The Roswell daily record. [volume] (Roswell, N.M.) 1903-current, 1905-01-06

Il
both cases. primarily, to lower wages.
A table IS given showing that nearly
all of the foreign powers grant ship
ping subsidies. France pays more than
IS. coo. 600 each for the encouragement
Of their merchant marine.
As the first essential step in the
rehabilitation of merchant shipping
the commission proposes TO create d
force of naval volunteers composed
Of the best officers men OF Ameri~
can merchant ships and deep-sea
fishing vessels. Necessarily small at
first, means for a healthy and sure
expansion of the force is provided by
the payment of substantial retainers
as an inducement to enroll. It is under
stood that officers nj men shall re-
cefve their seamen's pay, besides this
retainer. during their period of actual
naval instruction. The navy depart
ment has asked for a reserve of 90
600 men in the bills 1t has presented
to Congress. The report quotes the
Commissioner Of Navigation to show
that not more thai 20, 900 American
citizens are included in the enroll
ment of employees on all the Ameri-
can vessels on salt water which go
out of sight of and for any time dur
ing the res Commenting on this
lack of material for a naval volunteer
force the commission says: "Out of
these 10000 officers and men prob
ably not more than one half would be
eligible for naval volunteer service.
1t is therefore manifest
that ship-owners must not only be en-
couraged to employ these naval vol
u%nteers, butt encouraged to build
more ships to develop an increased
naval. service, as well as to advance
the interests of commerce"
The proposed rate of $500 per
gross ton, the commission says, is
unquestionably sufficient to equalize
conditions for American sail vessels
as against foreign sail vessels, saws
in the case of he heavily subsidized
fleet of France. 1t is declared also
that this rate is sufficient TO equalize
conditions for American cargo steam
ers. ave in exceptional instances,
but it is admitted without controver-
sy that the naval ~subvention will
not, of itself. encourage the building
of swift and expensive steam ships.
It is the judgment of the commission
that in the restoration of the Ameri-
can merchant marine it is the use
full, hare working ship of steam and
sail which should have the first and
friendliest consideration. The rea-
son assigned for this is that the Am
erican people in the main, are pIoduc-
ers of bulky commodities, so far as
concerns their export m
It is strongly emphasized by the
commission that the naval subven-
tions offered in the proposed bill are
not bounties outright og mere COM
mercial subsidies. but re distinctly
based on important T.Dlic services
to be given by thefships n ship
constitutionality and expediency of
such guarded s~ubventions it is said
there can be no question whatever,
in the light of the example of the
fisheries ~subyentions given to both
vessels and men for prospective nave
service by the fathers of the repub-
lie. and continued by their immed-
late successors.
In the proposed bill not one dollar
is added to the expenditures for any
one of the five established contract
ocean mail lines. The present ocean
mail act is not amended xeept as
to certain specific new routes to be
established the requirement as
to naval volunteers.
The total cost of the proposed leg
~islation is estimated by the commits
sion as follows Total expenditures
for the first year, from July fst,
1905, to June 80, 1906, for naval re-
t~ainers. subventions. and nail subven
tons all included, $4,000, sos.
Concluding. the Commission urges
the need of immediate relief for h
American merchant marine, saying:
eff 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 Commits
sion has prepared a conservative
measure, aiming to achieve its pur-
pose at a minimum cost, fair to all
| sections and interests, n directed
especially TO the strengthening of the
national defense and the extension of
American m to new and dis
tant markets. The Commission a
see no reason why a cautious measure
of this kind. making no large imme-
date draft up on the national