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Show Wi CONSIDERING SUBSIDY QUESTION Government Aid to Steamship Steam-ship Lines Amounts to $65,000,000 Annually. CONTRACTS EXPIRING Whether or Not the Nation Should Aid Private Industry Indus-try Is Grave Problem. Special Cable to' The Tribune. TOiaO, Jan. 31. Tho Japanese government gov-ernment Is 'being urged to a.ppoInt a commission to determine what steamship steam-ship lines using the European, North and South American nml Australian routes shall bo subsidized. The contracts which have existed between be-tween the imperial government and the leading steamship lines expire shortly, and the question of tho renewal of tho contracts or the issuance of contracts to new companies has becomo a political measure, second In Importanco only to tho proposed measure for the Increase of the army. Six lines now enjoying the help of the government were selected In 1000, and are the same aa those on which the Nippon Yusen Kalsha, the Togo Klsen Kalsha and tho Osaka Sho-sen Sho-sen Kalsha had been engaged up to that time. It Is urged that tho now subsidy system sys-tem Is only a dlsgulso of tho old navigation navi-gation encouragement Bystom, and Its framers could not fix any uniform amount to bo paid to each line. As a result, tho subsidies differ greatly ln amount, according to tho bIzo and speed of the vessels. The eubsldlos paid to the routes that give promise of being maintained without state aid will be. entirely en-tirely abolished. State "aid, pecuniary or otherwise, Is given only to those undertakings under-takings that give promise of becoming Independent ln the future, and also of gradually expanding. According to the law authorizing the subsidies, what state protection alms at is tho ultimate Independence, Inde-pendence, rather than tho dependence of tho enterprises so benefited. Curiously enough, however, the official protection of the Japanese marine service haa continued con-tinued without a break, notwithstanding Its gradual growth, until it now exceeds $G5.000,000 annually. |