Arizona republican., 1904-05-25
HOW TO GET SHIPS
J. J. Hill Before the Mer-
 chant Marine Confusion
In His Opinion the Thing to Do Is to Make People See That Shipbuildipg Pays.

New York, May 24.-James J. Hill, president of the Northern Securit e 5 company and the Great Northern 1aiI- way, appeared this afternoon as a wit ness before the merchant marine com mission, a joint congressional commss- sion which is investigating the causes of the decline of American shipping in order to suggest measures for remedial legislation.
 ''1'he first thing necessary" said Mir. Hill, is to create a desire ip the peo- pie of the country to own ships It is purely commercial question. If there is a profit in it, people will engage in it; if a loss, it is a question how long the people will stick. Our conditions on the high seas as nation seem hard to meet. On land, in spite of high rates of labor, the United States has bzen able to work out Q. system without sn equal.
 Why we are not able to do this OF the high seas ss not clear to me and as far as I have investigated if, I believe that no amount of direct bonuses will build it into a life worth living. What the country wants is market. Out side of our agricultural products, cot ton, grain anu oil, there are few things We can export, because the cost of pro duction is so high. We cannot sell them. If We could carry these pro- ducts in cur own bottoms, it would be a source of great profit.
 "They can build ships in England much cheaper than here. Citizens of other countries have owned ships for the last forty years to a greater extent than we. I have had experiences in building two ships, the largest freight carriers in the world. and I don't want any more. 1 would rather undertake to build 1000 miles of railroad than two ships. It has taken four years instead or two.
 If we are going to buy a merchant marine out of the treasury of the ooun- try, it won't last long. We must give the people confidence to invest. In Japan they have built up a. large ma rine; they have protected tonnage, hut I do not remember the details.
 "Our business in the Pecifc is hard ; we have to compete with all the na- lions and they are fighting very hard for the oriental trade, and I think that we have placed obstruc ctions in the way Di lulS lTdQe. we ClllllOI cuillplN WllH the regulations placed upon us and compete with the ships of other n2- tions. We have been forced cut. don't think you will make much of a success of buying a merchant marine. It won't stay with you. You must get the people interested, but there do s not seem to be much disposition on the part of the people to go into shipping.
 "If you are willing to put a tonnage tax on all that goes to a foreign mar ket, everything that goes out of the country, even to new markets. I think you would get ships. That would come out Of the people.
 "The ship subsidy project was start ed in about thirty minutes. Thad in duced the Japanese to take our cotton to mix with theirs so that it would make better yarn. The Boer war broke out and we could not get ships on the Pacific coast. I came on east and saw Senator Fairbanks and Senator Han ma. I asked why we could not get ships to carry our goods. Senator Hanna said he would see me in the morning, and he did. The result was that he op- ened his campaign in Ohio on the ship SuhSidV" '"