Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-01-23
TO AID j. s. SHIPPING
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walton? 1t lies partly with the selfishness
| OF rival nations but mainly with the ne
elect OF our national legislators to enact
the necessary legislation.
Blames Foreign Lobby.
There seems to be little doubt that
| foreign lobby is permanently located IN
this country. the purpose of which Is 10
| check and embarrass all efforts to secure
subsidy favorable to our merchant
| trade"
| Representative Hobson said that it was
| not possible for any private enterprise TO
/ undertake the development of the Amerl-
| can merchant marine. and that 1t was
| necessary. therefore for the government
4 to essay the task. That it must be under
/ taken and accomplished, he said, was
/ matter of mutual agreement.
| He proposed the government should COLI
struct two classes of vessels, one of the
| Mauritania type, or better available for
| transport service, in event of war and
| other vessels. also capable of high speed.
| for use as Golfers. The purposes of an
American merchant marine, he said,
I should be twofold-to provide vessels for
national defense and to develop the ma
| TONS transportation OF its foreign trade.
| He did not agree with Mr.. Humphrey
| that a tariff discrimination. downward, in
| favor of American shipping, would fail to
provide development. Nor was he hope
less that a duty added on cargoes i'm for
/ eign bottoms would serve the purpose.
| He proposed to reserve the coast trade
| for American-bui1t ships, and admit for
eign-built ships to free registry and
share in direct subventfons for other
1 ocean trade.
The meeting was called to order at
about 1880 o'clock with Mr.. Kirby in
the chair Rev. Henry n. Couden, .. d.,
| chaplain Of the House Of Representa-
| tives, spoke the invocation. Mr.. Kirby
| then read his address.
Business Issue First Of All.
| President Kirby said, in part:
with us the issue Is primarily bust
ness issue. We need our own ships as a
| means Of making our trade deliveries to
| other lands. AS we'll expect a big modern
department store to depend upon a rival
| for its delivery service as to ask the
vast manufacturing interests of this coun-
try to depend upon the ships of our COM
| mercial competitors to deliver our manu-
featured products to our customers over
the sea.
German industrial prosperity is based
| on foreign trade, and this export trade is
dependent upon German shipping, which.
by mail payments, railroad rebates, tax
remissions and by other similar forms Of
many has merchant marine and a for
eign trade second only to that Of the
United Kingdom.
1.-The bill now before Congress simply
proposes a very small measure of relief.
1t proposes to take a portion Of the
| money which We pay for foreign postage
and use it in giving us better postal ia
cilities to the countries Of lower South
America. 1t is a measure OF simple hon.
esty. For what right has the government
to charge the cents to take q letter to
Buenos Aires and then send it thither on
n foreign freight boat? AS well send the
mails from New York to San Francisco
by local freight trains.
Il repeat that this is not a partisan is
sue. 1t is a business issue.
Must Keep to Facts.
The pro and con Of policy OF dis
elimination is not in order here, because
this Congress has been called for a single
object, namely, the consideration OF an
! ocean mail bill That is all that is be-
fore Congress and that is all that has any
chance OF enactment by the present Con-
gress. Manufacturers are accustomed to
dealing with facts and SO we must hold
| ourselves down TO the facts Of the present
situation.
Letter Of Ex-Gov. Herrick.
| Regretting his failure to be present,
| Myron T. Herrick, Ex-Governor OF Ohio,
who was to have presided as permanent
chairman, wrote in explanation that i'm
perative business made his attendance
impossible. He testified to his concep-
| ton of the Importance Of the convention.
| Letters were read from manufacturers
| in various parts of the United States
subscribing to the principles of the devel
opment of the American merchant ma
! rine.
..The Present Status OF the United
States Foreign Merchant Marine" was
the topic of the address of Representative
Humphrey.
| REPRESENTATIVE Humphrey said:
Upon the land our country is the envy
of the nations. Upon the sea we are the
| shame of the world.
I'VE are today the richest nation in the
| world. We have the greatest commerce
| In the world. We have the greatest re-
sources OF any nation in the world. With
all our vast wealth, our mighty COM
meree, our ineXhaustible resources, this
nation today has 100000 less tons of
! shipping upon the high seas than we had
century ago. in the earliest infancy OF
| the republic Our flag has practically
disappeared from the seas. 1t is but g.
memory in most ports Of the world. You
may make the circuit Of all the oceans
and not look upon the flag of your coun-
try.
Equipment Of Other Nations.
| Engaged in the interoceanic trade Eng
| land today has more than 1000 vessels,
| Germany more than 2,OOO. Japan, that
! little island empire scarcely fifty years
recognized as a nation. has more than
Luce The United States, with its 10000
| O.D of people and all its island possessions
| and it's mighty commerce and mighty in
! terests, has ten-siX upon the Pacific and
| four upon the Atlantic ocean.
IF YOU wish to go to South America
You must twice cross the Atlantic in
/ foreign ship. You must go to Europe and
| from there to your South American des-
tination. Much of the mail of this great
| republic is carried in the same way, al
| ways in foreign ship
IAN American merchant who wishes to
| send an article to South America requir-
| ing prompt delivery must pay freight
upon it twice across the Atlantic ocean
in a foreign ship and in the ship of his
rival There is not American vessel
today running between this country and
| South America beyond the equator. But
one American vessel goes regularly to the
| Philippines.
I'VE have no transports for our army
and no auxiliary for our navy. We have
naval vessels today which we cannot fur.
nish with proper crews. We have no
trained seamen upon whom We could draw
| to furnish us with crews for naval YES
/ -. So Ia