Show CONGRESS AND OU OUR S SHIPPING American merchants in Australia ia are protesting to our Government that its refusal to renew lenew the contract contract con con- tract for th the little subsidies they have be been n paying payin Australian l an steamers steamers is liable to ruin American trade in that coun country rr In Ip the appeal to the A American can eri-can C Congress Congress Con Con- n- n gr gress ss one merchant of Sidney says France pa pays ys the 1 company company OO a year Germany pa pays s 's the Lloyd England pays the P. P P.- P. 0 9 in subsidies to China India and Australia Australia pays the Orient t J Japan pan pays the Nippon more than Canada pays the Vancouver line 3 POO The American Oceanic company was was' required tomake to tomake tomake make more mor speed peed than either of those companies compani s and was vas paid much less money In 18 1896 6 our our exports to Australia were vere 1267 now now they are about 50 the increase being in n main part because of I the swift steam communications between San FranCisco Francisco Francisco Fran Fran- cisco and arid Syd Sydney ey Encouraged by the the steam lines Ameri Americans ans have gone Bono there and have built up p heavy business enterprises and now they are all put in jeopardy by the failure of our Government to support support support sup sup- port the ships Mr 11 Coffee in speaking king of or orif it if says it-says s says It is s nothing less than a a disgrace l i that that today the United United States p pays ys foreigners ers a a ye year r for carry carrying ng American goods abroad while th the total earnings of Ame American ican ships amount to but bit a a year And hi his fin final l remark was It is proved by the best of all financial ar arguments the arguments ments the withdrawal of American Amer Amer- ican icon sl ships from the Pacific that Pacific that America can Evan have no mer merchantmen the P on Pacific to support her fight ing lug ships unless as a nation she pays t toward y ard the support of f t those ose merchantmen And she can cn afford to pay She can Cali afford aBord to pay pay for anything so essential essential essen essen- to th the maintenance of American power and American prestige where she has undertaken responsibilities responsibilities of a national character For half the annual an an- annual nu nual l cost of one battleship a large fleet of first class m merchantmen could be subsidized |