The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-03-21
Long Distance Vessels Hand- ling Mail to Foreign Coun-
 tries VIII Be Paid
HALE MAKES PLEA FOR
 NAVAL AUXlLIAR|ES
Senator Bacon Gets an Amendment @ To the Bill Through Directing Ves- sells To Make Stops at
 Southern Ports.

Washington March 20.-The ship sub sidy bill was passed by the Senate today. It pays to 16 knot vessels plying between this country and South America, the Philippines, Japan, China and Australia S4 per mile, the amount awarded by the act of 1891 to vessels of 20 knots only.
 The bill was amended in the Senate so that F knot vessels will receive $2 per mile, which is the allowance under exist ing law to 16 knot vessels. Amendments were also adopted providing that if two or more lines of steamships ply from At lantic ports to South America, under the provisions 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 govern ment as revenue from such service. Dur ing the consideration of the measure, Mir. Hale made a spirited plea for an auxiliary navy. declaring that without auxiliaries our navy is dependent upon foreign coun- tries and that in case of war we would be helpless.
 Immediately after the ocean mail ship subsidy bill was laid before the Senate today, Senator Bacon proposed an amend ment providing that one of the subsidized mail lines on the Atlantic coast should touch at two ports south of Cape Charles, in order to promote the trade in cotton goods, lumber and naval stores, now sup- piled by tramp ships, which do not bring q return cargo. Senator Gallinger sald there were insuperable objections to this plan, both because of the delay in the mails and because it would be necessary for the vessels to go several hundred miles out of their course to the westward.
 Bacon Is 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 dis elimination
 An amendment was proposed by MT. Newlands for the creation of g. commis sion consisting of the secretary of the navy, the postmaster general and sec retary of labor to provide for the con struction of twenty-seven vessels at a cost of as many million dollars, available as auxiliary vessels for the navy and to be useful to be let out on new lines Of transportation on terms satisfactory to the government.
 Mr. Newlands amendment served to elicit a notable speech from Senator Hale, chairman of the committee on naval af- fairs He spoke Of the great need for additional auxiliary ships for the navy. but said they should be provided for in the naval appropriation bill.
 Mr. Hale said there was with the American fleet now going around the world only nine colliers of our own, while there were 2s foreign colliers.
 If there should be war no government would allow us to use one of these col Hers and without them our magnificent fleet would be as useless as a painted snip on a painted ocean, he asserted. Mir. Hale declared that the American fleet was the most magnificent and formidable squadron of ships any nation had ever put on the ocean.
 A Helpless Fleet.
 "But," Senator Hale declared. ''the peo- ple do not realize how helpless this fleet is without collers that are not liable to be called away in a moment of need by foreign governments
 "Jf there should be- he said, "even a menace of war. do not know but that every neutral power represented in these ships would be compelled to withdraw them from the fleet and we would be hung up Something must be done," he td, that we have in a foolhardy way rashly abandoned in the past"
 He spoke of the voyage of the fleet "as spectacular exhibition intended to af- feet our status at home and in the Orient Certainly not with England nor Germany, although for four or five years the fear of danger with Germany was ex- plotted as a reason why we wanted more ships" he said "but I take it the reason / is to impress the east, the Orient, with our power. Even England never sends such an enormous fleet about the world. Hence I conclude the voyage has been undertaken for the benefit of the east to impress everybody with it as the fleet goes along" but without auxiliarles he said the fleet could not impress the na- tions.
 1T don't believe it is necessary" said MT. Teller "The exhibition is possibly not so much for influence upon Asiatcs as upon the American Congress-"
 Too Much of Scare.
 Senator Burkett said he did not think fl was right to tell the world that we are in the miserably helpless condition pictured by the senator from Maine. He said the condition existed now as it did iz the Spanish war, when there were ddany auxiliaries that could have been se- tTired if the government had cared to NpaAy the necessary price
 ''Thce war with Spain, MT. Hale sus- gestedI was a war with a weak coun- ry on dbur own coast. It was a very diff erent t]hing from war with Japan MT. Iliale declared that all he had said pas wd Ell known by every foreign power. SenatAror Gallinger said the rates pro ded i h the bill need not be actually paid
 the &Postmaster General can make bet r arrl Ehngements than the maximum com nsatie,seh provided in the bill.
 snmia 1 back to the consideration of
 >s<f on it's general merits, Senator
 Said that the trouble with legis-
 N merchant marine has been
 ation always has been in tho