* K
8 Conservative.
ARBOR DAY.
His breath the Great Eternal is sending forth
anew ,
In the soft breezes vernal , which fret the sil
vered blue ;
The grace of the Eternal dcscendoth in the
rain ,
Which Ho , in love supernal , distilloth on the
plain ;
The light of the Eternal is pouring from on
high ,
AH the sun's course diurnal is lengthened in the
sky ;
The life of the Eternal throbboth through
every vein ,
And from her sleep hibernal arousoth earth
again.
Beneath and round us , all is with vital vigor
rife ,
No germ so weak or small is , but it expands
with life.
Wedge-like , wild fowl arc winging northward ,
athwart the sky ,
And the wide air is ringing with their ri'joic-
ing cry.
The song-birds , as they flutter among the bud
ding boughs ,
Melodiously utter their mutual love vows.
While round us thus benignly breathes the
young year's fresh prime ,
Our tree , wo now resign theo to Nature and to
Time.
For a long life-course gird thce ; deep down
ward send thy roots ;
Fling wide thy branches sturdy and skyward
send thy shoots.
Seasons to thce be kindly ; and many an Arbor
Day
Alive and verdant find theo , when wo have
passed away.
REV. JOHN POWER.
Hastings , Neb.
THE CAKOO AMENDMENT.
Some weeks ago Seuator Frye re
ported the Haiina-Frye ship subsidy bill
to the senate with a "Cargo Amend
ment. " The other day Mr. Grosvenor
reported a similar bill to the house , with
practically an identical "Cargo Amend
ment" which , therefore , seems a very
important point on which all friends of
the bill agree. It reads as follows :
"No vessel shall be entitled to the full
compensation under this clause unless
she shall have cleared from a port of the
United States with cargo to the amount
of fifty per centum of her gross tonnage
except as hereinafter in this clause
stated. In ascertaining the percentage
of the required cargo , 2240 Ibs. , or cargo
measuring 40 cubic feet , according to
the custom and trade , shall be deemed
one gross ton ; and if cargo space in any
vessel in this clause described be sold by
the year or for any period of time , each
40 cubic feet of such space shall be
reckoned and deemed a gross ton on
each outward voyage during the perioc
for which said space shall have been
sold ; and in ascertaining the percentage
of the cargo required for passenger anc
mail steamers the tonnage measurement
of the space permanently devoted to the
carrying of passengers and mails shal
first be deducted from the gross tonnage
of such steamers ; and no such steamer
shall be entitled to the full compensation
-
for any voyage under this clause unless
she shall have cleared from a port of the
United States with cargo to the amount
of 50 per centum of the difference
) etween her gross tonnage and the
onnago measurement of the space
within her permanently devoted to the
carrying of passengers and mails , as
aforesaid ; and any shortage in the
amount of cargo required shall diminish
lie amount of the compensation iu this
) aragraph provided for in the proportion
; hat such shortage bears to the total
cargo or its equivalent so required. "
From the Revised Statutes ( R. S.
4158) ) as to measurement of vessels , wo
ind that the register tonnage of a vessel
s "her entire internal cubical capacity
in tons of 100 cubic foot , " and that
( Acts of August 5 , 1882 , and March 2 ,
1895 , ) from the gross tonnage thus cal
culated there shall be deducted for crew
accommodations , accommodation of
master , steering crew , boatswains stores ,
charthouse , donkey engine and boiler
propelling power , etc. , and that "the
proper deduction from the gross tonnage
aaviug been thus made the remainder
shall be deemed the net or register ton
nage of such vessels. "
Applied to cargo , however , an entirely
different measure is used , and a gross or
nautical ton is either 2240 Ibs. by weight
or 40 cubic feet of space , the actual
weight of space goods , including pack
ing , etc. , being generally from 1,200 to
1,500 Ibs. , more nearly the former.
The following are the figures for the
great "Ocean Flyers" of the Inter
national Navigation Company , the
Pennsylvania Railroad Standard Oil
concern which is the main beneficiary of
this bill. The small cargo capacity of
these ships shows the extent to which
freight is crowded out by the demand of
passenger traffic , and the fuel , crew ,
etc. , room required for boats of such
speed. It is noteworthy that , of these
steamers , those of the largest gross
tonnage have the smallest cargo
capacity :
Cargo
. Gross Not Capacity
Steamship. Tonnage. Tonnage. in 40 ft.
tons.
Now York. . . . 10,674 5,558 8,800
Paris 10,608 5,408 8,800
St. Louis 11,029 5,893 8,500
St. Paul 11,029 5,874 8,500 ,
The subsidies given by this bill are at
certain rates ' 'per gross ton for each one
hundred nautical miles , " etc. When
Senator Frye's amendment prescribes
"cargo to the amount of 50 per centum
of her gross tonnage" the mystery
begins.
Does this mean that , to enable the St
Louis or the St. Paul to draw ful
subsidy both ways , she must carry even
one way actual cargo sufficient to fil
one-half her gross tonnage capacity
Not at all , for the amendment con
tinues :
" 2240 Ibs , or cargo measuring 40 cubic
eet , according to the custom of trade ,
hall bo deemed one gross ton , " and
# * * "Tho tonnage measurement
of the space permanently devoted to the
carrying of passengers and mails shall
first be deducted from the gross tonnage
of such steamers ; and no such steamer
hall be entitled to the full compensa-
; ion for any voyage under this clause
unless she shall have cleared from a
> ort of the United States with cargo to
; he amount of 50 per centum of the
difference between her gross tonnage
and the tonnage measurement of the
pace within her permanently devoted
o the carrying of passengers and mails. "
Here we begin to get something defi
nite. "Gross tonnage" of a vessel is in
aw its calculated capacity at 100 cubic
'eet ' per ton ; and when from this is
leducted the space devoted to passengers
and mails , what is left will be a certain
amount of tonnage , presumably of 100
cubic feet per ton ; and 50 per centum of
ilie difference between the gross tonnage
and the tonnage that is left , after de
ducting passenger and mail space , can
> e ascertained when once the space
devoted to passengers and mails is fixed.
But there is no rule for the calculation
of passenger and mail space ; and no
certainty in this regard , except that Mr.
Griscom , of the International Naviga
tion Company , would make his own
rules.
That , however , is only one of the little
embarrassments. For , as the clause is
drawn , it still leaves included ( in the
difference between gross tonnage and
ihe tonnage measurement of the space
within her permanently devoted to the
arrying of passengers and mails , ) the
whole of the space for crew , coal ,
engines , etc. , that , under the law , is
always deducted in arriving at net
tonnage.
Did Mr. Frye intend that this should
be filled , either wholly or to the extent
of 50 per cent by cargo ? If so , his
amendment is nonsense. But if not ,
what does he mean.
Does he not really mean that , after
deduction from the total amount of
gross capacity , for crew , engine and coal
room , etc. , and after further deduction
of passenger and mail space , that for
every hundred cubic feet left the vessel
shall carry one-half a cargo ton of 40
feet , or 2240 Ibs. ?
If so , then to earn that portion of the
subsidy provided for by the cargo
amendment ( subsidy on a 6,400 mile
round trip say $9,200 , ) a 11,629 ton
vessel like the St. Louis need carry only
one way , say 1,750 cargo tons of Ameri
can exports which is precisely what
this cargo amendment means.
If this is what Senator Frye wants ,
be ought to do two things first , own it
up , and then fix his bill BO that no
scandal will be caused by the necessity
of arbitrary ruling in order to give the
International Company what he had in
tended for it. If he does not mean this ,
then let him tell just what he does mean.