We said Iat week that the corpora
tions would get the bi nubsidies I hey
were after. Tho Oceanic Steamship
Company which carries ihr mail from
San Francisco to New Zealand and gets
a contract price for it, asked the gov
ernment to give it an additional sub
sidy of $80,000 a year. The company
will not run any more ships, nor will
the ships make better time, but the
Senate voted to give that company this
$80,000 annually, just as we said it
would do last week. Senator Butler
voted against it. Senator Pritchard
voted for it.
The railroads came in for a big sub
sidy too. They carry the mails at con
tract prices, but they waul more than
this from (he government. They had
their "frieims" in the Simile to pui
this clause in the bill :
"Fur ueceatiury and special facilities
on trunk lines from Boston. Man., by
way of New York and Washington, to
Atlanta and New Orleanu, $ly,14 22 :
Provided, That no part of the appro
priation made by this paragraph shall
be expended unless the Postmaster
General shall deem such expenditure
necessary in order to promote the in
terest of the postal service."
Senator lias moved to strike out this
clause. Senator Butler spoke against
it and said :
"I wish to say that in my opinion
that subsidy should be stricken from
the bill. It is a clear subsidy of $1!G,-
000 given as a free gift you can not
call it anything else to one railroad
company, now the Southern Railroad.
The Atlantic Coast Line and the
Southern Railroad Company are both
anxious to get the contract from the
government to carry this mail. They
both have fast mail facilities now.
