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by the Postmaster-General in his report in Appendix A, the law of
1891 has failed to sustain American mail steamship service on the
longer and more expensive routes to the farther countries of South
America and across the Pacific Ocean, and it is confidently believed
that the increased compensation allowed by this bill will give us direct
communication with those countries, and thereby greatly increase the
trade of the United States.
AMOUNT TO BE EXPENDED.
OCEAN MAIL SERVICE.
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_ The bill provides that the total expenditure for foreign-mail service
In any one year shall not exceed the estimated revenue therefrom for
that year. "The report of the Postmaster-General in Appendix A shows
the total annual receipts and expenditures since 1900. For the past
four years the apparent profit of the ocean mail service has been
Upward of $3,000,000 annually. While exact figures can not, of
course, be given, the statement may nevertheless be made unhesitatingly
that the ocean mail service of no other considerable nation
shows any such balance of profit. It is the uniform Jranjion of maritime
nations, except the United States, to create and maintain ocean
mail service under the national flag and to gan on that service all
the receipts from ocean postage and more. Following is a statement
from the annual report of the Postmaster-General of the expenditures
of foreign governments and of the United States for carrying
the mails on their national ships, exclusive of the postage paid to
steamships of other flags, for the year 1908:
Great Britain.........
France......
Japan. .
Ttaly........
Germany...
Spain... .......
Austria-Hungary.
United States.
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$7, 016, 764
5, 217, 037
1, 379, 000
2, 328, 917
, 301, 029
1858, 186
1,729, 530
1. 467, 256
In addition, the United States paid, in 1908, to foreign steamship
lines for transporting the ocean mails of our country $1,228.032.
TYPE OF VESSELS TO BE CONSTRUCTED.
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The mail steamships on our European and Caribbean routes did
good work-as auxiliary cruisers and transports in our war with Spain.
New steamships built under this bill—and practically all of the ships
required would have to be built before routes could be established—
must, as provided in the law of 1891, “be constructed with particular
reference to prompt and economical conversion into auxiliary naval
cruisers. ”’ They must undergo official tests by the Navy Department
and must be turned over to the Government in war. All of
the officers of these mail steamships and an increasing proportion of
their crews must be American citizens, so that the hips would be
completely readv in case of need.
SOUTHERN PORTS CARED FOR.
The bill further provides that if two or more lines are established
from North Atlantic ports to South America, ‘one of said lines shall
upon each outward and homeward vovage touch at at least two ports
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