The Farmington times. (Farmington, St. Francois County, Mo.) 1905-1926, 1907-05-03
NO SHIP SUBSIDY
OPINION OF ANTWERP CHAMBER
or COMMERCE.
cosent Reasons Advanced by Mer-
, chants OF Great Port Show Fall
lacy Of Arguments Made
by Republicans.

Antwerp being one of the three great
seaportS Of the world, New York,
Hamburg and Liverpool all ranking
below her in the amount Of shipping
that use their ports, the opinion of her
selected merchants and shipowners
on the question Of increasing a ma
tional mercantile marine by subven-
tons from the state is OF international
Importance. II appears that subsi-
died shipping has not been q success
at Antwerp. and dispatch from Ant.
werp TO the New York Journal of Com
merce tells the reason why and points
to the "splendor OF the English and
German fleets. created solely by pri.
vate enterprise, and the decadencc Of
the French. Spanish and Italian, whose
governments have multiplied laws In
favor of the national merchant ma.
rine." Germany. II is observed has
given subsidies as only secondary
aid, and only TO two companies run.
ming million.dollar ships. Herr Bal
Inns dissatisfaction with the working
of subsidies upon two vessels OF the
Hamburg. line is cited. Ard
II is shown that English ships with no
subsidy and with no privileges in the
national coasting trade. succeeded in
sweeping from the sea first one and
then another Belgian subsidized serv-
ice, and that the victors at last in.
heritcd both the trade and the official
favors.
AS to the necessity Of a merchant
shipping industry to n country. the
Antwerpians declare that had there
been any real necessity, either native
or foreign capitalists would have rem.
edied the deficiency. Not denying
that it is grateful to the national pride,
to see goods carried under the nationali
flag, II is found that the vessels coun.
try Of registry has no influence with
the foreign customer for goods. A ma
tional marine is declared to be as de.
slrable as any other industry. provid
ing that 1t is source Of wealth in
itself and makes no demands on the
funds of those who DO not use IT,
Condemning state interference in
the conflict of private rIvalres, the
chamber voices its belief that govern
ment can do something TO facilitate
the development Of shipping industry.
II can remove the shackles from ship
builders and shibowners' arms pro-
vide good general laws and educate
naylgators and engineers. This forms
the substance of one resolution passed
and another asserts that government
can only protect the maritime trade by
facilitating the movement of goods
even Of imports. Mordant comments
follow on those who would pay to
bring foreign produce by means of
ship.subsidy and at the same time
would pay to keep out this produce by
means % customs tariff There is
throughout the report a running com.
mcntary on questions as they arise
These take the shape of timely re.
minders that the object in business is
to make money, that It is better to
buy than to manufacture what one
cannot make proiitably, and that pro-
tectionism killed the shipping indus
try of America.
A warning is issued not to paralyZe |
the useful and powerful industries In
order TO maintain the less profitable. |
and not to confuse with legitimate
commercial aspirations exaggerated |
ideas of glory, of political expansion |
and Of fighting navies. Owners, bro. |
kers. manufacturers, exporters aud |
bankers In the Antwerp conclaye have |
decided that two courses only are |
open: either a thoroughgoIng prutec-
ton assuring a monopoly, or liberty. |
In electing for the latter they are |
taking the experience of ncighbors |
and are seeking to avoid the incessaut |
demands that they foresee for more |
and more money to prop up an arti. |
fetal industry. Englands greatest |
shipping developments they say, have |
occurred since she threw away her |
And NJ. Callaux, French |
of finance, Is quoted to the |
effect that bounties and subsidies, like |
squirts of morphia, are soothing |
agents Of which one must continually |
renew and enlarge the dose. What Is
feared is that, once in.
into grant II ship.subsidies. |
may come to imagine the ex.
istence of her merchant fleet In some
way allied intimately with the tpros,
perity of the nation. That Illusion |
the members have endeavored firstly |
to combat.
In view OF these unanswerable argyll
ments and conclusions of the mer,
chant princes of Belgium of the fal-
lacy of subsidies and tariffs. II is not |
singular why the protectionist faction |
of the Republicans in the United |
States persists in urging congress to
grant ship-subsidy to favored ship. |
owners, Protectionism has so in
creased the cost OF everything that our
marine has been made un-
profitable and our ship.bu!lders cannot |
with foreign yards. so to com.
plete the circle of protection the peo-
pie must be directly taxed to support |
IN industry that cannot compete IN |
nv