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MARINE REVIEW. ae Unfavorable Outlook for 1897. In former years there was always considerable talk in January about contract rates on iron ore, but this year there is nothing on which to base any estimates regarding next season's business. It must be admitted that the conditions of the iron market, and especially the tendency toward a very low range of values, is not encouraging to the vessel interests. Heavy stocks of Bessemer ore on Lake Erie docks will cause the ore dealers, even if they succeed in maintaining their organization, to hold off for some time in the matter of making prices for next year, and it is quite certain that the prices will be very much lower than they were a yearago. Itmay be that the policy of the incoming administration when fully announced, and when action is te ken towards carrying it into effect, will have a marked im- provement on business conditions, but there will be nothing definite in this regard for a couple of months. It is the general opinion, there- fore, that there will be nothing done in ore for next year until well onto the opening of navigation. Association of Masters and Pilots. As a result of the efforts of Grand Captain's Clerk B. F. Perkins of Camden, N. J., who has been on the lakes during the past six weeks organizing new harbors of the American Association of Masters and Pilots, that organization now has a membership of about 600 in lake cities, and the interests of deck officers in this part of the country will be well represented at the annual meeting of the national organization, which will open in Washington Jan. 26. At the annual meeting of Cleveland harbor, No. 42, held Tuesday evening, the following officers were elected: Captain, Charles E. Benham; first pilot, Frank Place; second pilot, Samuel Allen; purser, C. E. Benham; captain's clerk, Lee Brogan. C. E. Benham was chosen national representative and Lee Brogan alternate. Huron harbor, No, 46, elected J. E. Reynolds captain and national representative and J.W. Montgomery captain's clerk, purser and alter- nate. J. H. Norton, Duluth, will represent harbor No. 44 at Wash- ington. Valley harbor, No. 45, was formed at Bay City last week. This harbor has eighteen charter members and new names are being added to the list. The insurance and other privileges gained by membership in this national organization will undoubtedly make it very popular with captains and pilots in the Saginaw valley. Following 1s a list of officers elected for the ensuing year: pilot, Alfred Forrest; second pilot, Henry Bennett; capt&in's clerk, Wm. Thorp; starboard quartermaster, Jas. Owen; port quartermaster, Walter Hazen; saloon deck watchman, Fremont Schutte; chaplain, Charles Brown. The story of Henry W. Oliver of Pittsburg being paid a commis- sion of $2,000,000 for effecting the recent Carnegie-Rockefeller ore deal was probably given out as a joke. Such commissions are some- times heard of in connection with government bond transactions, but not in anything like the Mesabi mine deal, although this latter trans- action was a very big affair. It is reasonable to expect, however, that Mr. Oliver has profited by his connection -with Messrs. Carnegie and Rockefeller in this matter. He owned a half interest in the Oliver mine, and it is understood that part of this was sold, so as to give the Carnegie company control of the property, but the sale was probably on terms quite advantageous to Mr. Oliver. Hughes Bros. & Bangs of Syracuse, N. Y., who were the princ- ipal contractors at the 800-foot lock at the Sault,and who recently secured the big breakwater job at Buffalo, have just undertaken another government job of immense proportion. They are the lowest bidders on the Delaware bay harbor of refuge work, which involves an expendi- ture of about $4,600,000. If the post office department secures an appropriation for a new boat for Detroit river marine service, the craft to be built will be small but fast, and will be fitted with the conveniences and appliances of a post office, so that the mail may be handled entirely on the river, thus avoiding the disadvantage of delay in delivery through an occasional boat being missed. A supplement in this issue is the list of vessels laid up at differ- ent points around the lakes. No harbor tugs or small trading vessels are included in the list. Captain, Joseph Sauers; first, A Young Apprentice in the Navy. Editor Marine Review:--Some ot your readers may be interested in the inducements offered to apprentices in the United States navy. They are far superior to those offered by any other navy in the world. The applicant who enters the navy with an ambition to learn the work that is put before him during the time of his apprenticeship is given every opportunity possible to prepare himself for advancement from one position to another. Boys of good character, who have no physical defect, and who can read and write fairly well, are admitted into the navy when when only fourteen to fifteen years of age. The applicant at this age must measure 4 feet 9 inches in height, and weigh not _less than seventy pounds; between fifteen and sixteen, 4 feet 11 inches in height and eighty pounds; between sixteen and seventeen, 5 feet 1 inch and ninety pounds, and between seventeen and eighteen, 5 feet 2 inches and 100 pounds. They must serve to the age of twenty-one as boys and junior seamen, and after they have reached that age they rank as seamen or petty officers. They are now allowed $45 for outfit, a fact which considerably enhances the value of the service. To discover the exact number of petty officers on board a fully equipped ship is by no means an easy task, but the number of these minor prizes is certainly encouraging, while still higher up, as the final goal of the common sailor's aspirations, are the subtsantial berths of the four war- rant officers--held by the boatswain, the carpenter, the gunner and the sailmaker--whose pay and privileges are the same as those of the junior officers. And now as to the rate of pay: The pay of boys enlisted as third-class: apprentices is $9 a month. The next promotion to-second- class apprentice, brings $10, and the next, to third-class apprentices, brings $11 a month, followed by first-class seamen apprentices with $24 a month, these two grades corresponding respectively to ordinary seamen and able seamen, or simply seamen, whose pay is $19 and $24 a month. It will thus be seen that a first-class seaman apprentice and an able seaman get each the respectable sum of $288 a year, which is $128 in excess to the highest sum paid toa first-class seaman in the British service, the only other navy in the world worth considering on the score of pay and promotion. There is, besides, the daily ration of 30 cents, which runs through the ship from apprentice to com- mander, for, strange as it may appear to some people, Uncle Sam dis- tributes the same fare to the officers that he gives to the apprentice, and that, too, only when on sea duty. There are no other allowances whatsoever made to the officers. They have to furnish their own mess equipment and everything else. : Box 106, Newport News, Va. _ Walter F. Lakin. New Officers Among Marine Engineers, M. E. B. A. No. 86, Menominee: Past president, N. A. Scofield; president, Alfred Rare vice-president, Chas. Hanson; treasurer, A. Bruce; secretary, N. A. Scofield; financial secretary, W. N. Cas. son ; oon secretary, Alfred Larson; chaplain, W. H. Farr; con- ee J. Leaf; door-keeper, I. Borde en M. E. B. A. No. 2, Cleveland: President, Henry F. esate vice-president, William H. Kennedy; chaplain, George Masters; corresponding secretary, H. H. Farr; recording secretary, William Most; financial secretary, James Sanderson; treasurer, M. B. Sturte- vant; inside guard, George Allen; outside guard, J. G. Donahue; trustees, William Kennedy, Cone Masters, M. B. Sturtevant; dele- gates to national convention, M. B. Sturtevant and H. F. MacAuley. Huronia M. E. B. A., No. 48, Port Huron:--President, George H. Bowen; first vice-president, Walter Thorn; second vice-président, Anthony Rein; treasurer, Arthur Armson; financial secretary, Irving Buzzerd; corresponding secretary, Geo. Miller; recording secretary, James Southgate; chaplain, Peter Finney; conductor, Harvey Dupuy; door-keeper, Henry Rondeau; trustees, A. Armson, W. P. Boynton, E. M. Murdock; representative to national convention, Arthur Arm- son; alternate, Geo. Miller. M. E. B. A. No. 9, Milwaukee: President, J. C. Collins; vice- president, W. G. Fell; second vice-president, G. C. Olesen; treasurer, J. Havlick; financial secretary, John J. Conway; corresponding secretary, Charles G. Forsyth: recording secretary, J. D. Desmond; chaplain, J. J. Staley; conductor, James Daley; outer door-keeper, Charles McCarthy; inner door-keeper, Edgar Doucett; trustees, Webb Chipman, Jr., G. C. Olesen and J. E. Packard; delegate to national convention J. C. Collins. ; Army and navy charts of the lakes are kept in stock by the Marine Review, Perry-Payne building.