Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1915-01-22
MARITIME LAWS
TO AID SHIPPING
James j. Hill Discusses Free
dom for Our Foreign
Trade at st. Louis.

3. Louis, Mo. Jan. 22.-James j.
Hill. in a paper on Freedom for Our
Foreign Trade" submitted to the sec
ond fnationa, foreign trade conven-
/ tion here today, said the "fndispen-
7 sable condition for such freedom was
/ adequate ocean carriage in American
ships To buy service by big sub
sides was. he declared. a losing game.
The need OF merchant ships in Ameri-
ca was almost as great as that of
other nations for munitions OF war.
In the month of November" he
said. che exports from the port of
New York were S12,000.OO0 more
than the year before. There was an
increase of about SOC per cent in the
exports of food products. The foreign
demand must increase in direct ratio
wiSh the exhaustion of supplies in
warning nations. How are these
goods. which we desire to sell and
others are anxious 10 buy, to be car
ried to the oversee markets?
Such "a slight relief as was afford
ed by she wise removal o. the prohi
bition OF registry for foreign built
vessels has been given. 1t is hardly
N'rop in the bucket Up TO the
week ending Dec. 20, 1914. American
registry has been granted 20 los yes
sells heretofore operated under for
eigu control. aggregating 373,S40
gross tons. This is not enough to
prevent present congestion and holds
out little hope for the supply of fur
ther needs
is from so to 100 per cent higher
than that abroad. and according to a
reported statement of Captain Robert |
Dollar. who Operated ships in both |
domestic and foreign trade. it costs I
about S1T.236 more a year to operate
q ship of 1000 tons under the Ameri- +
can than under the British flag. |
These are the disadvantages under
which our foreign trade labors.
There are but two resources; one
a merchant marine owned and oper-
ated by the government; the other
a merchant marine provided by and /
Tor the people.
The former just now urgently ad-
vocated, is as unwise-and would be I
certainly disastrous-exper /
Aside from the complications. almost 1
certain to drag us sooner or later into !
the European conflict. owing 10 the un- /
certain and conflicting claims of ma
tional neutrality, this policy would be 1
followed by the total destruction of
the private shipping interest. Private
enterprise cannot possibly compete
with "a government which pays no in
terest on the cost Of its ships and
throws aside consideration of profit
and loss
What is the prospect. in this case.
Of economical management, and of
these lower rates which the advo-
Gates of the plan hold out as a bIit
'or its adoption? We have an exact
measure of the fact fn some compare
i've railroad statistics The Panama
is entirely owned and oper
.ted by the United States. Like most
lffairs on the isthmus il has been
handled by honest and competent men
n their several lines We have its
,fficial report for the year ending
Tune 80, 1913. ito be compared with i
he statistics of all the railways OF :
he United States for the same period. :
he rate on the Panama line was 3.48 :
ents per ton per mile. as against ;
1868 OF a cent for all the railways of +.
he United States That is, the gov
rnment rate was almost five times
he rate made by private enterprise +,
yer the entire country.
AT the international trade confer
nee OF the Mississippi valley and cen
-al west. which met at Memphis last
-ovember the following resolution O
as reported =
" Resolved. that congress be urged L;
enact maritime legislation looking
ward placing the American shippers S
nd ship owners upon a basis more g
early equal with these of competing L
atoms. thereby enabling American tc
-porters and chip owners 80 meet p
lie competition OF other nations III
e ocean carrying trade m
Not more nearly equar but 'abso- d;
tely equal sh-uld be the require "a
ent Of American ability and Ameri- e,
n pride; an equality secured neith-
by such protection as is accorded TO III
e weak or by 60 mOney IN the 81
rm o. a subsidy, but a privilege af-
rded to the strong that he may con
er what is his by right. That IS
e key TO an ample p-7yision OF Sc
nerican shirs. There l. the neces- tn
~ condition of that expansion il p'
r Foreign commerce which w al TO
ow to be possible and which win s.
lost or won according to our wis
m or our folly"