The Washington herald., 1906-12-12

/ Chairman GrOsvenOr. Of the House COM
mittee On Merchant Marine and FISHERIES.
| has completed and put in printed form his
/ ''ccmpromise' ship-subsidy measure, ar
rangements for which were made a week
ago. While the new measure is not mate
rally different from the one the commit
/ tee has had before II for some time, Il IS
not yet satisfactory 10 81 concerned
and viii have to be further modified II It
/ is to be reported by the committee and
/ passed by the House
/ The new bin is TO be submitted formal
/ ly TO the committee tomorrow. The few
printed copies Of it which are in existence
/ have been passed around among some
members, and those most interested have
been given an opportunity to study it as
/ closely as they desire
/ An entirely new principle is the most
prominent feature Of the new measure.
It is proposed 10 vote appropriations sole
/ ly for the transportation Of the mails.
and under section . Of the act of March
I3. 1891.
/ The subsidies proposed are for one line
/ Of fourteen-knot ships from the Atlantic
! coast TO Brazil for which an annual
subsidy Of 10000 for a monthly serv-
/ ice, OF $4,000 for "a fortnightly service.
/ is named
/ line from Atlantic coast ports 10 Uru-
quay and Brazil. for which the amount
/ offered is Sz500O0 for monthly service,
and 10000 for a fortnightIy service.
From Gulf Coast to Brazil
A line Of twelve-knot ships from the
/ Gulf coast TO Brazil, for which the offer
/ is Si54oo9 for monthly service. and
$3o),030 for a fortnightly service
| A f0urteen-knot line from south Of Cape
/ Hatteras TO Cuba. Tor which is offered
$500 for a weekly service, and Sl50.Ol0
/ for semi-weekly service. Similar pro-
! vision is made for a line from the Gulf
! coast 20 Cuba.
twelye-knot line from the Gulf coast
i to Central America or Panama. for which
/ is offered $4,000 for a weekly service.
/ A twelve-kn0t line from the Gulf coast
( TO Mexico. the offer for which is $4,000
/ for a weekly service.
A sixteen-kn0t line from the Pacific
/ Coast 10 Japan via Hawaii. for which
/ the proposed subsidy is S50000 for a
monthly service and S60000o for a fort
/ nightly service, also a thirteen-kn0t line
/ from the Northern Pacific coast to Japan.
/ for winch is offered $50 90 for 4 monthly
| service and $4,000 for a fortnightly
! service.
/ A sixteen-knot line from the Pacific
/ Coast via Hawaii 20 Australia, for which
is offered $1,000 for q 0nce-every-t
/ weeks service.
/ \ twelve-knot line from the Pacific
/ coast to Mexico. Central America, and
/ Port Ia Boca. For which the offered sub
sidy is Sl50.o09 for a fortnightly service.
| Tie prov isi0ns for the enlistment of
] N.-.t
/ tanned in the new measure. and a scale
of ply for officers and men Is prescribed.
ranging from S24 a year for seaman 10
Sl10 year for lieUtenanJs of the highest
grade. The term of enlistment is for
/ four years. All the remainder of the bill
as passed by the Senate is eliminated
/ For the Senate provision or the subject
there is substituted "a paragraph giving
the Postmaster General authority 20 make
contracts 10 carry the mails over the
ocean routes specified. for not less than
! five years, and not more than ten years
Watson still Opposed.
| Up to the time the compromise agree
ment was reached last week. Representa-
tive Watson. of Indiana, was supposed
to hold the deciding vote on the bill
Naturally therefore, considerable interest
centers around AIr WatsOn's attitude to
measure is not satisfactory to the Indian
ian. and he will not vote for it unless it
is further amended. II is therefore be
lieved that the friends Of the new meas
ure viii not be able TO secure favorable
committee action or it I'm its present form
| Furthermore. the new measure does not
meet the views of Speaker Cannon. TO
whose opposition its failure to progress
1 further last session was largely due The
! speakers idea is that instead Of scatter
ing numerous comparatively small sub
sides. Congress should concentrate on
one or two lines. the establishment of
which would certainly result in largely in
creased trade, and appropriate literally
for it The South American lines favored
by Secretary Root are the ones the Speak
er believes should be provided for now. if
any are TO be provided for.
! Among some Of those opponents Of the
old bin who were willing 10 look with
favor on the proper sort Of compromise
the measure framed by Gen. Grosvenor is
thought 10 indicate a disposition on his
part TO take an ell when he has been given,
( but an inch. In other words they think
/ he has gone so far in the direction al
ways favored by him that his compromise
can hardly be called a compromise. They
object particularly 10 the proposed sub
sidy fer a mail line from the Gulf coast
presumably New Orleans or Galveston-to
Mexico. Appropriations for such a line
would be a waste of money they say.
! since even the fastest ships could not be-
| gin to compete with the rail lines in get
ting mail TO the republics Immediately 10
the South of US.
Objection Because of Distance.
/ Still another feature to which objec-
/ ton IS made is the proposal for a line
| from the Gulf coast TO Brazil. Although
/ nine persons out of every ten doubtless
will assert. without investigation. that
/ it is not as far from New Orleans To Rio
as from New York to Rio, tie fact OF
/ the matter IS that the New York-Rio
route is between 600 and 1.o00 miles shorter
/ than the New Orleans-Rio route.
/ The new bill viii be closely scrutinized
/ to-day. and when the committee meets to-
morrow fits members will at least be in a
position to discuss it aUthOritatively. The
| consensus Of opinion among those who
are in closest touch with the matter is
/ hat the Grosvenor redraft must be mate
/ rally modified If it is 10 be favorabIy re-
ported by the committee and passed by
the House. What the Senate would do
with it in such an event is, of course, an
| nther question.