The enterprise. [volume] (Harlem, Mont.) 1899-1926, 1910-02-16

you are In earnest in your desire 4
close tho door against foreign ships
4 you ere sincere. Why not aeesp,
the amendment We propose stating
specifically that foreign ships admit
ted % American register shall moi
share In any subsidy from this gov
ernmont."
Mr.. Humphreys reply was. 'I'll not
have you telling me what shall d. -
Committee Forced 20 Act.
He then proceeded to force the com.
mfttee to act, against the vociferous
protests Of some Of the members. It
was reported out by q vote of 10 to Z,
Representatives Wilson and Sweezy,
Republicans, voting with the Demo
Gratis against reporting the bill. It
was reported to the house February
8, the came day It was set for hear.
ing in the committee.
This demonstrates how lily coni
sidered legislation may be forced to
the calendar of the house under tho
Cannon organization. II that same
piece Of legislation could have back
OF It the lash Of the party caucus 1t.
with approximately the same consid
GRAFTON on the floor Of the house.
could be passed on to the tender mer-
cies Of the senate organization.
One innocent clause is calculated
to arouse the patriotism of the un.
thinking, but the real purpose IL to
serve John Pierpont Morgan and his
International Mercantile Marine COM
pany. This provision, which appears
for the first time in the history of our
subsidy legislation, would permit
steamers owned by American citizens
which fly foreign flag to come under
the American flag. There is quail.
hcation that the steamers must be of
steel and of $500 tons burden or more.
The ]. Pierpont Morgan steamship
lines are the White Star line, the At
lantic Transport line, the Leyland
line and the Red Star line. Morgan
has under his control 1875 big steamers
running into American ports. These
fly the British flag and come within
the description of steamers that may
be adopted under the terms Of the
Humphrey bill.
Mr.. Morgan is doing we'll with his
steamship combine. In the year 1907
the net earnings of the combine, aft.
er paying all operating and general
expenses, exceeded 100000, and the
statement for that year shows that
surplus, after all charges, Of $780,
900 was piled up. Some of the Pro-
gressives are asking the somewhat
pertinent question why it is necessary
to pay a subsidy to lines capable of
doing SO handsomely by their owners.
OF course Mr.. Morgan desires more
money for his ships. He wants it
even at the expense of every consum.
er in the United States. In it's last
analysis the ship subsidy is a tax up
on the people Of the country granting
It, But while he is out after the
money which may come by way of the
payment Of subsidies, there is bigger
game in view. The full import of the
clause, to which little attention has
been given, is only revealed by
study Of the marine laws of other
countries.
Britain's Strict Maritime Law.
In 1905 the maritime law of Great
Britain was changed so as to provide
by statute a scale of provisions for
the feeding of the men who sail under
the flag of that government. The
new law also increased the forecastle
space from u to 120 cubic feet, per
man. This is matter of great impor-
lance when it is considered that many
of these vessels carry crews which
range from 100 to 400 persons. The
better the men are fed the more it
costs to operate a ship. The more
space there is used in the forecastle
the less room there is for cargo. and
the earning capacity Is consequently
decreased. The maritime law of
Great Britain provides for standard
Of individual efficiency in the men
employed.
All of these restrictions and re-
quirements mean that the expense Of
operating vessels sailing under the
British flag is greater than like ex.
penses in ships sailing under the
American flag, as we have no such
standards fixed by law. But undesir.
able as are these restrictions. they are
to the trust manager as nothing when
he recalls another provision. which 10
to the effect that the workmen's com.
pensation of Great Britain provides
that the employer shall pay to the
family Of an employee who loses his
life in the service the equivalent Of
three years wages. in addition to
bearing the expense of medical at.
tendance and the cost Of burial. It
further provides that compensation
proportionate to this amount shall be
paid in all cases Of injury.
Means Much to Trust.