Arizona republican., 1906-12-06
THt ANNUAL CAMPAIGN
 FOR THE SHIPPING BILL
The Question of Rebates and Discrim- ination in Ocean Commerce is Being Raised.

reSs the Washington literary bureau of the interests behind the ship sub sidy bill has resumed activities. The Washington end of the press work on this bill is in charge of a prominent newspaper correspondent who has made speciality of shipping legisla- ton for a number of years and has been closely identified with the ship ping interests. Several years ago he compiled a book on the effect of the proposed eight-hour law on ship build ing which had much to do with the defeat of that measure, and which is in may libraries as a standard work. Being thus familiar with the conditions of our merchant marine and the inside history of shipping legislation. what he prepares for the press is well written, presented and carefully based on facts. so 1t is regarded by many as the authoritative utterances of a specialist on such legislation. h. cidentally he conducts the only pub licity bureau" in the city and has his pick of high class engagements. He is an old Washington correspondent and known to everybody of prominence at the capital. and to three-fourths of the editors throughout the country.
 While many will not agree with the premises or conclusions of the "press agent" on the subsidy bill, others will feel the ground Is well taken and the arguments admirably presented. In the matter just issued the writer points out that while the government has been jealous in fighting rebates and f~a frrEs 1 afr,a md not touched the case of such rebates and discriminatiOns in the over-sea trade, except as applied to through freight from interior points. If the owners of a foreign vessel wish to grant a rebate to a shipper. or to charge one shipper a higher rate than another what is to prevent them? In- cidentaliy, as the majority of the yes sels now carrying our commerce fly the British. French or German flag it is reasonable to suppose that rebates or discriminatiOns would be in favor of of the English. German or French ship per rather than the American. But if we had d merchant marine of our own, built up under the fostering care of the government. it could be regulated as easily as the railroads. or more SO. As it is. the American shippers are abso- lutely at the mercy of foreign owners.
 The carrying trade of the Atlantic may be divided into three nearly equa, parts. The first is the International Mercantile Marine Company, which some insist will hog most of the ben fit of the ship subsidy bill. and which is popularly supposed to be an Ameri- can concern because it was organized by J. Pierpont Morgan. IL is American in the sense that about half its stocks and bonds are held in this country. Otherwise 1t is foreign, for of its 130 vessels. 120 h.- the flag of Great Britain or Belgium. Its president. who lives in Liverpool, is a British subject. It may be a combination but it is no sense trust nor has it anything like a mon- oply, in view of the fact that it includes only one-third of the transatlantic shipping. So far as profiting by the shipping bill is concerned MT. Morgan's combination would have a hard time getting it's feet in the trough. for the reason that it has bound itself by a formal contract with the British admir- alty to keep its vessels beneath the British flag. and to officer and man them with British subjects. Even if congress should pass a special act granting these ships American regis try-which congress is as likely to do as it :s to distribute thousand dollar bills instead of garden seeds - they could not come in.
 Another third of the shipping is con- trolled by the great German lines-the North German Lloyd and the Ham burg American. These lines have a working agreement. The remainder is made up of the Cunard. French and other lines. If these ships were to be transferred to American registry they have to abandon the subsidies they now receive and give up many advan- tages they now enjoy, including cheap labor. Moreover, the American subsi- dies proposed, are not for lines to Flu rope. but to South America, South Af- rica. Asia, etc, and they would have to leave a profitable trade to establish new lines. But, supposing these for eign ships would forego all their pres ent advantages to take out American register, what chance would they haveE It is distinctly provided that the sub sidies shall be reserved to vessels thereafter built and registered in the United States. or now duly registered by a citizen or citizens of the United States" This provision was intended to and does absolutely debar foreign tonnage from enjoying at any time any share of the protection and encourage ment affordtd by the government. r is therefore apparent that the mis- named shipping trust" or the ship ping trusts" if the Germans are in? cluded, have nothing to gain and ev- erything to lose, by the creation of new. up to date American merchant marine-and they know it. Other coun- tries have built up their merchant ma rine by subsidies and they regard the probability that America will follow suit. with ill-concealed disfavor and apprehension. Whatever America thinks of the desirability of a merchant marine other countries are straining every. nerve to build up theirs, and are more than willing to carry our goods as we'll as their own as long as we will permit them. Many countries have grown rich by carrying the products of other nations Notable examples are Tyre, Phoenicia, Venice and Holland. No country ever grew wealthy by al lowing another country to handle its
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