The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1909-02-13
JAP BOATS GET
GREAT SUBSIDY
Facts and Figures Showing How
Japan Treats Merchant
Marine.

Great Britain is to Europe so is Japan
to Asia. She must Of necessity de-
pend to a great extern on her mer-
chant marine. From the government
statistics We learn that in the ten wears
previous to 1906 their steamers of
1000 tons and over net register had
increased from 10000 tons to almost
100000 tons; this is an extraordinary
showing, and this year will show a
greater increase than any previous
year on account of the number of
extra large mail steamers that 90 into
commission.
At Nagasaki they have just turned
out the Tenyo Maru and the Chiyo
Maru is just ready to 60 into commits
sion, each of $1,000 tons displacement,
propelled by the most modern turbine
engines and fitted out with all the
latest improvements. A very large
passenger steamer has just been com
pleted by this yard for the Nippon
Iusen Kaisha's European service.
-Four large passenger steamers are also
under construction for the Osaka
Shosen Kaisha, being built especially
to run in connection with the Mil
waukee and St. Paul Railroad from
Tacoma to the usual Oriental ports;
this service commences next May. In
addition to those four steamers, the
Kauisaki Dock Co., at Kobe, are build
ing two large steamers for this same
service; this viii give this company
six modern up-to-date passenger steam
ers in addition to 81 they already OPP
crate.
The Togo Kisen Kaisha have still
another $1,000 tons displacement
steamer under construction for their
San Francisco Oriental line, so that the
service between the Orient and the
Pacific Coast viii be increased by nine
of the largest and most modern steam
ers on the Pacific.
Their lines to Europe and Australia
have also been materially increased
lately The various steamship owners
are making great efforts to increase
their tonnage. They are backed up by
the government, and thus encouraged
in every way possible. This year they
will pay to the various ship owners
amounts exceeding five million dollars
gold. An extract translated from their
subsidy law reads as follows:
A builders bonus for steamer of
700 tons gross and up to 1000 tons,
Sc a ton; over 1000 tons gross, $40
ton; engines, per indicated horsepower,
$3.50 per h. D.; above to continue until
1911.
Following are the steamship subsi-
dies paid:
Steamers of 1000 tons gross or more
and ten knots speed or more, for every
1000 miles run, per gross register ton,
II 1-2c.; 10 per cent. increase for
every 500 tons over 1000 tons; vessels
over $500 tons get same as 5000 TONS
Foreign-built ships get half of this
subsidy if owned by japanese. So it
can be better understood, following is
how it figures out for vessel of ten
knots speed zee. per ton for every
1000 miles run; II, zee; -, 31c.; 10,
SEE; A. 44c.; Is, 53c.; 16, 64c.; Il,
7sc.; Is, 93c.
Example - Builders bonus for a
tramp style of steamer of 1000 tons
dead weight capacity. say 1000 gross,
so, 100000; engines Of say 1000 I. FL.
P, at $3.50, $4,000, total of $4,000.
The subsidy earned by this vessel
say on voyage from San Francisco
TO Kobe and return, approximately 10,-
600 miles. at zee. 10-knot speed, $4,000,
at four trips a year, would be $500
a year.
On an 18-knot passenger steamer of
10000 gross tons for a round trip FROM
San Francisco to Hongkong via ports
and return, say $4,000 miles, at 93c.
per gross register tonnage per 1000
miles, it can be seen that the return
would be very handsome one.
i The builders bonus on this steamer
would be. 10000 tons gross at $40 a
| ton. 100000; saw $4,000 ]. H. P. en-
gines at $3.50, 100000, a total of $780,
| coo.
Now this is what Japan is doing to
uphuild her merchant marine.
What is Congress doing for our mer-
| chant marine3
Every session of Congress laws have
| been enacted to retard, even prohibit,
the building of American steamers fox
the foreign trade.
So that for the past few years not
one steamer has been built in an Amer
lean shipyard to engage in the foreign
| trade.
1t is sad to think of these facts,
and especially so because it all has
| been brought about by our own laws,
and not from want Of the enterprise
| and ability of our citizens to hold
tlei, ewn under ordinary conditions
with any nation of the world.
Those dishea1tening facts are
brought out forcibly to the notice OF
those who travel and do business IN
foreign lands.
Words completely fail US to express
our indignation at the treatment OF
| our merchant marine by Congress. But
that in well nigh every port the Stars
and Stripes. the flag of one of the
greatest nations, should only be con
spicuous by its absence, completes our