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16 MARINE REVIEW. struction of a dock or pier extending easterly from the little point of land between the two American locks. ; Following the secretary's explanations Capt. James Davidson moved that the president and secretary be instructed to notify the proper govern- ment authorities that the association deems it necessary that the govern- ment should purchase the dock referred to and that it be kept exclusively for the use of vessels passing through the canal. The resolution was sup- ported by J. J. H. Brown of Buffalo and was passed unanimously. ENDORSEMENT OF SEYMOUR PLAN OF ERIE CANAL IMPROVEMENT. In its annual report the board of directors suggested action with ref- erence to Erie canal improvements. The matter was brought up by Mr. M. M. Drake of Buffalo introducing the following resolutions: WHEREAS this association, comprising the entire business tonnage of the lakes and representing over 600 vessels valued at $50,000,000, notes with satisfaction and approval the effort now being made by the commercial bodies of the state of New York to secure the improvement of the New York state canals by obtaining a depth ofg feetin the Erie and Oswego canals and the lengthening of the locks therein, and WHEREAS we believe that this is the most practical method of supple- menting the 20-foot lake channel west of Buffalo, and will best serve to develop the lake interests and to secure cheap transportation to the sea- board for the shippers of the west and northwest, therefore be it RESOLVED that the Lake Carriers' Association heartily endorses the Seymour plan of improvement and urges the New York state authorities to push the contemplated work to speedy completion. RESOLVED that the secretary of this association send certified copies of this resolution to the governor of the state of New York and the chair- men of the canal committees in the New York state senate and assembly. Mr. Drake is known as one of the leading supporters of the New York canal interests. He has taken part in the various conventions of the canal men in New York, in which appropriations for canal enlargement have been sought without avail. He made a short address in support of the res- olution. No one else said anything on the subject. The big international scheme and other radical projects over which waterways conventions have spent a great deal of time of late years were not even spoken of. The res- olution was passed, although there were few vessel owners at the meeting who expect that the state of New York will, without government aid, ever advance money enough to improve the canals on the scale demanded by conditions ruling in the commerce between Buffalo and the seaboard. CHICAGO DRAINAGE CANAL, The subject of a possible lowering of lake levels through the discharge of a great quantity of water into the drainage canal at Chicago from Lake Michigan, when the canal is completed some years hence, was brought to the attention of the association by Secretary Keep, who deals with the mat- ter as far as it is possible to do so in the report of the board of managers. Mr. Keep's explanation of the matter was in substance what is contained in the report of the managers. Ex-President Corrigan supported the position taken by the managers and the secr2tary. CaptJ.S Dunham of Chicago did not object to applying for an investigation of the subject, but said that there need b2 no fear of the amount of water drawn from Lake Michigan being sufficient to create any difference in lake levels. A current of three miles an hour through the Chicago river, as proposed by the promoters of the canal would, he said, destroy commerce in that river and would never be permitted. On motion of M. M. Drake of Buffalo the president and secretary of the as- sociation were instructed to proceed with an effort to secure the appoint- ment of the proposed commission in accordance with the recommendation of the board of managers. ; BUFFALO GRAIN CHARGES--WEATHER BUREAU SERVICE. Mr. J. J. H. Brown of Buffalo directed attention to what had been ac- complished by the commtttee appointed a year ago to undertake measures for a reduction in unloading charges on grain delivered at Buffalo, and moved the appointment of a new committee to continue the work begun at that time. It was understood that this committee could make no immedi- ate report, but they will be heard from before the opening of navigation this year, through the executive officers of the association. The commit- tee as appointed consists of G. G. Hadley, 'M. A. Bradley, James McBrier, J. J. H. Brown and W. A. Livingstone. These gentlemen met during the progress of the convention and fixed upon plans for again taking up this subject with the elevator managers and the shovelers' union of Buffalo. A letter from Inspector Conger of Detroit, who is in the service of the weather bureau on the lakes asked for an expression of opinion from the association as to the value of the signal stations at Thunder Bay and Mid- dle islands, which are maintained at considerable expense, on account of the cable connections necessary for such stations. The communication also asked for an opinion on the advisability of establishing a similar sta- tion, with a main land connection, on North Manitou island, Lake Mich- igan. Several members of the association, including Messrs. M. M. Drake, Geo. P. McKay and W. A. Livingstone, spoke of the great value of the Thun- der Bay and Middle island stations and the necessity of duplicating the ser- vice at the Manitous. On motion of Mr. W. A. Livingstone, the secretary was iustructed to convey to the weather bureau an expression of the vessel owners' appreciation of the cable stations on Lake Huron, and to ask for a station of the same kind on North Manitou island, with the suggestion that a telegraph line be erected from the station on North Manitou to the South Manitou, so as to permit of the display of signals at the latter point also. 'The asssociation would have recommended the laying of a cable to South Manitou instead of North Manitou, but Mr. Conger explained that the expense would be very much greater than that required for a cable to the north island. VEXED QUESTION OF FUEL CHARGES. AN AGREEMENT TO PURCHASE NO COAI, FROM BUFFALO COAL SHIPPERS --CARGO PRICES WITH HANDLING CHARGES ADDED TO GOVERN FUEL PURCHASES AT OHIO PORTS. Before leaving the chair, Mr. James Corrigan announced that he pro- posed to bring up the question of coal shippers charging to vessels to" which they furnish coal cargoes 30 to 4o cents a ton more for fuel than the price at which fuel of the same quality may be secured from the shippers when coal cargoes are not furnished or when the vesselis allowed to purchase fuel from dealers who are not in the shipping business. This is not, of course a new questiou. It was discussed at great length at the last meeting of the association, and a committee was appointed to confer with | the coal shippers, but no report was ever received from this committee. Agreements have been entered into by the vessel owners in the past and they have been broken, but the discussion at this meeting was of an open and extended kind, almost every owner at the meeting being called upon for his views and experience in the matter. There was more earnestness than in any previous discussion of the subject, and three or four of the fuel dealers who are not extensive shippers, or not shippers at all, were admitted to the meeting and requested to state their views of the matter. Among these were Martin Mullen of the Cuddy-Mullen Coal Company of Clevelend, H. A. Noble of Frank Williams & Co: of Buffalo,and Charles Clifton of Bell, Lewis & Yates, also of Buffalo. The discussion was based on the following resolutions, which were introduced by Mr. James Corrigan of Cleveland some time after a number of members had spoken on the subject, and it was evident that the vessel owners were thoroughly stirred up over the practice of the coal men, which was referred to in plain term as outright robbery: WHEREAS it has become common, if not usual, for those who furnish coal cargoes, to require as a condition of the charter, that the vessel shall purchase her fuel from such parties, or as they shall direct, and WHEREAS the said parties are in some cases not the actual shippers, but only agents for the actual shippers of cargoes, be it RRSOLVED that the experience of the members of this association gen- erally shows that very serious evils have grown out of this practice. The price charged for fuel is much higher than the market price of the same coal, and correspondingly higher than the price at which other fueling concerns stand ready to sell the same coal for fuel; and be it RESOLVED that the practice is a species of extortion contrary to the spirit of free institutions, and has attained the proportions of an unbear- able evil, and be it RESOLVED,that this association condemns this practice in unmeasured terms as an unmitigated evil and one which is unnecessary for vessel own- ers to suffer under if they will take and firmly maintain a united stand against it; and while this association can not as such deal with the control and operation of vessels or direct the business conduct of their owners, it does pledge its influence in support of the efforts of vessel owners in stamp-. ing out this practice, and be it RESOLVED,that a committee of seven be appointed by the chair to formu- late and report at tomorrow morning's session a course and mode of action for owners. Mr. Mullen of Cleveland said his firm was ready to enter into a con- tract with the association, or any number of its members, to furnish coal to the extent of several hundred thousand tons at a price-even lower than that at which the independent dealers had been selling coal during the season just past. Both of the representatives of the Buffalo firms made similar offers, and both said they would certainly be forced out of the vessel fueling business within another year if the present practice of deal- ing with the coal shippers is continued. Mr. Stanley B. Smith, represent- ing the company having a big plant of chutes on the Detroit river was also present, but he did not enter into the discussion, as the business of his company is of akind rendering a special advantage to vessels passing through the rivers and is not involved in matters at issue to the extent that other firms are concerned. Mr, Noble of Frank Williams & Co. of Buffalo admitted that in his dealings with certain hard coal shipping agents in Buffalo, who are not in the soft coal business, he furnished fuel in{1894 to vessels which were loaded by these hard coal agents and charged the agents $2.10 a ton, while it was billed to the vessel at $2.60. In pre- vious years he was compelled to give these agents only 1o to 15 cents a ton on fuel furnished to vessels which they loaded. He figured that on