Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1907-12-03

Unsatisfactory CONDITION OF our foreign
mail service, which because of the
lack of American steamship lines Is
now largely done through foreign lines
and which, particularly so far as South
and Central America are concerned, is
done in manner which constitutes a
serious barrier TO the extension of our
commerce
The time has come, in my judgment.
to set to work seriously to make our
ocean mail service correspond more
closely with our recent commercial and
political development. A beginning
was made by the ocean mail act of
March g. 1891, but even at that time
! the act was known to be inadequate in
various particulars. Since that time
| events have moved rapidly in our his
| tory. We have acquired Hawaii the
| Philippines and lesser islands in the
| Pacific. We are steadily prosecuting
the great work of uniting at the 18TH
| mus the waters of the Atlantic and
| the Pacific. To greater extent than
seemed probable even a dozen years
ago we may look to an American fu-
ture on the sea worthy of the tradi-
| lioiiS VI Jul past AS kuc Alst StSp Ia
| that direction and the step most feast
BILE at the present time / recommend
! the extension of the ocean mail act of
1891. That act has stood for some years
| free from successful criticism of its
principle and purpose. 1t was based
on theories of the obligations of a
great maritime nation, undiSputed in
our own land and followed by other
nations since the beginning Of steam
navigation. Briefly those theories are
that it is the duty of n first class pow
er so far as practicable to carry its
ocean mails under its own flag; that
the fast ocean steamships and their
crews, required for such mail service,
are Invaluable auxiliaries to the sea
power of a nation. Furthermore. the
construction of such steamships in
sures the maintenance in an efficient
condition of the shipyards in which our
battleships must be built.
The expenditure of public money for
the performance of such necessary
functions of government is certainly
warranted, nor is it necessary to dwell
upon the incidental benefits to our for
eign commerce, to the shipping indus
try and shipowning and navigation
which will accompany the discharge Of
these urgent public duties, though they.
too, should have weight.
The only serious question is whether
at this time we can afford to improve
our ocean mail service as it should be
: improved. All doubt ON this subject
: is removed by the reports of the post
Lee. i
ended June so, 1907, that department
estimates that the postage collected on
2 the articles exchanged with foreign
? countries other than Canada and Mex
5 leo amounted to S6579, 043.4S, or So, $751;
s 22G.S1 more than the net cost of the
t service exclusive of the cost of trans
5 porting the articles between the United
: States exchange postoffices and the
e United States postOffices at which they
: were mailed or delivered In other
: words, the government of the United
d States, having assumed q monopoly of
C carrying the mails for the people, is
: making a profit of over 100000 by
e rendering a cheap and inefficient serv-
0 ice. That profit believe should be de-
i voted to Strengthening our maritime
s best promote our prestige. The coun-
f try is familiar with the facts of our
r maritime impotence in the harbors of
s the great and friendly republics Of
I South America. Following the failure
S of the shipbuilding bill we lost our
S only American line of steamers to Aus
y tralasia, and that loss on the Pacific
i has become a serious embarrassment
g to the people of Hawaii and has Who'll
S ly cut off the Samoan islands from
! regular communication with the Pa
/ cific coast. Puget sound in the year
d has lost over half -four out of seven)
g of its American steamers trading with
, the orient
), We now pay. under the act of 1891,
81 a statute mile outward to 20 knot
n American mail steamships built accord
s Ing to naval plans, available as cruis-
e ers and manned by Americans. Steam
n ships of that speed are confined ex-
3 clusively to transatlantic trade with
d New York. To steamships of 10 knots
Il or over only 50 mile can be paid, and
it is steamships of this speed and type
4 which are needed TO meet the require
4 ments of mail service to South Amer
is lea, Asia Including the Philippines)
of and Australia. 1 strongly recommend,
2 therefore, simple amendment TO the
&c ocean mail act of 1891 which shall
n authorize the postmaster general in his
D. discretion to enter into contracts for
'e the transportation of mails to the re-
publics of South America, to Asia. the
1t Philippines and Australia at rate not
IN to exceed S4 mile for steamships OF
N 10 knots speed or upward, subject to
le the restrictions and obligations of the
1t act of 1891. The profit of S3,60000
W which has been mentioned will fully
lie cover the maximum annual expendi-
N ture involved in this recommendation
le and. it is believed, will in time establish
in the lines so urgently needed. The
a proposition involves no new principle
but permits the efficient discharge OF
d public functions now inadequately per
III formed or pnt porfprrnad NJ oil