The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1907-01-24
URGES SHIP SUBSIDY
Presidents Expected Message
Sent to Congress.
ADVANTAGE TO COMPETITORS
Nations which Give State Aid to
Steamship Lines Get Much Trade
Naturally Belonging to This COun-
tFy-ImPOrtaRee of Better Conn
municatIon with south America.

President Roosevelts special message
urging the enactment Of a ship-subsldy
Law, which has been expected for some
time was sent TO Congress yesterday.
In it the President points out that this
country loses a vast amount Of trade be-
cause our commercial competitors give
state aid to steamship lines and this gov
eminent does not. lie lays special stress
on the importance Of additional steamer
lines 70 South America. and calls attention
TO the results Of the Investigations made
In that country By Secretary Root last
summer. The proposed subsidy legisla-
ton is by no means experimental, he says,
and he refers 10 the general benefit which
he thinks will follow its enactment
The text Of the message follows:
To the Senate and House Of Representa-
tiyes;
/ call your attention to the great de-
STABILITY 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 c0untry's max
ing an effort 10 do something like it's
share Of its own carrying trade on the
ocean has been called 20 our attention in
striking fashion by the experience Of Sec
rotary Root on his recent South American
tour. The result o: these experiences he
has set forth in his address before the
trans mississippi commercial congress
az Kansas City. Mo. on November 20
last, an address so important that Il de-
serves the careful study Of all public men.
The facts set forth by Mr. Root are
striking, and they cannot but arrest the
attention Of our people. The great CONT
nent to the south OF us which should be
knit TO US by the closest commercial ties.
is hardly IN direct commercial communi-
cation with US Il all. its commercial rela-
tons being almost exclusively with
Europe. Between all the principal South
American ports and Europe lines Of swift
and commodious steamers. subsidized b.
their home governments. ply regularly.
There is no such line OF steamers between
these ports and the United States In
consequence. our shipping In South Amer
lean ports IS almost negligible quantity.
for instance, in the year ended June o.
1873. there entered the port Of Rio de
Jaueiro over 1900 steamers and sailing
vessels from Europe but from the United
States no steamers and only seven sailing
vessels two Of which were in distress.
One prime reason for this state Of things
is the fact that those who now do TIsi-
ness on the sea do business in world
not Of natural competition, but Of subsi-
died competition. State aid 10 steam
ship lines is as much a part OF the com
mercial system OF to-day as state employ
ment OF consuls 10 promote business.
Subsidies In Europe.
our commercial competitors in Europe
pay in the aggregate some twenty-five
millions a year TO their steamship lines
Great Britain paying nearly seven mil
lions. japan pays between three and
four millions BY the proposed legisla-
ton the United States will stil pay rela-
lively less than any one OF our COM
petitors pays. Three years ago the trans
Mississippi Congress formally set forth
as automatic the statement that every
ship is a missionary Of trade. that steam
ship lines work for their own countries
minai points. and that it is as absurd for
the United States TO depend upon foreign
ships to distribute its products as il
would be for "a department store to de-
pend upon wagons Of a competing house
20 deliver its good, This statement is
the literal truth
Moreover, il must be remembered that
American ships do not have TO contend
merely against the subsidization of their
foreign competitors. The higher wages
and the greater cost of maintenance Of
American officers and crews make il al
most 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 felIow-coun-
trymen who do business on land are pro-
tected. We cannot. as a country, afford
70 have the wages and the manner of
life Of our seamen cut down; and the only
alternative, If we are to have seamen at
all. is to Offset the expense by giving
some advantage 10 the ship itself.
No Experiment Involved.
The proposed law, which has been in
troduced in Congress, is in no sense ex-
perimental. 1t is based on the best and
most successful precedents. as. for in
stance. on the recent CunaTd contract
with the British government As far as
South America is concerned its aim is
TO provide from the Atlantic and Pacific
coasts better American lines to the
great ports Of South America than the
present European lines. The South
American republics now see only our
war ships. Under this bill our trade
friendship will be made evident 10 them.
The bill proposes to build large-sized
steamers Of siXteen-knot speed. There
are nearly 200 such steamships already in
the world foreign trade and over three
fOurths Of them now draw subsidies pos
tai or admiralty or both. The bill will
encourage our shipyards. which are al
most as necessary to the national de-
Tense as battle ships and the efficiency
of which depends I'm large measure upon
their steady employment in large con-
struction The proposed bill is of inn
portance to our navy because it gives a
considerable fleet of auxiliary steamships.
such as is now almost wholly lacking,
and also provides fer an effective naval
reserve.
Pacific Possibilities Great.
The bill provides for fourteen steam
ships. subsidized to the extent Of over
a million and half, from the Atlantic
coast, all to run to South American ports.
1t provides on the Pacific Coast for twen-
ty-two steamers subsidized to the ex-
tent of two millions and a quarter, some
of these TO run TO South America. most
of them to Manila, Australia, and Asia
Be it remembered that while the ships
will be owned on the coasts, the cargoes
and that the bill will benefit the Mis-