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14 | MARINE REVIEW. Annual Report of the Board of Managers. - Office of the Lake Carriers' Association, Buffalo, N. Y., Jan. 5, 1897. To the members of the Lake Carriers' Associattion :-- The board of managers of the association submits herewith its an- nual report of the proceedings and operations of the association during the past year. TONNAGE OF THE ASSOCIATION. Never in the history of the association has it shown so large a growth as during the past year. In the report of the board of managers submitted in January, 1895, the members of the association were con- gratulated upon the fact that the tonnage of the association had in- creased from 590,000 tons in 1894 to 618,000 tons in 1895. The figures for 1895 were the largest in the history of the association. This year the board of managers have to report an active tonnage on the books of the association amounting to 722,863 net registered tons, an increase of 105,000 tons over the tonnage of the preceding year, which was the largest in the history of the association. This large increase in the tonnage of tlie association is doubly gratifying because it indicates that in spite of depression in business, causing a considerale decrease in the profits of vessels, the owners of tonnage on the great lakes have thus demonstrated in the most positive way the'r conviction that an or- ganization like the Lake Carriers' Association is highly advantageous to those whose money is invested in vessel property, and is in fact a necessity which both commands and deserves their hearty support. FINANCES OF THE ASSOCIATION. At the annual meeting of the association in 1894 the dues which had been 4 cents per net registered ton, were reduced to 3 cents per net registered ton. They have since remained at that figure. The treasurer's report, which is submitted herewith, shows that the dues have been remarkably well paid, but that they have not been sufficient during the past year to meet all expenses. 'The report shows that the tonnage dues collected for the season of 1896 have amounted to $20,328.96, and that the unpaid dues are only $390.85. We do not anticipate a failure to collect the dues remaining unpaid, and are of the opinion that the full amount will be collected. It will be noticed that the dues collect- ed for the year 1896 are not quite equal to 3 cents per ton on the full tonnage of the association. In explanation of this discrepancy I would say that a large amount of tonnage came out after the season of 1896 opened. Some of these vessels did not go into commission until after September. In all cases of new vessels coming out during the season it has always been the practice of the association to collect dues for that portion of the season during which such new vessels were in possession of their owners. The treasurer's report shows in detail the expendi- tures of the past year, and also contains a full statement of the unpaid liabilities of the assoviation. From this statement it appears that the private light-keepers have been paid in full for the private lights maintained, and that all the salaries of the shipping-masters, excepting the chief shipping-master, have been paid, and also all miscellaneous bills. The unpaid liabilities consist of part of the salaries of the offi- cers of the association, and some small disbursements to be made from the present time until May 1, for the rent of offices occupied by ship- ping-masters, ete. There is also a note of $1,000.00 due to the Union National Bank of Cleveland. The total unpaid liabilities of the asso- ciation over and above the uncollected dues amount to about 4,000. A careful examination of the report in comparison with former reports will easily show how this deficit has come about. In the first place, among the disbursements for private lights there is one item of $750.00 which is a balance for the private lights for 1895. Itis therefore a deficit carried over from a former year. There is also an item of $200.00 for the balance of salary of the chief shipping-master for 1895. This accounts for about $1,000.00 of the deficit. Among the expenses of shipping offices for the past year will be noticed several items amounting to another $1,000.00 relating toa shipping office at Milwau- kee. Thisis a new shipping office never maintained until 1896, when it was established at the request of a very large number of mem- bers of the association. While the Milwaukee shipping-office has not been quite as extensively used as had been anticipated, it has still shipped on board of vessels 453 men during the past season, and unquestionably it has been a decided convenience to many members of the association. The expenses of the association for maintaining private lights dur- ing the year, 1896 have been very large, in fact about $3,000.00 more than usual. An additional light has been maintained by the association on the middle ground at Port Huron; six floating lights have heey maintained during the entire season at Ballard's reef, and a set of water signals has been maintained by Duff & Gatfield and operated so as to inform vessels approaching the dangerous part of the Detroit river, whether by day or night, of any unusual and dangerous stage of the water. All members of the association will agree that these expenses have been an absolute necessity; that they have saved in time and expense many times their cost. Nevertheless, they have taken about $3,000.00 from the treasury, and this item, with the ex- tra cost of the shipping-office at Milwaukee,and the deficit carried over from the previous year, more than accounts for the present deficit, An examination of the treasurer's report will further show that the association has been under a very large extra expense by reason of the fight which has been made against the placing of bridge piers in the Detroit river. The manner in which the Detroit bridge bill was pressed for passage by the powferul interests behind it, made it nec- essary to oppose them not only vigorously but continuously. There was always the danger of a surprise. The bridge 'nterests had watch: ful agents always on the spot at Washington, and this fact necessitated that there should be .equal watchfulness and vigor in opposing them. At an important hearing before the Senate committee on com- merce the advocates of the bridge appeared with a large delegation, in- cluding the governor of Michigan, the mayor of Detroit, the president and general counsel of the Michigan Central Railroad, able engineers employed by the railroad company, the president of the Detroit Cham- ber of Commerce, and a delegation of the most influential and promi- nent business men and lawyers of Detroit. The Lake Carriers' Asso- ciation was also represented at the hearing by a considerable delegation, including a considerable number of vessel masters whose expert testi- mony would be a valuable aid to the committee. The counsel of the association was obliged to be in Washington during a considerable part of last winter, and again on several occasions since. When his professional engagements compelled him to leave Washington, other officers of the association were obliged to go there, and stand watch during his absence. All this involved very large expense, but the re-_ sult has certainly justified the energetic measures which were taken. As a partial offset against the deficit caused by this increase in the expenses of the association, your board of managers fully expects that the association will receive some assistance from the underwriters doing business on the great lakes towards the maintenance of the ex- tra private lights required during the past season. The extra and temporary lights and water signals which we have maintained in 1896 have cost us about $3,000.00. We have proposed to the underwriters that we should maintain all our regular lights unaided and that we should stand half of the expense of these extra and temporary lights, and that they should contribute the other half of this extra' expense, that is to say about $1,500.00. We feel that we can fairly ask this of the underwriters for several reasons. In the first place, while the lighting at Ballard's reef and the water signals, etc., have undoubtedly saved vessel owners a considerable amount of time and something also in the way of expense, the largest part of the actual money saving has inured to the benefit of the insurance companies. In the second place, we feel that itis decidedly for the interests of the insurance companies that they should co-operate with the Lake Carriers' Asso- ciation in such matters. It was certainly for their interest that the lights at Ballard's reef should be est blished promptly and maintained efficiently, and if a like emergency occurs again it will again be for their interest that an organizaion like ours should deal effectively with the situation for the interest both of owners and underwriters. Itisalso to be considered that we are not asking the underwriters to enter upon any continuous expenditure of this kind. We have already taken steps to have the government place lights at Ballard's reef, and there is little question but that they will be established at some time during the coming season of navigation, possibly when navigation opens. Once before we asked the underwriters to help us with some private lights, and they generously responded. We promised them then that the contribution was temporary, and that the lights for which they con- tributed would soon be taken up and maintained by the government. We secured the necessary legislation, and the lights in question, viz. the Lime-Kilne crossing and Bar point light-ships, have been main- tained by the government ever since, Finally, we have appealed to the