Show OCEAN COMMERCE AND SUBSIDIES Lord Brassey president of the London Lon-don Chamber of Commerce Is In this country to Investigate conditions of shippInG and ocean transportation and incidentally no doubt to look up the probable effect of the recent combine of the British Government with the Cunard Steamship company I will be remembered that the contract of that Government with the steamship company com-pany requires the company to hold its ships at the command of the Govern ment In case of public emergency to furnish mall transportation fncll I and to observe In building the Governmental Govern-mental requirements In consideration for this the Government agrees to furnish cash to the amount of 13000000 down which is to be used in building two of the finest and fastest liners in the world and will also pay subsidies of 1090000 a year for twenty years to the Cunard company I is curious to see that the free trade editors and statesmen of this country who were so Inflexibly opposed to the ship subsidy bill that was urged In Congress Con-gress are apologizing for and explaining explain-ing away this tremendous subsidy engagement en-gagement of the British Government First they say the contract Is with but one company yet one of the fiercest points of opposition to our subsidy bill was that It would be beneficial mainly to the corporation known as the Shipping Ship-ping Trust which has since gone to the wall It was urged that though the terms of the bill were general It would In fact help but one concern and therefore was not to be thought of Yet the fact that the enormous British subsidy sub-sidy Is specifically for but one corn pnny Is counted a merit The flat incOnsistency I In-cOnsistency of this position Is plain In fact If there arc to be subsidies and it I is i plain that there must be If wo are to build up our ocean transportation trans-portation systemsuch subsidies should be free to all who can earn them Second they say that the stringent regulations which are required by the British Government as to mall service holding the ships at the Government service in limes of public emergency etc justify the British Government In granting its subsidies to the Cunard company Yet those same requirements require-ments were In the subsidy bill reported In Congress and were flouted by the free traders and they made such I storm against the bill that It was dropped Still they always cite the British control of the seas ns the admirable ad-mirable thing and something that we ought to emulate But with subsidies such as these given by 1 Great Britain to the Cunarders what possibility is there for an unsubsidized American line to make successful competition What does It amount t to cite Great Britain a a great example If we oppose for ourselves the methods by which Great Britain grasps and retains the shipping trade I seems to us that now Is the time to push the subsidy bill for the up building of the American merchant marine ma-rine and we dont want to go Into any partnership with any company either but let the offers be free to all who will comply with the requirements of the law 1 and render acceptable service |