New-York tribune., 1905-01-06
ryr MERCHANT MARINE BILL.

r,ha sbinn,ne hill introduced In the Senate on
"wednesday by Mr. Gallinger VIII recel'e' ""
trust the attention at this session Oh Oohs' eS'
which 60 serious and reasonable an enoll " -
y,ve the American merchant marine unqueS.i Ni
-, ,oorI+s The measure offered mas peeh
drawn nv the Joint Merchant Marine ColhAnI9 %
sion. created last winter by Congress- ine Nv
Senators and five Representatives coIhPoS 80
tt,s hoard gave exhaustive hearings In the cnleA
s,,-,,or o1d commercial centres of the coun-
80 or6 iu accordance with their Instructions
fr.nad and renorted back to Congress the meas
,,ro which I'm their Judgment, Is best adapleu
"a check the lamentable decline In the AHieIl-
con ocean carrying trade. This decline mas
gone unchecked so long that the cohultloll VI
our deep sea merchant marine is alfeauy Ne'
nerste AS the commission justly says III an
other wear sit will be still more desperate anu
IL remedial legislation is long delayed II Is ap-
parent that the American ocean going iIelsi'9i
Will disappear from the seas
In the face of such a situation 1t has been lne
ainn of the commission to devise plan OF releI
against which most of the objections Whlch
hava hitherto blocked so-called subsidy lesls-
lation cannot be fairly urged. The development
of the merchant marine as necessary auJunct
TO naval defence is made the prime feature OF
the commissions scheme, and the ala gwen
shipowners and American seamen Is dlstlncuy
hased on important public services TO be given
In return. Vital national ends are to be accom-
plished through the subventions voted to stimu-
late the ocean carrying trade. For instance
from the officers and men employed in the mer-
chant marine and in the deep sea fisheries
naval reserve is TO be formed. By July, 1907.
one-eighth of the crews on merchant vessels
must be enrolled as naval reserves, and by
July. 1916 onefourth must be so enrolled.
These reserves are to be subject to draft in
time of war, and the vessels receiving postal
and tonnage subventions are likewise subject to
emuIoyment for the national defence or for any
other public purpose.
The value to the nation of a naval reserve
cannot be disputed. 1t is an indispensable COM
plement to the regular naval establishment.
II the navy is TO go on enarging, keeping pace
with national needs it is folly to neglect SER
vice through which alone an adequate and eff
fective naval reserve can be maintained. We
should find ourselves in time of war with more
ships than could man, and without trained
force of any kind on which to draw 10 make up
losses. In q broadly national sense the crea-
ton OF a naval reserve is one of the most i'm
portant aims OF public policy.
so far as the new mail subventions are con-
cerned, they based, too, largely on considera-
tions Of national interest New mail lines are
to be contracted for between Atlantic Coast
ports and Brazil, Uruguay, Argentina and South
Africa; between Gulf ports and Brazil, Cuba,
Central America and Mexico, and between Pa
cihc ports and Japan, China and the Philip
pines by way OF Hawaii, Japan, China and the
Philippines direct and Panama. In opening
these new routes TO commerce the government
advances public interests: and In the payment
Of mail subYentions it follows precedents al