The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1906-01-04

realized that the question of action or
nOn-actlon upon the proposed ship sub
sidy legislation will have to be passed
upon soon after reassembling.
The Line of Subsidy Needed.
''Show to u.s. say leaders, that your
subsidy plan will start the calking irons
and riyet hammers going in American
ship yards will put freight carriers on
routes travelled now only by foreign
ships; will send the mails under the flag
into seas that now are traversed only by
foreign bottoms, and we will talk bust
ness with you.
But don't let us hear any more about
subsidies to these great companies with
their fast ships and which would not add
another vessel to their fleets, but would
use the subsidies to swell their divi
dends"
1t is an open secret at the capitol that
great deal OF the opposition which has
existed on the House side to subsidies
has grown out Of the inability of the
friends of ship subsidies to agree on the
scope Of the benefits and the character of
the benehciarics Of the proposed legisla-
ton. If the agreement can be reached
along the line noted above House leaders
will be ready to meet the project half
way.
Republican caucus on shipping legis
lation is to be feature of the early
weeks of the reassembling when the
foregoing proposition will be made clear.
Features of the Bill
The four principal features claimed for
the bill are that it will provide as fol-
lows:
force OF 10000 naval volunteors-Ameri-
can officers and men of the merchant ma
rine trained to the naval service and hold
Ing the same relation to the regular navy
held toward the regular army by the pres
cut militia and National Guard.
new fleet Of from 10000 to 800, 900
tons OF steel mail steamships the naval re.
serve of fast transports ammunition ships.
supply ships, coliers, repair and hospital
ships, dispatch vessels etc, described In
the accompanying report of Admiral Dewey.
as essential TO the efficiency OF our lighting
fleet in war.
net addition to our cargo (and fishery
tonnage OF l,5ooopc tons, increasing four
fold the actual ocean shipping OF the Unit
ed States, and giving us, exclusive of our
distinctive lax" aud Coastwisc vessels, n
merchant marine much larger than the en-
tire merchant fleet of France or Norway
nearly twice that of Italy, ana fully twlc.
that or Japan. Such a new merchant ton
mage would enable the United States to
carry under its own flag not 10 per cent
as now, of It's own Imports ana exports, but
80 or 40 per cent, earning for our own
country, instead of $4,000 900 from 500
100000 to Ss0,ooo,ooo year in freight and
passenger receipts.
illdlN, the creation or ten regular now
or strengthened American steamship lines
TO South America, Central America, Africa
and Asia, supplemented by n large ana
active fleet of tramp or cargo vessels,
inevitably opening new markets for Amcrl.
cans.
Estimates of Cost
The commission has made elaborate
estimates Of the cost of the proposed
subsidies, as it is certain that the qucs-
ton of outlay must be taken into ac-
count in this session Of economy. The
estimate for the first year is as follows:
Net increase Of revenue from ton
mage ..,.. ....,,.............,.SI, 100000
Expenditures;
A, Naval volunteer rctalners. ..... $4,000
Il, General subycntions to cargo
vessels .........., ......,....... GGG. $50
G.. New mail subvcntIons. ........ GGG $50
u, Increased subvcntions to two
existing mail Observation-Disclosures. 46T 900
12s3, 30