Los Angeles herald., 1908-03-21
SHIP SUBSIDY
BILL PASSES
THE SENATE
GOVERNMENT TAKES STEP TO
AID MERCHANT MARINE
BONUS TO BE PAID TO VESSELS
OF ALL SPEEDS
HeIpIessness of the United States in
Event of War Is Pointed Out by
Hale-Weakness Known
to Other Nations
By Associated Press.

| By Associated Press.
| WASHINGTON, March 20.-The ship
subsidy bill was passed by the senate
today. 1t pays to ten-knot vessels ply
| ing between this country and South
America, the Philippines, Japan, China
and Australasia, 81 per mile, the
amount awarded by the act of 1891 to
vessels of twenty knots only.
The bill was amended in the senate
! so that tWelve-knot vessels will re-
ceive So per mile, which is the allow
ance under the 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
from such service by the government.
During consideration of the bill Mr..
Hale made a spirited plea for an aux
iliary navy, declaring that without
auxiliaries our navy is dependent upon
foreign countries and that in case of
/ war we would be helpless.
When the bill was laid before the
| senate today Senator Bacon proposed
| an amendment providing that one of
the subsidized mail liners ON the At
lantic coast should touch at two ports
south of Cape Charles in order to pro-
mote the trade in cotton goods, lum-
ber and naval stores, now supplied by
tramp ships which do not bring re-
turn cargo.
For Auxiliary Vessels
An amendment was proposed by Mr.
Newlands for the creation of. a COM
mittee consisting of the secretary of
the navy, the postmaster general and
the secretary of commerce and labor
to provide for the construction of
twenty-seven vessels at a cost of as
many million dollars, available as
auxiliary vessels for the navy, and to
| be let out on new lines of tra1;sporta-
| tion on terms satisfactory to the gov
ernment. Mr.. Newlands' amendment
served to elecit notable speech from
Mr.. Hale, chairman of the naval af-
fairs committee.
He spoke of the great need of addi-
tional auxiliary ships for the navy,
but said they should be provided for in
the naval appropriation bill. He said
there were with the American feet on
its way around the world only nine
| colliers of our own, while there were
twenty-eight foreign colliers.
IF there should be war; no govern
ment would allow us to use. one of
these colliers and without them our
magnificent fleet would be as useless
as painted ship on a painted ocean,"
he asserted in measured but emphatic
phrase.
Mr.. Hale declared the American
fleet was the most magnificent and
formidable squadron of ships any ma
tfon had ever put on the ocean,
But" said he, "the people do not
realize how helpless this fleet is with
out coliers that are not liable to be
called away in a moment of need by
foreign governments"
Helpless in War
'If there should be- he said, "even
menace of war;. I 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 added, sin this entirely
neglected field that we have in a fool
hardy way rashly abandoned in the
past"
He spoke of the voyage of the feet,
as "a spectacular exhibition intended
to affect 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 explointed as a reason why we
wanted more ships But l take it the
reason is to impress the east-the ORR
ent-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 every
body with it as the fleet goes along"
But without auxiliaries, he said, the
fleet could not impress the nations. "Is
there any doubt" asked Mr. Teller,
that every nation knows our naval
strength as we'll as us?"
"The senator must ask the presi-
dent" responded Mr.. Hale.
81 do not believe it is necessary"
responded Mr.. Teller. "The exhibition
is possibly not so much for influence
upon Asiatics as upon the American
congress"
Senator Burkett said the condition
existed now as it did in the Spanish
war when there were many auxiliaries
which could have been secured if the
government had cared to pay the neces-
sary price
"The war with Spain," Mr.. Hale sug-
gested, "was a war with a weak coun-
try on our own coast. 1t was a very
different thing from war with Japan"
Mr. Hale declared that all he had
said was well known by every for
eign power.
On motion of Senator Gallinger an
amendment to the bill was adopted
providing that If two or more lines of
steamships are established between the
Atlantic ports and South American
ports one of them shall stop at two
ports south of Cape Charles.
This was a substitute for Senator
Bacons amendment requiring that such
stops should be made even If there
should be a single line established to
South America.
An amendment by Mr.. Simmons of
North Carolina was also adopted pro-
viding that the total expenditure for
foreign mail service for any year shall
not exceed the estimated revenue from
such ship.
AN amendment offered by Mr. Hale
CONTINUED on Page Two)