New-York tribune., 1910-01-03
PLEA FOR SHIPPING
BY MANUFACTURERS.
Congress Urged to Pass Ocean
Mail Bill.

The National Association of Manufaetur-
ers through its committee on merchant
marine has adopted resolutions recommend
ing 10 Congress the immediate passage OF
an ocean mail bill, providing for sufficient
postal compensation to establish swift and
regular service in American built steam
ships TO the principal countries of South
and Central America and TO the ports OF
Australasia, Japan. China and the Philip
pines The January issue of American In
dustries" the associations official organ. is
devoted almost entirely TO the presentation
of facts favoring the above policy. II says
editorially:
The attitude of the National Association
of Manufacturers in giving its approval
to the efforts in behalf of an adequale
merchant marine is based entirely on pusl-
ness The association believes that
greater trade and & corresponding tnoVs-
trial benefit will come from the repuIa-
ing of an American merchant marine N
American shipyards for the purpose of
carrying American made goods to other
countries. The association does not BE-
The demand for an adequate American
merchant marine is based upon purely
business view OF conditions. The average
American manufacturer not only believes
he knows-that a great feet carrying
the mails and cargo to foreign ports Will
mean an increased foreign trade and an in
tending through innumerable channels:
Beyond this, of course, is the increase OF
our prestige as a nation. 1t is a national
humiliation 10 learn that only one Amer
lean merchant ship passed through the
Suez Canal in 1908, and that at CopeN-
hagen, the largest port on the Baltic, the
vessel eighteen years ago. The flags of
Great Britain, Japan, Germany, France
and upon every sea, because, as our own
Commissioner of Navigation reports
''the aggregate amount paid by foreign
nations in the form of subsidies, ocean
mail pay, navigation and construction
bounties, admiralty subventions, naval re-
serve appropriations, fisheries hounties
and other forms Of contributions which
directly or indirectly add to the volume of
business under their respective national
flags, is upward OF s4S,000,00n year"
President Taft's attitude. as represented
in his last message and in his address AZ
SeartIe, is shown, and the strong views OF
Secretary Nagel are given. Contributions
are published from Congressman ". E
Humphrey, author Of the ocean mail bill
which failed Of passage by only enc vote
last year; e. G. Chamberlain, Commissioner
Of Navigation John Kirby, jr., president Of
the National Association OF Manufacturers
James ". Van Cleave. the former prest-
dent D. A. Tomplins. chairman of the as
sociation's committee on merchant marine,
anu JdHeS L. EVGli. JSt1L AL OSs JA-s
president of the association, says in part:
Why should not the American people
unanimously favor q merchant marine
comparable in all respects with those of
other nations? This ought 10 pass as an
automatic proposition in view of the au~
thentic facts of the past history of z hun
dred years, involving, as il does, the de-
monstrated necessity of an adequate and
judiciously competitive merchant marine
service in the interest of the United States
on the high seas.
In view of the fact that we are building
canal across the Isthnus of Panama at
q probable cost of from $500. .000, 600 to
$500, zoe, 900 presumably TO establish an
advantage of our own. we are, in fact.
playing into the hands of the foreign ma
tions, Great Britain, Germany, France,
Italy and Japan, by reason Of the signif1-
cant fact that we are preparing a mag
nificent waterway for the use of these ma
tions while our country, having practically
no merchant marine, can take no advan-
tage of the situation created by us.
A hundred years ago our foreign mer-
chant tonnage amounted 10 S06,S55 tons
foreign trade, while to-day it amounts 70
nearly thirty thousand tons less The diff
ference is astounding in view of the fact
that our foreign trade and our coast trade
each has increased in the last century TO
fifteen or sixteen times what il was then.
With every conceivable advantage in
the matter OF manufactured production
and material resources, We are forced by a
p1cayune policy on the part of our legis-
lators TO trail in the rear of the CONNER
cial nations. Is this condition 70 be en-
dured with phiIosophic complacency? Is
ii just and right to the business interests
of the country?