New-York tribune., 1909-10-01
FAV0RS SHIP SUBSIDY
PRESIDENT WILL URGE 1T
UPON CONGRESS-.
Points Ont Danger in Euent of Var
and Inadcquacy of Merchant Ma
rine-AIaskan Government.

Seattle Wash. Sept 30-President Taft to-
day, speaking before the largest audience he has
faced since his trip began-a crowd which over
flowed the Natural Amphitheatre of the Alaska
Yul1On-Pacfc Exposition, with it's seating
capacity of nearly twenty thousand-announced
that in his coming message to Congress he
would urge the enactment of ship subsidy Law,
He pointed out that if war should come the
United States would not have enough vessels to
carry coal to its fleets. 1t would be doubtful
under the neutrality laws he added if foreign
vessels could be bought
Mr. Taft declared that the country was ready,
to make the experiment of ship subsidy. and
that something must be done to build up the
American merchant marine. His utterances on
this subject were received with great applause.
He said:
The many prophecies that have been made
that in the next half century the commercial
progress Of the world is TO be more decid-
edN in the Pacific than anywhere else are Ger
it behooVes US Americans interested in pushing
our trade into every quarter of the globe to ia Ike
steps to repair condition that exists in respect
to our merchant marine that is humiliating to
our national pride and most burdensome to us in
competition with other nations in obtaining in
ternatiOnal trade
We maintain protective tariff TO encourage
our manufacturing. farming and mining indus
tries at home within our jurisdiction but when
we assume TO enter into competition uDOn the
high in trade between international ports
our Jurisdiction to control that trade as far as
the vessels Of other nations concerned OF
course ceases. and the question we have TO
meet is how, with the greater wages that we
pay, with the more stringent laws that we enact
for the protection Of our sailors, and with the
protective system making difference in the
price between the necessaries to be used in
the maintenance of a merchant marine. shall
enable that merchant marine to compete with
the marine of the rest of the world.
This is not the only discussion. either. for it
"a fonnI examination a m
pursued in old countries with respect to their
merchant marine that there is now extended by
To their respective ships upward of $50. 900. 900
and this offers another means by which. i'm the
competition, the American merchant ship is
driven out Of business and finds itself utterly
unable to bid against its foreign competitors
DANGER IN EVENT OF WAR.
Not only this but 50 inadequate is the Amer
lean merchant marine to-day that i'm selecting
auxiliary ships with which to make our navy an
instrument of offence or defence. or. indeed in
sending il around the world as fleet, we have
TO call on vessels sailing under foreign nag to
carry the coal and to supply the other needs Of
such journey. We're we compelled To 90 into
"A war to-day our merchant marine lacks alto
gether sufficient tonnage of auxiliary unHrme1
ships absolutely necessary 10 the proper opera
tion Of the navy and were war to como We
should have 10 purchase such vessels from for
cign countries and this might under tho laws
governing ncutrals be most difficult
The trade between the eastern ports If the
United states and South America is most
valuable trade. and now EQUALS something like
S25O.OO0 900: but European nations, approaching
the growing character Of this trade, have by
subsidies and other means of encouragement 50
increased the sailngs of large and we'll equipped
vessels from Europe to the ports of South
America visibly to affect the proportion of
trade which is coming to the United States by
the very limited service of "a direct character
between New York and South American ports
l need not tell you OF the inadequacy If the
American shipping marine on the Pacific Coast
and the growing power for commercial purposes
in this regard OF the Empire Of Japan. Japan IS
one of the most active and generous countries in
the matter Of subsidies to its merchant marine
that We have and the effect IS only too visible
in examinPtion of the statistics
4 GOOD SUBJECT FOR CONGRESS.
For this reason il seems To me that there is