The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1905-01-05
MERCHANT MARINE
COMMISSION ACTS
Files It's Report Recommends
ing Subsidies and Sub
ventions

yentions of SIS per gross ton annually.
subsidies for the carrying of mails
from Atlantic coast and Gulf of Mex
leo ports to South and Central Amer
lea and Cuba, and from Pacific coast
ports to Japan, China, the Philippines,
Mexico, Central America and the 18th
mus OF Panama: tonnage tax on for
elgn vessels entering United States
ports; the creation of a naval volun-
teer service and the encouragement
OF apprentices on ships in foreign trade
are provided for in bill agreed upon
by the joint merchant marine COM
mission, which submitted it's report to
congress today.
The bill agreed upon is divided into
eleven sections. The first makes pro-
vision for creating a force of naval
volunteers capable Of rendering service
IN time of war. 1t provides that the
secretary of the navy and the secre-
tary OF commerce and labor should
cause TO be made an enrolment of Off
GERS and men, now and hereafter en-
ployed in the merchant marine and
deep sea fisheries of the United States,
VINO shall receive. an annual retainer at
the end of each year, as follows:
Retaners and SubventIons
For each master and chief engineer of
a vessel of the United States of 5000
gross tonnage or over, 500; 1000 gross
tons or over. but of less than 5000 gross
tons. $S5; under 1000 gross tons $40;
l,00U gross tons or over, but of less than
1900 gross tons, $685. under 1000 gross
tons, $50; for each seaman, s25; for each
subventions are graded according to
per gross ton; nine months, $4; six
months, $500 Payments are limited to
ten years.
Provision is made In the third section
that vessels receiving the subvention NAV
be taken by the United States at a fair
compensation. for national defense or any
puDilc purpose. 1t provides also:
That when the postmaster general re-
CURES, the vessels shall carry mails free
of charge.
Vessels must come of a fixed class.
All ordinary repairs or overhauling of
sad vessels shall be made in the United
states, except in cases where drydocking
Is necessary and no dry dock of sufficient
capacity. shall be within distance of 500
miles Of the location of the ship when
the repairs shall be desired.
To obtain the subvention provided, pro-
portions of the crew must be enrolled as
naval volunteers as follows:
After July 1, 1907. one-eighth; after
July l. 1911; one-sixth; after July 1, 1916.
Carrying ocean Malls
Mail contracts running from five to ten
y
From a part of the Atlantic coast to
Brazil. on steamships of not less than
fourteen knots speed, for a monthly serv-
ice at a maximum compensat ton not ex-
ceeding $150,OO0 a year; for a fortnightly
service at a compensation not exceeding
$500, 900 a year.
Atlantic coast port to Uruguay and Ar
gentina,. fourteen knots speed, monthly
service $4,000; fortnightly, 1915, 900.
Alta, atlantic lie coast port to South Africa.
S1S7 800; fortnightly, $4,000.
Gulf of Mexico port to Brazil, twelve
fortnightly, $275, 900
Gulf port to Cuba, fourteen knots
speed. semi-weekly service, $4,000.
Gulf port to Central America. twelve
knots speed, weekly service. $4,000.
speed, weekly service, $50, OoO
Pacific coast port via Hawaii, to ia
pan, China and the Philippines, sixteen
knots speed, monthly Service, 100000;
PACIFIC coast port to Japan, China and
the Philippines, thirteen knots speed,
m non service, $4,000; fortnightly,
Pacific coast port to Mexico, Central
America and the Isthmus of Panama,
twelve knots speed, fortnightly service,
$40. 900.
The tonnage duty imposed on Ameri-
can vessels is limited to an aggregate of
80 cents per ton per year, and on vessels
entered from foreign port to $1.6O.
fOosoOlo Sii MS <AIucIICdH apprentices
are to be paid a rebate of 80 per cent
OF their tonnage dues
Save $1ooooo,ooo Yearly
Immediate action by congress is urged
and the statement is made that an ade-
quate feet would save Americans $780,
900, 900 year. The total expenditures for
the first year, from July 1, 1906 to June
80, 1906, for naval retainers, subventions.
and mail subventions, all included, would
therefore be: Naval retainers and subven-
tons, $2,394,355 mail subventions Cone
fourth of maximum), $666,250; total, 49,
060, sos.
Concluding, the commission urges
the need of immediate relief for the
American merchant marine, saying:
IF the passage Of the legislation
proposed by the commission is post
poned to the next session of congress a
condition already desperate will have
become still more desperate. The time
to act is now. The commission has
prepared conservative measure aim
ing to achieve it's purpose at a mini
mum cost, fair to all sections and in
terests, and directed especially to the
Strengthening of the national defense
and the extension Of American COM
merce to new and distant markets.
The commission can see no reason why
a cautious measure of this kind, max
ing no large immediate draft upon the
national revenue, cannot be passed at
the present session of congress-"