The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1907-01-24
PRESIDENT ON
SHIP SUBSIDY
Says the Government
Must Foster TrddeWith
South America.
STEAMSHIP LINES
DO MISSIONARY WORK
Subsidy Will Encourage Ship
yards, Which Are Necessary
for National Defense.
Must Secure Our
Share of Trade
With Orient.

WASHINGTON. d. G.. January g.
President Rooseyelts message i'm support
OF ship subsidy was received and read by
both houses of Congress to-day.
After the reading in the House the mes
SAGE was referred 10 the Committee on
Merchant Marine and Fisheries, from
which a mail subsidy measure has Just
been reported.
In the Senate the message was sent to
the Committee on Commerce
Tho President calls attention 10 the
great dasirability of enactment OF legis-
lation to help American shipping and
American trade by encouraging the build
Ing and running OF lines of large and
swift steamers to South America and the
Orient
''rhe urgent need OF our cotintry's max
Ing an effort TO do something like its
share of its own carrying trade OH the
ocean has been called to his attention,
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 a part of the commercial system
of to-day as State employment of consuls
10 promote business" The President dis
cusses the bill now before the committee,
and says:
1T would surely be discreditable FOR us
to surrender TO our commercial rivals
the great commerce of the Orient, the
great commerce we should have with
South America and even our own COM
munication W. Hawaii and the Philip
pines.
THE urgent need of our countrys S
making an effort to do something like
its share of it's own carrying trade on
the ocean." the President says, has been
called to our attention in striking fashion
by the experience of Secretary Root on his
recent South American tour.
South America.
"rhc facts set forth by MIR. Root are
striking. and they cannot but arrest the
attention of our people. The great con-
tinent to the south of us, which should be
knit to us by the closest commercial ties,
Is hardly iii direct commercial communi-
cation with us at all, its commercial
relations being almost exclusively with
Europe. Between all the principal South
American ports and Europe lines of swift
and comrnodious steamers, subsidized by
their home governments, ply regularly.
There Is no 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 end
Ing June 30, 1905, there entered the port
of Rio Janeiro over 5000 steamers and
sailing vessels from Europe, but from
the United States no steamers and only
seven sailing vessels, two of which We're
In distress.
Ono 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 competitions, but of
subsidized competition. state aid to
steamship lines is rs much n part OF
the commercial system of to-day as State
! employment of consus to promote bust
ness. Our commercial competitors In
Europe pay in the aggregate some S25,-
100000 a year to their steamship lines,
Great Britain paying nearly s1.OOO,OOo,
Japan pays between $S,OOO,0OO and $4,000,
900. BY the proposed legislation the
United States will still pay relatively
less than any, one Of our competitors
bays. Three years ago the Trans-AIissis
Sppi Congress formally set forth as
4 automatic the statement that every shir
ls II missionary of trade; that steam
lhlp lines work for their own country
lust as railroad lines work for their ter
alinnl points, and that 1t Is as absurd
tor the United States to depend upon
loreign ships to distribute its products
is it would be be for n department. store
10 depend upon wagons of n competing
fC,optin,,a1 or, J,j,y IL ( ya !, 4 +