Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1906-03-09
Pleas for SHIP subsldiss.

There is an organization IN Cleveland,
Ohio, called the Merchant Marine League
Of the United states-but composed
almost exclusively Of those interested in
the traffic on the Great Lakes-which
pays special attention 70 exploiting the
sacred cause Of government subsidies as
= means Of building up our merchant
marine. And among the reasons that it
urges in support Of appropriations Of
public moneys for private purposes, are
the following:
That il will involve an annual ex-
penditure Of "only" 100000.
That we arc about to spend $4,000 900
10 S40O,0O0O00 in constructing the
Panama Canal, 10 "beneit the trade
and commerce Of foreign countries OK
.clusiyely.,
That we spend S44,0o00O0 annually
upon postal subsidies to railroad systems
Of this country.
We invest slOOOoo,OOO annually upon
q navy.
Our army costs us ssoooo,O 900 a year.
To our rivers and harbon, to favor
certain interests, we voted Sl7000,0Oo
this year.
We spent hundreds Of millions to free
Cuba.
Finally, that ship subsidies would be
productive Of moro good than any Of the
expenditures thus enumerated.
But these citations afford no argument
in support of ship subsidies. Rather do
they stand forth AZ a protest against
additional extravagances and impositions.
Whatever may be urged against the
Panama Canal it cannot be maintained
that this country will derive no benefit
from IT,.
The point against extravagant postal
subsidies 10 railroads is well taken, but
the remedy lies not in ship subsidies, but
in stern reform and retrenchment in Che
mail service by Congress
We may not justify our extravagance
in army and navy expenditures by the
additional extravaganza Of ship subsidies
Rather should we resolve TO effect a practi-
cal reform by vigorous retrenchment in
the expenditures for both departments
Possibly there is extravaganza in ex-
penditures for river and harbor improve.
ments, but it cannot be denied that the
great bulk Of our money outlay in thi
direction is for the exclusive benefit o.
the commerce Of this country.
As to Cuba, admitting that we wer
"gold bricked" in that venture, is tha
any argument in favor Of ship subsidies
Great stress is laid by this Merchan
Marine League Of the United Sta,es-
or rather Of the Great Lakes-upon th
fact that by a provision of that instru
ment Of monstrous tariff taxation, tn
Dingley law, materials of shipbuildin
manufactured in foreign countries ar
admitted into this country free Of duty
This is urged as an offset to the clair
that by reason Of the great difference /
the price Of materials Of construction
Il costs much more to build ships in th
country than It does in foreign countrio
But how win the free admission ,
foreign materials remedy the situatio
Of the American shipbuilders who natura
~ prefer American materials, but cam,
obtain them in this country as cheap
as they are sold abroad? Take the ite
of steel plates, most important itc
in the construction of ocean steamship
Plates Of American manufacture are a,
mittedly superior 20 those Of foreir
manufacture, yet it is now set down as
fact that steel plates made in this COUNT
are sold to the &hipbuilders Of Bella
at $40 per ton less than the rate viii,
American customers are compelled 70 p.
for them.
Here is serious handicap. Relic,
the American shipbuilders Of this hea'
tax through the excessive cost Of ste
plates alone, and it would no doubt
far more profitable than the popos
subsidy Of S4,OOO00O a year, althou
It has been estimated that the amou
Of subsidy under tho pending bin wou
be much more than this limit.
And this kind Of subsidy would q
come from the pockets Of the peop
as the proposed government subsi
would.