile tonnage
in the FIVE years from 1893, the year Of
The enactment of the new law, until
1895 was GG.96i tons, the increase be-
ing limited to vessels which receive no
benefit from the bounty law of 1893,
while the steam tonnage engaged in
meeting competition actually showed
decreaSe
y tier eighteen years of bounty pay
ments Il committee of the French par
lament in 1893 reported as follows:
I'VE Ito not hcsitate to SLY witt hout
fear OF contradiction tlat our nses
chant n:;ti.4c ! ia such Il state of de-
cadence that there is reason to be un-
e&sy :boGt CUR naval fleet.
His is taken from the report Of the
United state, consul nj Hayre to the
state department. Of Sept 6 1899 which
continues rs follows.
Many Other extracts may BE quoted
from tlie reports OF various chambers
of conmerce from the speeches made
in the Two hol!ses of parliament anu
from lectures delivered hy experts in
economics all lamenting the depressed
state o' tie merchant navy of France, ;"
As appears from the figures given
above, the French government pays
ioSt:, subsidies. premiums on the con
struetion of French ships and premiums
on voyages made by French ships The
effect of this policy is thus described by
the United %tates consul at Marseilles
in his report to the state department of
July 20. 1890:
The shipownerS found the shipbuild
ers constantly increasing their prices
until the point was rea ched where the
builders were accused of calculating
the amount which proposed construc-
ton would command and adding that
amount 10 their own cost price, thus
absorbing the premium for naviga ton
and the one for construction.
This consul concludes that the mer
chant marine of France is in an nnsat
isfactory condition.
The Italian government pays navlga
tion subsidies and construction boun-
ties, hut the United States consul gen
cral III Rome in his report to the state
department of July 2o, 1899. makes the
following comment:
In view of the efforts Of the italian
government to encourage Italian snip
ping, the long SeaDoard and the nrceS
sity Of shipping TO the economical life
of the country, the results are certainly
far from satisfactory.
II remains for the American people
TO decide whether to adopt the artificial
eyped:ent of the subsidy system. which
must be continued indefinitely at ever
/ increasing cast, or whether 10 approve
the more logical principle announced hy
Mr. ! J HID in the New York Journa,
of Commerce Of Nov 10. who pins his
faith to the natural advantages OF ,l4e
country and the wdeawake enterprise
OF is people and not The naternal care
| and coddlng Of the government. which
can help one interest only at the ex'
peuse Of others Al that really live
business men ask Of the government IS
that it shall not put difficulties and ot,-
Structions i'll their way and shall afford