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14 i MARINE REVIHW. --. Annual Report of Board of Managers. Office of the LAKE CARRIERS' ASSOCIATION, | BuFFALO, N. Y., January 15,7896. § To the Members of the Lake Carriers' Association: The board of managers of the association submits herewith its annual report of the proceedings and operations of the association during the past year. TONNAGE OF THE ASSOCIATION. The membership of the association shows a very gratifying increase during the year which is just closing. For the year ending March 3], 1895 the tonttage of the association was 590,136 tons. For the current year the tonnage is 617,880 tons. This is an increase of nearly 30,000 tons, and the figures for the present year are the largest in the history of the asso- ciation. Outside of the railroad ferry lines and the passenger lines which operate in certain localities where they do not share to any great extent in the benefits afforded by membership in the association, there are not 20 important vessels on the great lakes which are not now on our rolls. The board of managers is much gratified at this showing and feels that it affords a conclusive proof that the association is accomplishing valuable results. FINANCES OF THE ASSOCIATION. The annual dues for the current year remain at 3 cents per net regis- tered ton, to which figure they were reduced at the annual meeting in 1894. The treasurer's report, which is submitted herewith, shows that these dues have been well paid up but that the income of the association has not been quite sufficient to meet all expenses. It is not necessary to review the treasurer's report in detail. It is enough to say that the uncollected dues, which his statement shows as $462.99, have been reduced by later pay- ments toa little over $200.00, most of which will probably be collected, and that there is now a balance of about $850.00 in the treasury, which will nearly provide for existing liabilities. Every year heretofore the treasurer has been compelled to borrow money at some time between the annual meeting and the first of May to meet the expenses incurred during the winter and before the new dues were paidin. We had hoped that this year we should not be compelled to do this, but the statement subm'tted shows that a small sum will have to be borrowed to tide over the interval until the income of the coming year is available. In 1894 the expenses of the association were quite rigorously cut and decided economies have been in force ever since. 'The current year has also, like the previous year been comparatively free from extraordinary and unforeseen expenses. The very low stage of water, however, compelled the association to establish some additional lights in the vicinity of Ballard's reef and at other points in the Detroit river, and these increased the expense of private lighting beyond the estimates. Aside from this, all expenses have been kept down to the lowest estimated requirements. e OPERATIONS OF THE SHIPPING OFFICES. Shipping offices of the association have been maintained during the _ past year at Cleveland, Chicago, South Chicago, Buffalo, Ashtabula and To- ledo. The following condensed report, taken from the annual report of Shipping Master Rumsey, shows the number of men placed on board ves- sels at each of these points as follows: There have been no complaints from members of unsatisfactory service at any of the shipping offices: Butxongooard ate Cleveland iecssssssavdacoaostssioleesios-@sse5 ue 2,871 Sent from Cleveland to other ports.........06:.sssssesseveeee 530 etitonmboatdeat: Chica gots tcinc.sadctacdiseocecandedecanso ete 2,861 Sentifrom, Chicago to: other ports, .....100..0-.«seussiecesesens 112 BumonghoardiatCouth Chicago.ys. sess: cseescsbtese-bepes es 2,494 Put on board at Buffalo and Tonawanda............s0006 »2,300 Eittvonboardsat-Ashtaplars.,.ccesssss.seeesesecessscses aconaglijoey? SenutdrompAshtabula tojother ports,-v..5.....s+r8- seenmeens 160 Rutsonsboand atmloled off. cist: sis otccsdscsccsnetoeseelerscesnes 755 MOCO aeons cetacc cane: i evecsitsels cases' oan sues ear emereented 13,975 The total number of men shipped during the past season shows an in- crease of 3,919 over the season of 1894. This is an increase of 4o per cent. and shows that the use of the shipping offices by members is growing very rapidly. The greatest increases in 1895 has been at South Chicago and Buffalo. THE FUELING AGREEMENT. In reviewing the operations of the past year, the first place should perhaps, be given to the important work projected at the last eranel meeting in reforming the practices prevailing at the port of Buffalo in supplying steamers with fuel. This matter occupied so much time and attention at the last annual meeting that it is not necessary to set out in full either the abuses which had gradually grown up in connection with fueling at Buffalo or the various methods which were proposed to the asso- ciation for the purpose of reforming such practices. Itis sufficient to say that at last year's meeting the committee on fueling presented a report which was adopted by the meeting, in which they reccommended that vessel owners on the lakes whose vessels carried coal cargoes out of Buf- falo should sign an agreement pledging themselves each to the other that under no circumstances would they purchase fuel for their steamers di- rectly or indirectly from any shipper of hard coal. Such an agreement was prepared and largely signed by those present at the last annual meet- ing. After the meeting the committee on fueling circulated the contract among vessel owners generally and succeeded in securing the signature of so large a proportion of the tonnage which is engaged in carrying hard coal out of Buffalo that the plan was declared operative, and all signers of the agreement were notified that the necessary tonnage had been secured and that they were expected to live up to the contract in all particulars. It was not expected that a victory could be won in this matter without a long hard fight. The shippers of hard coal and their agents, who had ex- acted as a condition of chartering a vessel to carry hard coal that they or some person designated by them should have the privilege of fueling the vessel at a price 4o or 50 cents above the price at which soft coal firms © stood ready to furnish the same or better fuel, would not willingly see a prac- tice so decidedly for their advantage go out of existence. Circumstances, how-- ever, were on the whole favorable to the vessel owners. During the early part of the season the movement of grain to Buffalo was light, so that acom- paritively small number of vessels outside the line boats visited that port. There was, therefore, no great competition to secure charters for carrying" coal. Later inthe year when the grain trade became active and the number of vessels desiring coal charters became numerous, the requirements of the coal shippers became large and pressing, and the amount of coal to be for- warded was unusually great. In addition to these favoring circumstances, the vessel owners had the very great advantage afforded to them by the skill, care and constant vigilance exercised in their behalf by Mr. J. J. H. Brown, the Buffalo member of the fueling committee. Capt. Brown was in a position to know exactly what was going on in the matter of charter- ing for coal. He kept the closest watch of every phase of the struggle be- tween the vessel owners and the coal shippers and was always on the alert to detect the slightest sign of weakness on the part of the vessels and to keep vessel owners promptly advised of every occurrence however slight which had any bearing on the controversy. The amount of time, patience and skill which he gave to the matter can scarcely be overstated, and the board of managers desires to express in its annual report the very great: obligations of all vessel owners to him for the generalship which he showed in conducting this struggle on their behalf. The result of this combina- tion of favorable circumstances and skillful leadership was a complete vic- tory on the part of the vessel owners. During all the latter part of the sea- son vessels were freely chartered for coal without the slightest pressure put upon them to buy their fuel at any particular place. On the contrary, the vessels fueled where they chose, and at a price far below that prevail- ing in previous seasons. Good three-quarter lump coal was placed in the bunkers of steamers at from $2.10 to $2.20 per ton, as against a price of $2.60 per ton in 1894 for fuel which has been described as '"'anything that was black." It is estimated that the money saving to vessel owners during the season of 1895 in the price of fuel at Buffalo was over $50,000; and it is believed that the exactions which prevailed in the season of 1894 and pre- ceding years have been permanently ended. During the latter part of the past season the hard coal shippers freely _ offered fuel to vessels at the same price at which it was furnished by the soft coaldealers. Under the agreement which vessel owners had signed, however, vessels were not free to fuel with the shipper even on the same terms at which fuel was offered by the regular fueling docks. An import- ant question to come before the annual meeting this year will be to deter- mine the course to be followed during the season of 1896. 'Two possible courses lie open. First, to enter into a new agreement similar to that of last year, whereby vessels bind themselves not to take fuel from any ship- per of hard coal, Second, to raise, what has been called by the hard coal shippers, the "boycott," upon them, upon the distinct understanding that vessels shall be free to fuel with the hard coal shipper or with the soft coal firm, as they choose, and that under no circumstances shall the hard coal shipper exact a price for fuel over and above that at which the soft coal firms are ready to furnish it, it being also understood that as soon as there is any indication that the charter of any vessel for hard coal is in any way dependent or conditional upon her fueling, the agreement of last year shall be revived and all fueling with shippers or their agents shall cease. GRAIN SHOVELLING AT BUFFALO. In 1893 the scale of charges for shovelling grain at the port of Buffalo was as follows: For Steamers,--For grain in the hold............ $4.00 per 1000 bush. For grain between decks....... As0es% Satie For wet or damaged grain..... 10.00 " " For Sailing Vessels.--$3.50 per 1000 bushels for grain in good con- dition, and $10.00 per tooo for wet and damaged grain, ac