The Roswell daily record. [volume] (Roswell, N.M.) 1903-current, 1909-12-06
A SPECIES
OF GRAFT
Special to the Record.

IHb ~ OI 1t DI5 IIOICg THItICot5 OF
the country that SO effectually doni-
nate Congress through Aldrich, Can
non 81 al.
All Indication now are tina every
thing las been cut and dried to force
through the approaching session of
Congress a bill providing for the pay
ment of millions of dollars from the
public treasury TO private ship own
ars III order hat they may find ship
ping profitable. Unlike bills provid-
ing ID: a postal savings bank system,
or any other progressive legislation,
the ship subsidy measure will nave
no trouble getting out of committee
or in coming up for a vote. The rails
have been CREASED in both the House
and Senate. and everything is ready
for the ship subsidy bill to pass the
stature books with a minimum amount
of Interference
A skip subsidy according to reports
reaching Washington from the mid
ale. southern and western states, Is
as unpopular with the great mass of
tariff rates. The Republicans are
aware of its ~unpopularity. Yet so
great is the greed of American money
kings, and so complete is their con-
troll Of the party in power, that a ship
subsidy bill will in all likelihood be
passel ever if il makes more certain
he defeat of the Republicans in the
approaching Congressional elections.
The interests which will profit thru
a snip subsidy are spending large
sums or money to maintain bureaus
for the dissemination of pr~o-subsidy
literature. These offices, which are
scattered in all parts of the United
States and apparently under one gen
6ral management, are concentrating
their efforts to convince the public
that bieh-tarif rates are not response
Bile fer the decline of the American
merchant marine.
The task allotted to the chain of
subsidized news bureaus is proving
a somewhat hopeless undertaking.
American shiDbuilders lay declared
time and again that the duty on iron
and lumber and other materials,
makes shipbuilding for the foreign
trade Improbable. A ship can be
constructed from 30 to so per cent
cheaper in England or Germany tnan
in American Snipyards.
Opponents of ship subsidies con-
tend That the decline of our merchant
marine is die chiefly to p~rohibitive
tariff rates in general. which shut out
imports, and therefore, according to
the known laws of trade. shut in ex-
ports.
Another recognized hindrance 10
shipping is our antiquated
navigation laws which refuse Ameri
can registry TO vessels purchased
abroad or TO those in which a foreign
mas any interest.
If prohibitivs tariff rates have no
bearing ON the maritime industries,
the men fighting the subsidy
craft. why is il that American ship
Infl1Tnn 1a- IA.Ifnad - tho fnriff
rates have advanced
President Orlott of the Newport
News ~Shipbuilding and Drydock con-
pany, explained the reason of British
G in shipbuilding When tes-
before the United States Com
of Mercantile Marine as fol
lows.
There is a difference of about 40
per cent tin the cost of saipbuildilg
here and abroad) on account of the
tariff. Because everything in the
way Of material entering into the con
strlcrion OF a ship is highly protected
here. II is not only the steel that
forms the hollow of the vessel that
IS affected in price; IL is every con-
ceivahlr item hat goes into a ship"
Il you'd greatly regret to hear of
a change in the American registry
said an eminent Scotch ship
builde- For the last thirty years
America has permitted us to build
and largely own. nearly all h ships
that the ocean carrying trade re-
cuires, and Americans have caused a
loss CT about 5000. 200, 900 annually
freight money hat they might nave
appropriated to themselves. A policy
of free ships, If adopted in America
would unquestionably benefit
our shipyards for one or two years:
but the competition to which Ameri
can shipwrights would be forced
would soon enable them to divide
with US the snip owning of the world,
in both of which industries they have
so kindly given us the
practical monopoly"
While England and Germany subsi-
dies steamship lines, IL has never
been prove the result has been bene-
fetal. The Hamburg American
Co, one of the most pros
porous and one of the largest in ex-
i~stence. receives no bounties and has
not for several years.
Since German adopted a policy of
admitting shipbuilding materials free
of duty. its maritime industries have
grown amazingly Joseph Chamber
lain. the English protectionist leader
free shipbuilding materials is
one of the explanations of Great Brit
aims lead in shipbuilding, and pronis-
es b 4 should protection ever be sub
stituted for free trade. he would not
presume to put any tariff on ship
materials
So overwhelming is British mari
time supremacy, under free trade,
TO set out the shipping tonnage
of the protecionist nations, is to make
figures look ridiculovsly small:
Ocean tonnage of the leading mari
nations, 1906 .
Great Britain. =. -. III, 167. 900
-. : :. -. 2,516.000
Norway, -. -. -. =. =. 4. 1892, 900
France. ~1.214,0O0