The Montgomery advertiser., 1907-01-24
FOR SHIP SUBSD Y
PREsrDHNT SENDS URGENT MES.
 sAGH TO CONGRESS.
Declares If Law h Net Enacted, wni Be Notice Te Werld Annerica
 Doesn,t Care Fer

Be Notice Te worId Annerica Deesn't Care Fer
 Commerce.
 Washington. Ian. ss--The President today sent message to Congress call ing attention to the great desirability Of enactment of legislatioh to help American trade by encouraging the building and running of lines of large swift steamers to South America and the Orient
 The urgent need of our country mak- ing an enort, to secure something like Its share of It's own carrying trade on the ocean has been called to his atten- ton, the President says, in striking fashion by the experiences of Secretary Root on his recent South American tour.
 State aid to steamship lines, the President says, is as much part of the employment of consuls to promote bus mess. The President says that the proposed law, which has been discussed In Congress, is in no sense experimental It is based upon the best and most suc- cessful precedents as for instance, the recent Cunard contract with the Brit ish government.
 The President discussed the bill now before the committee and says: 'ft would surely be discreditable to us to surrender to our commercial rivals the great commerce. of the Orient, the com merce we should never have with South America and even our communication with Hawaii and the Philippines" The text of the message is as follows:
 To the Senate and House of Repre-
 T call your attention to the great desiribiiity of enacting legislation to help American shipping and American trade by encouraging the building and running of lines of large and swift steamers to South America and the Orient.
 'The urgent need of our country making an effort to do something like its share of it's own carrying trade on the ocean has been called to our at- tention in striking fashion by the ex- periences of Secretary Root on his re- cent South American tour. The. result of these experiences was set forth in his address before. the Trans -Mississip- pi Commercial Congress at Kansas City. Mo, November 20. last.
 "The facts set forth by Mir. Root are striking and they cannot but arrest the attention of our people. The great continent to the south of us, which should be knit to us by the closest com mercial ties, is hardly in direct com munication with us at all, it's commer- NAui ACidAtOAS OSthS aAhooL CANAuSAfSiJ with Europe. Between all the princi- pal South American ports and Europe, lines of swift and commodious steam CTS, subsidized by their home govern ment, ply regularly.
 There is no such line of steamers between these ports and the United States. In consequence. our shipping in South American ports is almost negligible quantity, for instance in the year ending June 3, 1905, there enter ed the port of Rio de Janeiro, over 5000 steamers and sailing vessels from Eu- rope, but from the United States. no steamers and only seven sailing ves- sells, two of which were In distress.
 World of Subsidized Competition.
 "One prime reason for this state of things Is the fact that those who now do business on the sea, do business in a world not of natural competition, but of subsidized competition.
 "Stata aid to steamship lines Is as much part of commercial system of today at the State employment of con- suls to promote business. Our com mercial competitors in Europe pay in the aggregate some $25. 1000, ,0oea year to their steamship lines-Great Britain paying nearly seven millions Japan pays between three and four millions. By the proposed Legislation, the Unit ed States will pay relatively less than any one of our competitors pay. Three years ago the Trans Mississippi Con- gress formally set forth as automatic, the statement that every ship is mis- sionary of trade that steamship lines work for their own countries just as railroads work for their terminal points, and that it is as absurd for the United States to depend upon foreign ships to distribute its product as 1t would be for a department store to de- pand on wagons of a competing house to deliver its goods. This statement is the literal truth.
 Moreover. 1t must be remembered that American ships do not have to contend merely against the subsidlSa- ton of their foreign competitors. The higher wages and the greater cost ol maintenance of American officers and crews mack 1t almost impossible for
 our people, who do business on the
 ocean to compete on equal terms with
 foreign ships unless they are protected
 somewhat as their fellow countrymen | who do business on land are protected ''The proposed law which has beer l introduced in Congress is in no sense | experimental. It Is based on the bes
 and most successful precedents as fol | instance, on the recent Cunard con l tract with the British government. A: | far as South America Is concerned, it'
 aim is to provide from the Atlantic
 and Pacific coasts better American linel | to the great ports Of South America | than the present European lines.
 "The South American Republics now
 see only our warships. Under this bill 1 our trade friendship will be made evi
 dent to them. The bill proposes tC
 build 1arge sized steamers of sixteer | knot speed. There are nearly 20'
 such steamships already in :he world