New-York tribune., 1918-02-18
Ship Shortage Due to German Plot
from the Manufacturers Record


~" tinued, and, which is more re-
grettable, the successful efforts Of
the German government to prevent the crea-
ton of an American merchant marine, SO
that in any crisis such as the present war
this country would be gravey embarrassed
through lack of ships, have lately been re-
called by Representative julius Kahn, Of
California, in a speech before the Republi-
can Club Of New York City.
Mr. Kahn reminded the club that in 1907
a New York agent Of the principal German
steamship company openly opposed, through
arguments published in a Gotham newspa-
per, the passage Of the ship subsidy bill
then before Congress, and that these argl1-
ments were employed by members of Con-
gress to defeat the bill
Commenting here this week upon his New
York speech Mr.. Kahn said to "Th& Manu-
facturers' Record" correspondents
The sinister design of Germany in frus-
tratlng Legislation Of that kind only now
becomes apparent. Had the ship subsidy
measure been adopted the continuous con-
struction Of ships for the United States
merchant marine would have been assured
lney would have been vessels measuring each
not less than 5000 tons and with a speed
OF not less than sixteen knots.
by this time we should have had thirty
or forty such ships, that would have proved
OF the utmost value in helping us to win
the war. ct those vessels would have cost
the government only *5,o0OoOO year Now,
when every minute Of time is precious. we
must spend a billion to build I'D our mer-
chant fleet.
"In other words. the German purpose, SO
fully achieved, was to place this country
exactly in the position it now occupies should
1t ever become a party to any war
but the Teutonic betrayal OF the nation
that had trusted the Kaiser's pretence of
friendship was by no means limited to
sporadic propaganda or even to continuous
propaganda. AS the most effective, practical
method of restricting the foreign commerce
of the United States and of checking the
development Of an American merchant marine
the German government long ago built up
powerful steamship companies, which, in
turn, created and controlled a world-w wide
steamship trust. drawing the major part of
it's vast profits from the freight and pas
senger traffic between other countries and
the United States. Twenty years ago, when
the United States fought Spain, it was Ger
man steamship companies that reinforced
the Spanish navy with high speed cruisers"
A ship subsidy law designed to encourage,
through the method successful abroad, q
merchant marine had been before Congress
for several years when Senator Gallinger, of
New Hampshire, on behalf of Senate COM
mittee, submitted a. bill embodying the pro-
visions most in favor with his party Passed
by the Senate February IA, 1906, the vote
being SO to %, this bill was amended by
the House. 1t was then passed March |,
1907, with majority of 70 votes out of 3O2,
and returned to the Senate There it en-
Ho1i r1,o oo1,
Senators, especially by Senator Carmack, of
Tennessee, which resulted in the defeat of the
bill, through time limitation, when the Fifty
ninth Congress ended on March 4. 1907
On February 26, 1907, Representative Gros-
venor, Of Ohio, the Republican leader, opened
the prolonged debate in the House with a
statement setting forth the unconcealed and
extreme hostility Of the great German steam
ship companies to all American interests
both commercial and national
Bitterly Hostile
To Ship Subsidies
Two great foreign steamship companies"
said Mr.. Grosvenor, (which have bitterly
fought the encouragement of American ship
ping the Hamburg American company, of
Hamburg, and the North German Lloyd COM
pany, OF Bremen, the latter subsidized for
S1,350,OOO year for tifteen-knot mail SER
vice to the East Indies and Australia.
"The New York manager of the Hamburg.
American company, Mr.. Emil Boas published
in The New York Herald few weeks ago
a violent attack upon the American shipping
bill.
both of the great German steamship COM
panies owe their wealth and power chiefly to
the patronage of American merchants and
travellers Yet in the crisis of our war with
Spain, in 1885, both companies took fast ships
out of their New York service-ships built
for and supported by American patronage
and transferred them to the Spanish govern
mcnt. Some Of these ships were used to re-
lnforce Admiral Camara, who sailed from
Cadiz to attack Admiral Dewey at Manila. bnt
was halted at the Suez Canal by the news of
the destruction of Cervera's ships off Santi
ago and our threatened attack upon the coast
Of Spain.
The foreign steamship companies that do
not want this ocean mail bill' (that is. the
ship subsidy bilD 40 pass-like the foreion
snip owners who monopolze our trade THROUGH
a foreign combine, or trust, between New
York and South America-tel the representa-
tivcs of the Middle West that the West bas
no interest IN an American merchant marine:
that this bill is only graft for the benefit ~
New England New York and pennsvlvan;a
ard that the Mississippi Valley and the
pralrie states ought to join with this for
elsn steamship combine and with the subs;-
clzed companies of foreign countries to de-
feat IN this House all legislation for the pro-
tection ana encouragement of American shin
ping" '"'e
:, On juno ls, 1910, Representative William
l.. humphrey Of Washington, then prominent
on the Republican side, delivered striking
ara Informative speech during the long de-
pate upon resolution he had introduced the
'aT before This proposal called for an "in