The Montgomery advertiser., 1906-11-21

should give back to the ship owner what we take away from nm TOT sns a and unless we do give 1t back, we Snali continue to go without ships. HOW ean the expenditure of pupnc money for the improvement of rivers ana harbors to promote trade be justified upon any grounds which do not also sustain this proposal? Such suovehnSs tions would not be gifts. Iney WodIae rIes inflicted upon American shipping py American laws and the consideration for benefits received by the WhoIs the shipbuilders or the sailors alone hut by every manufacturer, every min CT. every farmer, every merchant Whose prosperity depends upon market TUT "fhe provision for such .yust com, pensation should be carefully shap9,d and directed so that It will go 10 ln11o .he individual is enabled by. 1t to earn a ressonable profit by building up the business of the country: D,,
 The Ship Subsidy Biil.
 "A bili is now pending in Congress which contains such provisions; lt mas passed the Senate and IS nov pe42Sae nSa the House Committee on Mefenann nI,aci9- Sls scaiIv that fhe Postmaster General may nav to American steamships, or specl- lied rates of speed, carrying malls upon up,n a regular service, compensation nqL to excesd the following amounts: OFT siI,e From an Atlantic port to Brazil, monthly, .sl5o.OOO a year. irrng,sv for x ilnS anS from an AtIantiSS possf ssT5oO fo year: for a fine from a Gulf port to Brazll aZa monthly. $1s7. 800 s,,yy year; S6its i9r and from from each or tWo t central S1 America and the rsthn1us of Panama weekly Sto,UVo s year: for a line from a Cur port p lo o Mexico weekly, S5O.000 year; toE
 , line from Pacific coast d Pfbb Pfbe T Tisthmus of Panama fortnightly' $12O'OOo a SeSI ni For these six regular lines soSaA ap pa | sT20, ,0O0. The payments prox,LoeHa t,,a ,,ere ar no more than enough to give the Ane6o tI. a Ican ships a fair living chance III t"e comPeIiS anTbaIe are other e%ss.se and reasonable provisions in the bill retas1ns aanners ~ and to V naval reserve, but am now con l carned with the provisions TOT traoe es. 5o so the South. The hope or suSh .ta+ biII Iies chiefly in the passage or that a,, ptt.; iie5 ep5ostmaster Cortelyou, in his repor' l for 1905. said: s.,.o. .
 "Congress has authorized shS fsaI tr contract with the owners or AHleFica l ' a at ! Staamships for ocean mall service ane has realized the impracticaplllty 4S. commanding suitaote, seru,ce alone bS | reouiring that such steamers snaIi " | of a size. class and equipment Wnlci l will promote commerce ana nec"ui' tt' | available as auxiliary cruisers oL Ln' | nsvv in case of need. The compensa, | fjon allowed to such steamers IS Iount to be wholly inadequate 10 secure l tn' proposals contemplated; nehSe ,,a se eil ed to develop any bids for much-neede' | Service. This is especially true III re l gard to several of the countries o South America. with IaS WhiSh for mani | fest reasons. should have direct maj connections with us. refer to braz, | and countries south of 1t. Complalnu l tries have become frequent and em | nhatic. leading to the suggestion on tn' | bart of certain officials of the Govern 1 ment that for the, present ana uno, .3o, more satisfactory direct communicating ol | can be established important mali should be dispatched to South America | by way of European ports ana on Hn ropean steamers whiGn woTIu in tbe rot OaY 0aY
 ment of double transit rates to a TOT l eign country for the dispatch or H | mails to countries of our own hemls phere, but might seriously emoarras inc Government in the exchange of i'm portant official and diplomatic core
 Tt is dificult to believe but 1t service the Government of the Unite States Is making large proht m actual cost to the Government last yea of ocean mall berNlcS tO AOI0i isA SO1-l was $2,965. .624.21. while the proceed realized by the Government from post age between the United States and for eign countries other than Canada am Mexico was s6,008. .S07.53. leaving tn | profit to the United States of $3,04S. iS332; that IS to say. under exlstinl
 law the Government of the Unite
 States, having assumed the monopol
 of carrying the mails for the people Q
 the country, Is making profit of SS,
 900 900 per annum by rendering chea
 and inefficient service. Every dolla ] of that three millions is made at tn
 expense of the commerce Of the Unite
 States. What can be plainer than tha
 the Governmen ought to expend at leas
 the profits that It gets from the ocea
 mail service in making the ocean maj
 service efficient. One quarter of thos
 profits would establish all these line
 which I have described between tn l United States and South and Centra
 America and give us. besides goo | mail service, enlarged markets for tn
 producers and merchants of the Unite
 States who pay the postage from whic
 the profits come.
 Opinion of ROOsevSls.
 Tn his last message to Congress | President Roosevelt said:
 | TO the spread of our trade in peac
 and the defense of our flag in war
 great and prosperous merchant marin
 Is indispensable. We should have ship
 of our own and seamen of our own {
 convey our goods to neutral markets
 and in case of need to reinforce ou
 battle line. It can not but be a sourc
 Of regret and uneasiness to us tha
 the lines of communication with ou
 sister republics of South Americ
 It is not a good thing that America
 merchants and manufacturers shoul
 have to send their goods and letter
 to South America via Europe if fine | y.ytsb sacurifv ana disrotob -A '''e '