* * * * *

China, too, taking on Western ways, is emulating Japan in establishing a modern merchant marine.  The Government is giving State aid to native steamship companies, and subsidizing ship-yards.  According to the United States consul-general at Hongkong the Government is now (1911) to furnish half of the amount of an extension of the capital of the Chinese Merchants’ Steam Navigation Company to twenty million taels (about $12,600,000 gold), and thirty additional steamers of modern type are to be built for service—­ten on foreign routes, including a route to the United States, and twenty on routes between Chinese ports; while a new ship-yard is to be set up at Shanghai under Government auspices, capitalized at five million taels (about $3,200,000 gold).

FOOTNOTES: 

[Footnote FC:  Meeker.]

[Footnote FD:  Meeker.]

[Footnote FE:  U.S.  Con.  Rept., no. 282, March, 1904.]

[Footnote FF:  U.S.  Con.  Rept., no. 316, Jan, 1907, pp. 92-93.]

[Footnote FG:  Con.  Gen. H.B.  Miller, Yokohama, in Con.  Repts., no. 32, pp. 120-121, May, 1907.]

[Footnote FH:  Vice Con.  Gen. E.G.  Babbitt, Yokohama, in Con.  Repts., no. 344, p. 216, May, 1909.]

[Footnote FI:  Japan Year Book, 1911.]

[Footnote FJ:  U.S.  Con.  Gen. Thomas Sammons, Yokohama, in Daily Con.  Repts., no. 38, Aug. 17, 1910.]

[Footnote FK:  Japan Year Book, 1911.]

[Footnote FL:  U.S.  Ambassador Thomas J. O’Brien, Tokyo, in Daily Con.  Repts., no. 123, May 26, 1911.]

[Footnote FM:  Lloyd’s Register, 1910-11.]

[Footnote FN:  Japan Year Book, 1911.]

CHAPTER XII

SOUTH AMERICA

Brazil gives subventions from the Federal treasury to several foreign steamship companies, and some of the States of the federation also make similar grants from their treasuries.  Besides the subventions to lines to foreign ports, the Government grants State aid to a considerable number of coast lines operating between Rio de Janeiro and other Brazilian ports.  The total amount of the subventions in 1910 was equal to $1,437,880.[FO] The principal beneficiary was the Lloyd Brazileiro, maintaining the line between Brazilian ports and the United States.

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Argentina is adopting a policy of giving subsidies to foreign steamship companies which extend her communications with foreign ports.  As far back as 1865 a decree was issued offering a subsidy of twenty thousand dollars a year for a line between Argentina and the United States.  But it was not taken.  In 1911 the Government was prepared to pay a subsidy to a new steamship company promoted to furnish a regular service to South Africa.[FP] In 1911 there appeared the first steam vessel flying the American flag at Buenos Aires in twenty years.[FQ]