Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-01-12
WOULD OBTAIN TRADE
Of SOUTH AMERICA
Senator GaIIinger Advocates
His Revised Ocean Mail
Subsidy Bill.

Urging that the bill Is aimed to break
up the European ship trust, which is
throttling United States trade with South
America, that it will build up a great
new market for the products of this
country and that 1t will be an important
step in the rehabilitation Of the Ameri-
can merchant marine. Senator Gallinger
spoke in the Senate yesterday afternoon
in advocacy of his revised ocean mail
subsidy bill.
The bill is framed, Senator Gallinger
said, to establish lines of American
owned and American-built boats running
from both Atlantic and Pacific ports of
the United States to the leading COM
mercial countries Of South America, just
as the law of 1891 created mail. pas
senger and fast freight service to the
West Indies and Mexico.
Little Bought From United States.
The countries which it is now proposed
to reach buy only from 9 to IA per cent
Of their imports from the United States
because they have poor communication
with this country and good communica-
ton with Europe.
Not one American steamship is now
running on any of the long routes to
South America" Mr.. Gallinger said.
For all mail, passenger and fast
freight facilities on these routes the
American people are dependent on the
ships grudgingly provided by their Euro
pean competitors. 1t need not be said
that these facilities are far inferior to
those furnished Europe for its own use.
Not only are the present ships in
ferior in size and speed. and wholly
owned and controlled by our European
rivals, but these ships are and long have
been organized into a foreign ship trust
or combination, the more effectually to
promote European and Obstruct American
trade. This European ship trust, sitting
American commerce, is the most sinister
threaten the United States.
1.-The present bill aims to break UP
this arrogant monopoly through the pow
er of an independent American compe-
tition in new high-class steamships, built
for the auxiliary naval service and oper-
ated under rigid contract with the gov
eminent. The purpose of the bill has
the express approval Of President Taft,
the State Department, the Post Office
Department, the Navy Department and
Results Expected.
AS to the probable results of the bill
1T is probable that # this bill is passed
there will eventually be established
three lines from our Atlantic coast to
the east coast of South America-to Bra
zil, Uruguay and Argentina-one or more
Of these lines touching. as the bill re-
quires, at at least one port south of Cape
Charles. 1t is also probable that there
will be established one line from the
To ha ocf CT 30
America, and one line from the gulf
coast through the Panama canal to the
west coast Of South America, Chile and
Peru, and one or two lines from the Pa
cific coast to Panama and South America.
ut Is likely that there will also be es-
tablished, not under the proposed bill,
but indirectly as consequence of it
and Of the general stimulus given by it
to shipbuilding and navigation. a short
line under the present rate of compen-
sation from a gulf port to Colon, line
from the Atlantic dsast to Colon and two
lines from the Pacific coast to Panama.
Those new steamships would come
under the general provisions of the law
of 1891. They would have to be built
on designs approved by the Navy De-
partment with reference to prompt and
economical conversion into auxiliary
cruisers in time Of war;
South American Markets.
Senator Gallinger also pictures the pos
sibilities of the markets in South Amer
lea. He presented figures to show that
the per capita imports Of Argentina
amount to $1,000, of Uruguay to $3f7
and Brazil 1915.
'.These figures he continued, mean
that the great countries of South Amer
lea OFFER a very much better market in
proportion to their population than the
countries of the orient.
.'The foreign per capita trade of Argen-
tina Is sixty times that of China, the
trade Of Uruguay forty times that of
China. and the trade OF Brazil over
eleven times that of China. Moreover,
these South American countries are
rapidly developing and advancing in ma
terial prosperity. At present the South
American countries are not large traders
with us. Out of $521 ,Oy3.O53 worth of
merchandise imported last year, they
bought but $7O,OOO,OO0, or IA per cent.