The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1906-04-17
II AIRING ! ! :. |: [ On
SUBSIDY ! ! / ] |
Bill !
Closed in House Committee On 81
Merchant Marine and
Fisheries. /
THE BILL SHOULD PASS
TO Encourage American Shipping
Foreign Prestige Cited in
Argument.
By q. c. snyder.

Washington, D. c., April 1.-THE
house committee on merchant marine
and fisheries has closed the hearings
on the Gallinger shipping bill which
have been in progress for the past ten
days. This Is the last series Of hear
ings on this important subject which
has been before congress and its con-
mittees since the creation of the mer-
chant marine commission .ii April,
1904. Former Representative Eugene
f. Loud. Of San Francisco, represent
ing the Oceanic Steamship company,
with line running to Australia, was
the first witness today. "You are
recreant in your duty" he declared to
members of the committee with great
impressiyeness. ''if you do not enact
legislation at this session Of CONGRESS
looking to the restoration Of the AmerS
lean merchant marine on our Atlantic
and Pacific. coasts. AS to the Oceanic
Steamship company he added that ut
is at the end of its rope It had
started In business about twenty years
ago, running to Australia in conjunc-
ton with English steamers. Four or
five years ago the company built three
ffrst-class American steamships at a
cost Of $2,800000 and entered into
mail contract with the( United States
government under which 1t received
$2S3, 900 a year for 4, hfteen-knpt SER
vice. This 10 the fastaet and best SER
vice entering Australian waters, but
the American company receives q Sub
yention very much lower than the
sums paid by European govsrnments
to inferior foreign steamers. The
North German Floyd line receives
subsidy of $498, 600 year and the
Orient line 100000. The Gallinger
bill proposes an addition to the mail
subsidy to the Oceanic company which
will give 1t altogether $500 900 a year. j
II am satisfied that, ,yif you pass this
BILL" said Mr.. Loud, "there will be
men who will try to do something un-
der it. The Oceanic Steamship COM
pany has already drawn plans for the
construction Of additional ships to en-
gage in the Australian trade. If you
pass this bill these ships, will be built.
If you do not do SO we shall haul down
our flag and quit the sea- And we
shall not have to go far for q pur-
chaser. Japan is searching the seas
for vessels available for the carrying
trade. She wants our ships for a line
between japan and Australia. If she
gets them our export commerce to
Australia which has been developed
from eight million to thirty million
dollars year will be paralyzed by
the cutting of Of its main line Of
communicated.
Representative Humphrey, of Wash
ington, read letter from Alfred Win
ssor,S president of the Boston Steamship
company, who stated that the ships of
his company plying between Puget
sound and the ports of Japan, China
and the Philippines were in direct
competition with all lines of subsi-
died foreign steamers. Our five
ships" he said, receive in all in mail
pay only about $4,000 a year from
the United States, while three British
steamers of much smaller cargo capa-
city, running out of Vancouver a few
miles north of Seattle paralleling our
course and sharply competing for busi-.
ness to Japan and China, receive $291,-S
600 a year for mail and admiralty sub.
sidies from their government Three
Japanese steamers running right out
of Puget sound alongside our ships,
receive $330.000 year in subsidy from
Japan. which,, in addition. grants a
bounty Of from IS to $12 per ton on
SuCh NOASSk A4iC iLualAISnnuSC
tof American steamers against such
subsidized foreign lines is absolutely,
impossible. ,,-
II this bill passes we propose to
enlarge our line to a great extent.
IT congress does not act at the present
session We are through with the, en-
ferprise and Will not build another
ship because 1t would be financial.
suicide to do 80. Every month that
passes makes It more difiicult and
costly to regain what we have lost
and are losing " ..as 5Ils !, /
II. M. Wright. an attorney OF San
francisco. and d. e. Skinner. presi-
dent Of the Port Blakelys Mill company
of Puget sound. urged the adoption Of
two amendments to the bill. on ex-
Ncluding from the subventions vessels
engaged In trade between the Pacific
ports Of British North America and
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