The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1906-04-15
SHIP SUBSIDY TITLE
: OPENS RATE QUESTION
Foraker Amendment Has Bearing
on Shipment of Imports
by Rail. @t
BY w, w. Jermane.

Washington, April 1.-THE ship sub
sidy interests are bringing all possible
pressure to bear upon the house COM
mittee on merchant marine and fish
cries for a favorable report on the
shipping bill, which a number of weeks
ago passed the senate.
This week has been given over to
hearings. and the committee is sharply
divided. It is not the belief of care
full thinkers that the bill can be got
out Of the house committee, or, getting
out, that the speaker will consent to
it's consideration on the floor. And
even were he to do so, it is not believed
that a majority of the members will
support it. On the whole, therefore,
the subsidy outlook is not regarded as
good, and yet the strenuous efforts that
are being made to get the subject be
fore the house may have greater eff
Foraker Has Amendment.
Senator Foraker has proposed an
amendment to the rate bill which has
an interest for folks who are following
the subsidy question. He wants all
thru import rates, water and rail,
placed under the control of the inter-
state commerce commission with view
to their strict regulation, unless the
goods imported are carried in Ameri-
can bottoms to the shores of the United
States.
Under present conditions, certain
goods from Germany can be shipped
| from the place of manufacture over the
ocean, landed in New York, and then
carried by rail as far west as Denver
| more cheaply than similar goods can
| be shipped from Pittsburg to Denver.
This excessively low rate is made pos
| sible because the foreign ships bring
| ing the goods to this country can af-
| ford, on account of subsidies, to make
an ocean rate that is merely nominal.
tariff on all goods imported under these
! conditions
! Mr.. Foraker would have the inter-
state commerce commission directed to
, make, an adjustment of these thru rates
that will more adequately protect the
American manufactures. .
Complexities Rate Situation.
A nice question has been raised by
this amendment. The men who framed
the rate bill and who indorse the ad-
ministration rate ideas, purposely left
out of the bill all reference to thru
import rates. thinking that to include
them would be to complicate the main
! issue, and in effect to inject the ques-
ton of subsidy into the question of
railroad rates.
Mr.. Foraker IS amendment has created
good deal of hostility for the reason
that it can mean no good to the rate
! bill. The administration senators are
J., opposing him, and while they do not
say that the point made in the amend.
!, ment is not well taken, they saw that
J. that point ought to be brought out in a
, subsidy bill and not in a rate bill. =
, Obviously, if the thru import rates
; are to be regulated bv the commission
. the thru export rates would also be thu
regulated, and at once a great outcry
would arise from many points in the
country tributary to continental rail
way lines. For example, Minneapolis
and every other considerable city along
J. J. Hills roads, would at once fee
! the effect of such regulation in de
crease of their trade with the far east
.. If their exports could only get low
thru rate provided they were carried
in American bottoms, the end of al
: hopes for a heavy export trade witt
China and Japan would go glimmerlns
in an instant.