New-York tribune., 1907-11-25
NEW SHIPPING BILL.
GALLTNGER As SPONSOR.
Postal SubUention for Pacific and
South american Ports.
[From The Tribune Bureau. I

tFrom The Tribune Bureau
Washington, Nov. 24-The President In his
coming message will urge the enactment Of a
new shipping bill. The measure which will
have the cordial support of the administration.
will be introduced in the Senate by Mr. Calm
ger and 1t will be introduced simultaneously
in the House.
There will be determined effort in the new
Congress to obtain some positive legislation for
the upbulding Of the merchant marine" said
Senator Gallinger to-day. 1T will be remem-
bered that the enactment of a bill designed To
rehablitate the American merchant marine was
defeated in the closing hours of the last Con
gress only by a partisan flibuster in the Sen
ate after a shipping bill. for the first time in
many years, had received a majority in both
houses. A large majority in the Senate was
waiting to be recorded for the bill when It came
back from the House The active flfbusterers
though persistent were few In number and the
leaders OF the flibuster have now passed into
private life.
It Is significant in the movement for encour-
aging the merchant marine that it is constantly
winning new supporters among public men in
both houses Of Congress. and that no man who
has once upheld the policy has changed his
mind and turned against it. This fact points
to ultimate victory.
nize that everything cannot be achieved at once
1t is probable that all that will be seriously at
tempted in the new Congress will be the enact
ment Of some substantial ocean mail legislation
particularly for creating lines 10 South
America and across the Pacific Ocean This is
not all that the friends of the merchant marine
desire. but it is commonly recognized that these
lines are our first need. The necessity for then,
has been freshly emphasized by the abandon
ment of the inadequately paid ocean mail SER
vice from San Francisco to Australasia, leaving
American manufacturers, merchants and farm
ers absolutely without direct postal communi
cation Of their with these important and
increasing markets.
Another object lesson, the force of which has
not been lost upon the lawmakers in Washing
ton, is that the Postoffice Department since last
March, has found it necessary to direct that
the United States mails for South Brazil and
Argentina be dispatched by way of Europe be-
cause OF the wretchedly inefficient and irregular
service furnished by the foreign tramp steam
ers now plying between New York and South
America. The United States is as near Brazil
and Argentina as its commercial competitors of
Europe, but because through postal subven-
tions and other aids they maintain swift and
regular steamship communication with South
America, we are. In effect three thousand miles
further away. to the great injury of our trade
and to the lessening of our proper influence with
the Latin-Amercan republics
LAS instance of the loss inflicted on us bv
present lack of communication with South
America, it is related that a subsidized steam
ship sailing recently from South America direct
to Europe conveyed party of merchants going
to Europe TO place orders for S25,OO0OOO worth
of goods. Most of these orders might have come
to this country if the South American mer-
chants could have travelled quickly and COM
fortaby to Atlantic ports
'In few weeks the battleship fleet viii sail
from Hampton Roads for the Pacific Ocean It
will proceed from one American harbor to an
other. on an essentially domestic voyage. Yet
the voyage cannot be made without relying on
foreign ships colliers to convoy and coal the
American battleships
Alone of all maritime nations the United
States makes great deal OF rnoney-S3 600 900
or S4OOO,OOO a year-out OF its ocean mails.
Great Britain spends S6,OO0.OOO or 100000 a
year for postal subventions, and Japan be-
tween S4OOOO00 and $5,OOOOO0O From $1,000
600 to $4, 100000 a year would result in salts
factory steamship service from our Atlantic
and Gulf ports TO South America and from our
Pacific ports to Japan, China, the Philippines
and Australasia. Some of us can see no reason
why the profit derived from our ocean mail
service should not be used to assist in estab-
fishing lines to carry our mails across the seas
1t is to immediate legislation of this kind that
the thoughts of the best friends of the mer-
chant marine turning. and it is probable
that this will be the character of the bill pre-
sented in the new Congress.
AT the close of the last session received
important assurances that such BILL carefully
drawn, would receive the support of several of
the ablest and most influential Southern Demo-
cratic Senators. and I believe it will command
a practically unanimous support on the Re
;da