Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1907-04-25
MOORE WANTS SHIP SUBSIDY

Writing from Honolulu A. A. Moore
says: when / promised to write you
the thing In my mind was the usual
descriptive tale that everybody writes
and has written about these islands
from the time Of Captain Cook to Mark
TWains, and on down to the last sweet
girl graduate on a tour.
Instead Of trying to compete (?)
with Mark. l run up against. to me-
a more interesting problem of ship
subsidy.
Now don't suppose the average
voter of the central states knows much
about or cares about ship subsidies.
particularly il he thought it would cost
a cent.
AS a people and a nation we are so
egotistical and self satisfied that our
remarkable advancement is the wonder
OF the world. They do not know it is
largely due to our natural advantages.
Had we combined the common busi-
ness sense of the Germans with our
resources. we would have been justi-
ied in our egotism. We are fast
reaching point in our national growth
where we must depend upon the world
for market and how are we laying
the foundation? In the race with Ger
many, England, France and Japan we
are fast falling behind.
Prior to the civil war our merchant
marine carried a large part of our
foreign commerce Protective duties
and high wages gave us little chance
ships either as builders or carriers
and today only small part (about
per cent? of our foreign commerce
is carried On American ships.
AS a protective measure we prohib-
tied coastwise trade in foreign ships
Then when we acquired Porto Rico and
Hawaii we proceeded to apply our
coastwise laws never intended to apply
and prohibit the carrying of merchan-
disc and passengers except in American
ships They do allow foreign ships to
carry the mail.
The Oceanic line with three poor
ships and poorer management, has lost
100000 in trying to operate line
to Australia and New Zealand via Hon.
olulu and has defaulted in their in
terest and the ships are making their
last voyage.
The result is that American citizens
are marooned on an island 1000 miles
from the mainland.
Two English, three Japanese ships
run regularly to San Francisco and no
one can travel on them.
The dog in manager policy is hard
to understand. Either we should pro-
vide ship subsidies to compete with
other nations or repeal our stupid
coastwise law as far as applied to our
island possessions. A a contrast there
is in Honolulu harbor a North German
Lloyd training school ship OF about
5000 tons, beautifully fitted up with
school room and corps Of instructors in
all branches. The boys commence at
the bottom, scrubbing decks and pol
fishing brass-stay eighteen months on
this ship, graduate to another Tor
eighteen months schooling, then one
year ashore at navigation school and
then one year in the German navy.
Think what it means to the German
lines to have, say 100 men a year
trained as these boys have been to Of
ficer their ships.
Again. with proverbial German thrift
this ship brings out cargo.
This helps US understand why the
German liners are so popular on the
Atlantic and how they are crowding out
the English and French lines to Aus
tralia, China and Japan. Hill is not
going to replace the Dakota and Jap