Show American Merchant Marine WAsmsaiox April 2The House committee I com-mittee on merchant marine and fisheries today to-day reported a bill to place the American merchant marine engaged in foreign trade upon an equality with that of other nations na-tions The principal provisions the bill k have already been given The report accompanying I ac-companying it says in part The ocean transportation of the United States has i averaged 240000000 annually the past ten years Taking our share of this trade at73 per cent we have the amount of 180000 000 10 per cent of which is 1S000000 Surely it wouldnot be a bad investment for the nation to pay out 1S000000 annually to secure the opportunity to earn and save 160000000 But if this is too large make it 5 I per cent i that would be double what the bounty bill will call for in ten years to come Tho estimate of the committee that under the terms of the bill the payment in bounties for the first year would be for sail vessels 1644818 steam vessels SI 713922 total 3360740 The annual increase will be about 5 par cent so it would bo eight years before the anal an-al bounty would amount to 5000000 Representative Fithian submitted the I report of the minority which says that a subsidy would be creating and fostering a privileged class at the expense of the whole people The minority believe the most effective way to bring about a revival of the shipping industry is for Congress to place all material used in the construction of ships upon the free list repeal all laws in restraint of trade repeal the restrictive navigation laws and permit merchants to buy their ships where they can buy them the cheapest and sail them under the American Amer-ican flag |