The morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1899-1930, 1904-12-09
Proposed to Tax Each Vessel Ac.
eordins TO Tonnage.
DEVICE OF TONNAGE DUTIES
Estimated That s5,ooo,ooo a Year Can
be Produced by the Levy
Of Duties.

New York. Dee. s.--Loeai shlpplnl
circles were warmly enthusiastic yea
tcrday over the character OF the bill
which the congressional commission OF
merchant marine win recommend fol
passage. an outline OF which was con-
tained In washington dispatches
While unofficial. the published descrlp'
tlons OF the bill are quite accurate, al
though they are naturally not yet COM
pletc ns to many details
The device Of tonnage duties on oil
vessels entering ports OF the United
states and the creation thereby OF a
fund for the suhsidlSlng OF American
vessels of all classes and tonnage. es-
cent mail lines otherwise provided for
was greeted aa a satisfactory avenue
OF escape from the former unpleasant
alternative Of direct subsidy or DIS
terminating duty. The idea. far from
being new one. was embodied In one
OF the earliest maritime policies OF the
United states and was employed With
benefcent results at q time when
American shipping was less In need Of
assistance than now In fact the
original tonnage tax law has never
been repealed. but under an act OF con-
gress OF May -. ises, the imposition OF
discriminating tonnage taxes has by n
presidential proclamation and by
treatles been so modified that the ton
mage taxes are Insignificant In COM
parlson with those OF other maritime
powers.
For instance. France imposes a tax OF
one franc per ton On all Nsaae'a'
French and foreign, that enter her
ports and thus creates a fund when ~
In subsidies much as the
commission proposes to do IN
this country. The British government
Imposes a lighthouse tax. TO whieh the
,ocni authorities Of different ports add
various duties In a general way, II
may be said that British tonnage taxes
are abou, three times as great as those
Of this country, Norway charges 30
cents ton and other nations varying
rates.
Two distinct features are embodied
In the bill which will be presented TO
congress. a tonnage tax and postal
subsidy. The first is the imposition OF
, tonnage tax on all vessels Ameri-
,an and foreign alike , entering any
seaport OF the country. at n rate cal
,ulated to produce under present con-
lI,Ions about s5.OOO,OOO year A tax
,f 25 cents ton would easily do this
md II Is not supposed that any higher
.nte will be advocated. The entire
'und thus raised will be devoted to the
on basis OF tonnage and
niles sailed. OF all vessels OF American
register at all engaged In the foreign
rade. A system will have to be de-
,Ised for the equitable distribution OF
his money to all American vessels. no
natter Of what class or size, mas
much as the tax will be enforced
against all.
Inasmuch IA an overwhelming pro-
PORTION OF the American carrying trade
\ done by foreign vessels. Il is appar-
mt that the owners OF these will be
obliged, In the first instance, at least,
o provide their American competitors
With the sinews Of war, The report OF
he commission Of navigation for the
Iscal year ended June 3, 1904, shows
he tonnage entering American ports
Turing that period to have been 24,67s,.
92 tons, OF which 3.SS1.03s tons were
american and 2O,sis.656 were foreign,
cures that sufficiently indicate where
he tax would chiefly fall. A tax OF
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