The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1904-06-30
Still Seeking Light.

American participation In the ocean
carrying trade, said it would assured
ly not be done thru any special 1egis-
lation, whether In the interest Of free
ships or free material to build them,
| inasmuch as after discussion OF
many years, ideas are as diverse, as
irreconcilable, and as firmly sup
ported antagonistically as when the
discussion began"
| And now, after q quarter Of a CEN |
fury Of this same discussion. and after
several years of strenuous effort by
the friends Of large cash subsidies for
shipbuilders and shipbuilding corpora
lions, congress has failed to respond
effectively to the subsidists Of the
lobby or the appeals of members
friendly to the several subsidy bills,
and even appeals by the presidents
themselves that something might be
done for. our merchant marine" have
failed to get that something" done.
The merchant marine commission,
Eappointed by congress at the recent
session under the Gardner bill to de-
wise plans for restoring our merchant
marine to it's former primacy on the
high seas, has recently proceeded to
it's work. The proceedings SO far in
Chicago by the commission and In
Detroit by subcommittee show that
the commission Is destined to travel
over the well-troddsn path of former
Inquiries
) AT the Chicago meeting John Bar
rett, our minister to Panama, re1ter-
ated the old complaint that our flag
could not be seen flying from the
masthead of q single merchant ship
on the high seas, as he himself had
= observed in five trips round the
world.
OF course Mr.. Barrett might have
. seen a few If he had scrut1n1zed the
l horizon closely, but the main fact is
t that back in the forties and hfties,
: British marine interests stood aghast
r at the facts accomplished by the null
$ tituds of American merchant ships,
n notably the great and fleet clipper
e ships which were then taking vast
= quantities Of freight from British ships
: in the orient and occident, compelling
g even the London Times to oal1 our
" country Britains gigantic and un.
v shackled rival" on the sea.
n If the new commission will avoid
70 the error Of the cash subsidists In
o congress and out of it, that error
y having been several times rebukec
d and cast aside by congress. 1t may
accomplish something. The error has
Is been the ,nsistence upon governments
Is disbursements in vast sums to ship
70 ping corporations with features OF
l. unjust discrimination which were Of.
n fensive to the quiclsened public con
% science and sensitiveness as to such
st tendencies. .-..
,s The public Is aware that the re-
IS iterated statements Of the heavy sub
sidy advocates that the European
l. governments all lavish cash subsidies
re on their merchant marines are gross
r. ly exaggerated. France has been try
IT ina the system for some time and thu
X result Is that her ships carry freight
at unremunerative prices and sail on tn
~ strength Of the subsidy and the French
n merchant marine Is in moribunt
ra condition.. The great German mer
chant marine, like the English, re
ceives mail-carrying subsidies to som
,1u extent and the merchant steamers o
49, the great transatlantic lines unde
II. naval subvention may be taken by tn
90 government for use In time Of war
If the marine commission can stud
out a practical method OF mak1n
shipbuilding for the ocean traffic (for
X eign trade) attractive to America
nix capital, there will be no trouble turn
m ing capital into that channel. How
1s. at shat this country stands next
of Great Britain in the number of 1t
it, sailing vessels and tonnage Of sue
.+y craft and second to her also In tn
"A number Of tonnage Of steamers? Be
A. cause the most Of our tonnage Is bui
al for the coasting trade, which
-. profitable for the reason that there
a. no foreign competition. American
wa monopolize the countrys coastin
49,. trade. The field is clear for America
- a capital.
We have excluded foreign but
~ ships from American registry. II
American buys foreign-built ship +
Y cannot fly over it the American fla
Why, then, does not American capit
go into American ships?
'ah The German marine staff's exper
IAN who came to this country not long as
u.s. to examine our shipbuilding interest
ION stated, after he had done his wor
yer that materials for constructing ste
ons ships are cheaper here than in al
py other country in the world; that OF
IND economical shop methods are mo
:. effective than Germany's and tn
TO Americans can easily put their shi
8 building industry in condition
the compete with either England or &c
ur- many. The gentlemen who sturdi
of championed the ship subsidy measu
ave which failed in the last congress, del
md fatty that this is so. Like the la
ast- distinguished builder Of ships, Jol
The Roach, they aver that, while it
ca" very easy to get American capital
by invest in the coasting trade shippir
j. a the hunt q for capital to put sht
an. in the foreign trade Ia useless becau