THE AMERICAN SUBSIDY FOR THE MAIL STEAMERS.

Grey River Argus, Volume XII, Issue 1204, 7 June 1872, Page 2

THE AMERICAN SUBSIDY FOR THE MAIL STEAMERS.

The proposal of the' Committee of the American Legislature, to subsidise liber* ally, the ocean steamers, is warm support "in various parts of the State. The Chamber of Commerce, of San Francisco, have had the subject under consideration, and have unanimously passed the following memorial to Congress : — ■ "That the increasing claims of commerce in the Pacific Ocean, the opening of more friendly intercourse with the countries \ bordering, thereon, and >the larger facilities for the transportation of passengers and freight from this port to the Atlantic seaboard, require the per; manent establishment of lines of firstclass mail steamers under more liberal patronage of the Government, from San Francisco to Japan and China, as also to the British Colonies of Australia and New Zealand. That the encouragement of these two lines of steamers by Congress, semi-monthly to China, and monthly to

Australia, is a matter of vital consequence to the people of the United States, inasmuch as is would undoubtedly result in diverting a large portion of the trade and intercourse of those countries, and the productive islands of the Pacific Ocean, from the time-worn routes via the Cape cf Good Hope, or the Isthmus of Suez, to the American continent. That in the opinion of this Chamber it should be equally the policy of the Government to further intercourse by sea as well as by land, and to grant reasonable subsidies to lines of mail steamers, for the purpose of attracting and securing foreign commerce to our shores, as well as to extend assistance to lines of railroad for the purpose of facilitating and developing internal communication. That it is the earnest prayer of this Chamber that Congress should extend such assistance to the steamers plying between this port and China, as will enable them to seenre permanently the vast advantages of the trade between the two countries, by the establishment of a semi-monthly line, and also such other assistance to the steamers plying between this port and Australia and New Zealand as will promote the important and increasing intercourse with these rich and rapidly developing countries."