The Montgomery advertiser., 1908-03-21
SHIP SUBSIDY
 BILL PASSES Sixteen-Knot Vessels Get
 Increase. FOUR DOLLARS PER MILE M. Hale Makes Spirited Plea tor Auxiliary Navy.
 - Ms Declared That withost Auxiliaries, Car Navy Is Dependent Upon Foreign Countries--Heip-
 seas in Case of War.

Washington, March 2o.-The ship subsidy bill was passed by the Senate today. It pays to sixteen knot vessels plying between this country and south America. the Philippines. Japan. Cn.ha ma and Australasia, $t per mile, the amount awarded by the act of 1881 to vessels of twenty knots only.
 The bill was amended In the senate :, so that twelve knot vessels will re- ceive ga per mile. which is the allow ancs under existing law to sixteen knot vessels. Amendments were also adopted providing that if two or more lines of steamships ply from Atlantic ports to South America, under the pro- visions of the bill. one line shall stop at two ports south of Cape Charles and stipulating that no more shall be paid for subsidies than is received by the government as revenue from such ser- vice.
 During the consideration of the measure Mir. Hale made spirited plea for an auxiliary navy. declaring that without auxiIiaries, our navy Is de- pendent upon foreign countries and that in case of war, we would be help less.
 Senator Bacon Indignant.
 Showing some degree of indignation, Senator Bacon said that without his amendment the bill discriminated against the Southern States. Senator Gallinger disavowed any intention of such discrimination.
 An amendment was proposed by Mir. Newlands for the creation of com mission consisting of the Secretary of the Navy, the Postmaster General and the Secretary of Commerce and Labor to provide for the construction of Gwen nty-seven vessels at a cost of as. many million dollars, available as aux Hilary vessels for the navy Rnd to be useful to be let out on new lines Of 1ransportation on terms satisfactory to the government MT. Newlands's amendment served to elicit notable speech from Senator Hale. chairman of . the Committee on Naval Affairs. He spoke of the great need for additional auxiliary ships for the navy but said they should Be provided for in the naval ApnronriatiOu ntlf.
 MT. Hale sa1d there were with the American fleet now going around the world only nine coiliers of our own wbile there were twenty-eight foreign colliers. @If there should be war no Government would allow us to use one of these colliers and without them our rnarnifcent fleet would be as useless as a painted ship on a painted ocean he asserted.
 MT. Hale declared that the Ameri- can fleet was the most magnincent and formidable SQQduA OA ohFPV OtfS nation had ever put on the ocean.
 TRut ]" Senator Hale declared the ,,aonie do not realize how helpless +bis fleet is without colliers that are not liable to be called away in mo went of need by foreign governments
 eff there should be-" he said, even q menace of war, do not know pu. that every neutral power reprssen'so pea so 1u these ships would be compelled 70 -ri,hdraw them from the fleet and we ,',onld ba hung up. Something must ssa dona" he added, "in this entirety se.lacted Aeld that we have in fool hsTdv way abandoned iu' the past.
 He spoke of the voyage of the fleet "as A spectacular exhibition intenoeo to affect our status at home ana m tha orient, Certainly not with Eng tard nor Germany, although for four ns eva wears, the fear with Germany ,,.s axnloited as a reason is to 1m- vrars fhe East, the orient. with our 1soyver Even England never sends such an, enormous fleet about the world. Hence conclude 1t was TOT the benef.t of the Fest: - ...
 "ThA exhibition" said MT. Teller IS v...sthIv not so much for influence ,,non Asiatic as upon the American
 sanator Burkett said he did not .hinL if was right to tell the world that we are in the miserably helpless condition pictured by the Senator rom Maine. He said the condition existed now as 1t did in the Spanish war when thara were many auxiliaries that could Savs heen secured if the government had cared to pay the necessary price.
 War With Spain.
 orhe war with Spain" Mir. Hale sug- eested. was a war with weak coun- fry on our own coast. at was very different thing from war With Ia- pan" said was well known by every foreign power.
 yided in the bill need not be actually paid if the Postmaster General can make better arrangements than the maximum compensation provided in the bill.
 Coming back to the consideration of tbe bin on its general merits, Senator Burkett said that the trouble win leg islation for a merchant marine has been that legislation always has been In the interest of the shipbuilder and not in the interest of the ship operators. T am tired" he said, Of hearing criti- cism of Senators from prairie States for not favoring merchant marine while the fact Is all of the legislatfon has been written by the New England Senators.
 MT. Frye responded that legislation originating in the Senate had been de- stroyed by amendment in the House of Representatives. If. he said, the law of 1891 had been in the form in which 1t was passed by the Senate. his colleague would not today be able to tell of the lack of auxiliaries.
 An amendment by MT. Simmons of North Carolina, was adopted providing that the total expenditure for foreign mail service for any year shall not ex- ceed the estimated revenue from such service.
 An amendment offered by Mir. Hale for Mir. Lodge by which vessels or the larger classes will hereafter receive pay for carrying mall similar to that provided for vessels of the second class under existing law.
 Senator Eewland's amendment au- thorizing the construction of twenty seven auxiliary vessels was rejected.
 Senator Clay offered an amendment to the bill bringing within the police