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_ Charles H. Keep, Secretary, Buffalo, N.Y. PT eee ae RESON RETR De SMR se Cah Ola try Ty a el ae MARINE REVIEW. . | y SHEDS SOK S M. A. BRADLEY. Pr Ss esident. : James W. Millen, Detroit, Mich. John G. Keith, Chicago, Ml. VICE-PRESIDENTS: Frank J. Firth, Erie, Pa. ~ W.S. Brainard, Toledo, O. -- Thomas Wilson, Cleveland, O. K.P. Fitzgerald,Milwaukee,Wis Peter F. Miller, Buffalo, N.Y. Alex. McDougall, Duluth,Minn. Geo. P. McKay, Treasurer, Cleveland, O. Harvey D. Goulder, Counsel, Cleveland, O. : 4 Members of the Lake Carriers's Association now own and manage more than 600 vessels, valued at more than $43,000,000. Nowhere in this or any other country is there a more represent- ative organization in the shipping business, and the system now attending the management of association affairs warrants active interest in every detail pertaining to lake transportation inter- ests. The reorganization of last winter was a very wise move, as it has resulted in unanimous action in everything coming be- © fore the association. There is no doubt that next year will see an increase in membership that will practically include every ton of vessel property of importance on the lakes. CASE OF COL. LUDLOW AND COMMANDER HEVERMAN. No steps have as yet been taken to detail officers perma- nently to take the places of Col. William Ludlow and Com- mander Heyerman in the light-house service on the lakes, and it is probable that nothing will be done in the matter until the as- sociation is given a final answer regarding its repeated requests that these officers be given a hearing in person on the: subject of their actions while preparing for lighting the St. Mary's river. There is, of course, only a hope that the light-house board will reconsider its action and grant the officers a hearing, but the case is still pending and will not be dropped by lake vessel owners as long as there is any prospect of reinstatement. After a thorough and impartial investigation of the subject, the Lake Carriers' Association has gone to Secretary Foster of the treasury department with the claim that the order relieving Col. Ludlow and Commander Heyerman was based upona partial ap- prehension of the facts, and that by that order not only have two most efficient officers been subjected to unjust criticism, but. that the public service has been greatly injured. The pending request is that the suspended officers be summoned to Washing- ton to be heard in their own behalf; that the officers be heard before the board itself and that a report of the inquiry be made to the secretary. Star Chamber Proceedings. An important feature in the publication of letters, telegrams, etc., pertaining to the removal of Col. William Ludlow and Commander Heyerman from the light-honse service on the lakes was a statement from the light-house board, which was first printed in one of the Washington papers. The statement was published, it was said, on authority from the board. It was, however, evidently incomplete and misleading. The REVIEW wrote its Washington correspondent to learn whether the state- ment had been given out as an official communication from the board. 'The answer received was as follows: "The copy of the report alluded to was given by some one in the office of the light-house board to a reporter on one of the city papers. Just who gave it is not easy to find out, and it seems impossible to gain any further information on this subject. We find this the case more with this part of the public service than with any other. Why should such star chamber proceed- ings prevail ?" Contracts of Common Carriers. 'The house of representatives committee on interstate and foreign commerce has ordered a favorable report on the bill making it unlawful for any common carrier, either by land or water, to insert in any bill of lading or shipping document, any clause or agreement whereby the carrier shall be relieved from liability for loss or damage arising from negligence or failure in proper loading of any merchandise or property committed to its charge, nor shall it be lawful to limit its liahility to less than a full indemnity to the claimant for any loss or damage incurred. The bill further provides that it shall not be lawful to insert in in the bill of lading of any vessel plying between the United States and foreign countries any agreement whereby the obliga- tions of the owner of the vessel properly to equip the ship, shall in any wise be lessened. The bill relieves the owners of vessels, however, of all responsibily for damage or loss to merchandise resulting from error of judgment in navigation or management of the vessel if it is shown that the vessel was in all respects seaworthy and properly manned and equipped in starting on her voyage. Canadian Labor by Contract is alone Prohibited. The treasury department has again been called upon by one of the branches of the Seamen's Union on the lakes for an opinion regarding the employment of Canadian seamen on American lake vessels. The department renews the opinion expressed some time ago in the following correspondence: TREASURY DEPARTMENT, March 16, 1892. Srr:--I hand you herewith a communication from the acting solicitor of the treasury, dated the 11th inst., in which he expresses the opinion that the bringing of aliens to this country under contract to perform labor as seamen on board American vessels sailing between ports of the United States and ports of Canada constitutes a violation of the act of Feb. 26, 1885, and the act of March 8, 1891. In this opinion the department concurs. Obviously the employment of foreigners as sailors, etc., on board American vessels sailing between ports of the United States and Canada is not in violation of the law, provided they already have domicile within the United States at the time when such employment begins and have not been brought into the country under contract to perform service. It is a necessary inference that in case an American vessel, while in a foreign port, is deprived of its crew, or a portion thereof, by desertion, or otherwise, the owner or master may there engage alien sailors to man the ves- sel. Any other construction of the law would tend to cripple American com- merce, a result which congress could not have intended. s To Hon. Jno. B. Weber, Commissioner of Immigration, New York. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE, Office of the Secretary of the Treasury, Wasuinaton, D. C., March 11, 1892. Sir:--By reference of Assistant Secretary Nettleton, { have before me a letter addressed to him by Superintendent Owen, under date of the 26th ult., with regard to the employment of Canadians by captains and by owners of American vessels "plying between Canada and the United States in violation of the alien contract labor law."' It is assumed by the superintendent that such employment is in violation of said law; and as the question has not been raised in the department, he suggests that the opinion of the solicitor be re- quested. ee Section 4131, revised statutes, prescribes that "'officers of vessels of the United States shall in all cases be citizens of the United States."' If Congress has the power as unquestionably it has, to require that the officers of vessels of the United States shall be citizens of this country, it also has the power to prescribe that only citizens of the United States shall be employed on Ameri- can vessels as seamen; or that it shall be unlawful to enter into contracts with _ aliens to perform service as seamen on board American vessels. Now, while congress has not seen fit to prohibit the employment of aliens on American vessels, in express terms, yet | am of the opinion that bringing aliens or foreigners to this country under contract to perform labor as seamen, etc., on American vessels running between the United States and Canada, is in violation of the act of Feb. 26, 1885, and the act of March 83,1891. In this opinion I have the concurrence of Elihu Colman, United States attorney for the eastern district of Wisconsin. F. A. REEVE, : Acting Solicitor. To THE SECRETARY OF THE TREASURY. Again reports of the make of pig iron, published by the American Manufacturer of Pittsburgh, show a slight downward tendency, the reduction in weekly production on July 1 as com- pared 'with June 1 being 3,040 tons. All of this reduction is at anthracite and charcoal furnaces, the production of coke or bi- tuminous furnaces showing practically no change. "We see no reason," says the Manufacturer, "to change the opinion ex- pressed in our issue of June Io, that the production of pig iron in the first six months of 1892 will be in the neighborhood of 4,- 750,000 gross tons. Our reports would indicate a production, to be exact, of 4,771,270 gross tons. 'The make for the first six months of 1891 was 3,371,925 gross tons.