Idaho County free press. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho Territory) 1886-current, 1915-03-04


Subsidies for American shipping urged since the
days Mark Hanna That is in plain terms gift OF large
amount of by Congress- or more directly the people OF
the United States American ship the
building up of an American Merchant Marine.
Whether subsidy would be beneficial to the ship
least all steps in that direction have failed The
people would stand for it. Even after they had Indicated
their dsapprova in strong TERMS another effort made
during this administration to get subsidy, although not
direct way
Free Panama Tolls American shipping is referred to-
which American shipping interests fought hard for and
which knocked out by the efforts and OF Pres
Wilson That plan to obtain subsidy and nothing
for although Congress did not appropriate millions Of dol
lars to be donated to American ship yet exemption
from payment of millions of dollars in tolls would have abso
luely the effect
The United States has Merchant Marine an
extensive Merchant Marine One may be called whm
sica theoretical it rings That
that American capital long protected by sky high protec
tion will not devote money to business which would throw
the business in direct unprotected competition with foreign
tai.
Another way say it that American Capitalists
and still afraid to in extensively
because they fear German English and other foreign shipping
competition So they stuck to enterprises and industries which
better termed fully protected American monopoles
This fear engage open competition with the world has
alone destroyed the American prestige the high which
formerly obtained and has prevented step in that rec
ton to date.
The shipping bill recently under debate Congress
loudly denounced from quarters and Independent ship
ping interest its greatest enemies As to the question
whether could successfully have merchant marine
dependent from control otherwise the follow
ing taken from article published February
the American Review of Reviews written by A. Lau and
entitled CHOW that Panama has Opened-What? is inter
esting:
'The American Hawaiian steamship company is the
best example of big fleet built without subsidy without
ktng conservavely based the simple fact that
traffic depends soey hngreturn cargoes
1T became apparent when the Spanish War broke out,
that there would be great of It also became
parent that the railroad Tehuanepec would require
steamship and These facts together
with the vital factor that the line was launched by family
successful in the clipper cenurythe Dearbornes
gave the American Hawaiian such probability of
that 1t marketed its securities; and when
ure literally baooned with bonds to full capital value
the AmercanHawaian issued stocks only to half the value
of its cata and all its bonds have been retired
ceeds from ship earnings It's terminals alone today exceed
cash outlay its capal and its steamship valuation
times its capital.
Beginning thus conservatively, the American Hawaiian
launched out bravey in 1900 with four By
had nine Steamers by 1915 it had twentsx and it pays
the American Treasury 100000 month in Panama tolls
Across Tehuantepec the freight from Atlantic
Pacific used to be 30 to IS hundred weights and the
time from 40 to 80 days from Frisco Across
Panama the average is 25 cents time about "a
days One steamer is fitted for passengers others $780,
900 has been expended refrigeration for export
but four of the % steamers three barrels
oil at 70 cents equal ton of coal &c. and oil
thirds fewer engine hands With record such this
fifteen it fatuous that the United States
build up Mercant Marine of her own
thinking reader plenty of reasons in the above
for not granting free tolls exemption Again shows that
subsidy needed to build up merchant The ship
ping bill would have at least stimulated ship interests