The New York herald., 1922-04-24
Ship Subsidies.
The Case OF the British Mercantile
Marine and Our Own.

AuIiHC Alhu VOA " w Ne
TO THE NEW YORK HERALD 1t seems
to me that the origin of ship subsidies
is not generally known and is carefully
hidden By those interested in the pas
ge of the ship subsidy bill.
Let us take Great Britain, as this
country seems to be the target aimed
at and continually used as the reason
why the United States should now sub
sidize its. shipping. First of all. Great
Britain possessed certain colonies that
reeded assistance to grow. In that way
only could they become an asset or the
empire. Courageous, enterprising mer-
chants had planted the commercial nag
of Britain all over the world. After the
Gays of sailing ships they found that
trade was growing by leaps and bounds
and that there should be regular
mail service.
But there was not quite enough cargo
to satisfy the sllipowner that he could
grant the regular service. as it would
not pay him. So the Government, Will,
an eye to the future, stepped in, granted
a mail subsidy, and 1t cannot be denied
that the assistance has been thoroughly
justified, as some Of the then obscure
parts of the globe have since become
important ports and immense contribu-
tors to the commerce and wealth OF the
British Empire. Gradually as the iu-
fants grew into commercial manhood
the subsidies were withdrawn and they
'go 1t alone"
Now. the United States has no such
parallel case to deal with. Orders for
shipment abroad come from countries
that to the largest extent do not owe
their present status in the worlds af-
fairs to any assistance given by this
country. Neither does the capital cm-
ployed come from other than foreign
sources. and 1t is in no way contributed
TO by the United States. There are, OF
course. very slight exceptions.
Steamships of the kind which we see
lying up the Hudson and at other places
along our coasts and otherwise known
as tramps do not receive one cent OF
subsidy from the British Government.
We hear much OF new trade routes.
but the putting on OF a steamship to
any point will not create trade to that
point The new trade has to be created
by the same sort Of enterprising mer.
chants to whom ] have already alluded
and the steamships are irnpotent with
out them.
Such merchants are pioneers, estab-
lish stations-as witness the west coast
of Africa-grant the financial facilities
for the working OF the enterprises, and
not until the steamship is wanted does
it come into the picture.
i therefore pretend to prove that sh ip-
ping is the second string Of the foreign
trade fiddle. The flag follows trade, not
trade the flag. This present demand for
subsidies does not ring true.
Why should 1. in my business, be
asked to contribute to another business
with which I have nothing to do and
which cannot benefit me? It surely
says little for those who have gone into
the shipping business and are getting a
little beyond their depth that they
should expect me to help them out Of
the hole. II any business project does
not prove remuneratiye it is scrapped
or goes bankrupt.
I'VE must keep our flag on the seas =
AZ tiiS tif. DuL tut COfulilCltld lldS VI
the nation is not the national flag. Il
is only flying over commerce and not
over our national existence. The Amer
lean public cannot be accused of not
loving their national flag. but millions
OF them know nothing OF shipping and
are at the moment more interested in
how to make ends meet in their own
varied lines OF gaining a livelihood
The nag that carries our commerce
the cheapest Is the one that will get the
business. as every intelligent merchant
and manufactures knows that he has to
take freight into the basis OF his calcu-
lations before he can submit his bid for
business and he gets down to brass tacks
TO get 1t. The present surplus OF ships
all over the world s the result OF the
war and should be scrapped just the
same as surplus war material The first
loss is the best
Have the merchant marine fleets or the
French, Spanish and Portuguese nations
been success? OF course not, and be-
cause their commerce has not grown.
New York, April 90. J. McG. b.