The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1911-08-07
OUR Do NOTHING POLICY.

Congress continues its reckless dis
regard of the American merchant ma
rine; OF rather We might say, since
there is so little Of that merchant ma
rIne, Congress seems to be content
that there shall be none of it at all.
Even the near prospective completion
Of the Panama canal fails to arouse
any interest in Congress on this sub
ject. But other nations are not so
slow as our own in noting the mighty
advantages to the shipping interests
through the completion Of that canal,
We find in the New York Commercial
the following statement Of the pro-
gramme of a large and alert European
steamship company in getting dock
and loading facilities in San Fran
cisco:
Already the Hamburg American Steam
ship Company has secured option for
docks and piers at San Francisco, this
toward establishing q freight and passen
ger line from New York to California by
way Of the canal. with q probable exten-
mar manager &c Of the Company has taken op.
tions on four sites in or convenient to
the California metropolis-the Law prop
erty at North Beach formerly owned by
the late United States Senator Fair, an
other on Islais Creek. third in Oakland
and the fourth one at Port Richmond
Three docks. each three hundred feet
bordering them Will extend inland the
length OF about three city blocks, while
the fourth plant will probably contain
immense warehouses. 1t is announced as
n y,tn, .1ff he Tv,s,x
pnny 10 be first on the ground In the
competition for the large passenger and
freight traffic that Is expected to be built
up between European ports and San
Francisco as soon as the Panama Canal
Is in operation,
1t appears from this that the steam
ship line Indicated has an eye, not
only to the shipping trade of the West
coast Of the United States, but also
has an eye on the trade of the trans
Pacific. 1t will have the important IA
cilities at the way station of San
Francisco indicated, and it will also
have sufficient facilities in Yokohama
There is no indication, however. that
any United States shipping concern is
taking any steps for an extension Of
its business in view of the opening
Of the Panama canal. There is no
indication that our shipping interests
consider that the opening Of that
thoroughfare will be, in any way, to
their advantage. We now carry in
American ships only seven per cent of
our own exports and imports: the re-
naming ninety-three per cent is car.
ried in foreign ships. Those foreign
ships arc fostered and supported by
subsidies, either through the method
of payments for mail service OF other
wise. And in return those ships are
under obligation to serve their nation
faithfully in time of war; either by
way of serving as transports for
| troops, or in any other capacity in
| which they may be called upon.
Manifestly IL is impossible for
American shipping to compete on the
| high seas with shipping that is sub.
sidized, and that is at liberty to EN-.
| ploy the chespest kind of labor, which
| American shipping is not. Cheap labor
| is expressly barred from American ship.
| ping, and the standards Of supplies
in American ships for sailors, are much
above those Of foreign shipping, that
American shipping is at disadvantage
! in money sense, all around. Under