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12 MARINE REVIEW. Published every Thursday at No. 409 Perry-Payne building, Cleveland, Ohlo, by John M. Mulrooney and F. M. Barton. Single copies 10 cents each. binders sent, post paid, $1.00. Advertising rates on application. SupscripTron--$2.00 per year in advance. Convenient Entered at Cleveland Post Office as Second class Mail Matter. The books of the United States treasury department on June 30, 1896, contained the names of 3,333 vessels, of 1,324,067.58 gross tons register in the lake trade. The number of steam vessels of 1.000 gross tons, and over that amount, on the lakes on June 30, 1896, was 383 and their aggregate gross tonnage 711,034.28; the number of vessels of this class owned in all other parts of the country on the same date was 315 and their tonnage 685,204.55, so that more than half of the best steamships in all the United States are owned on the lakes. 'The classification of the entire lake fleet on June 30, 1896, was as follows: Gross Sue TEP Steam vessels. ; ,630. Sailing vessels and barges.... 1,125 4327.60 CBT A UD OBER sor cerdr i oliseitbcoentn: scorabsccadeestbassecevescsceecns 416 45,109.47 NOGA evi cctscsccrsscecsecst cess esevuecdsoes 8,333 1,324,067.58 The gross registered tonnage of the vessels built on the lakes during the past six years, according to the reports of the United States commissioner of navigation, is _ as follows: Year ending June 30. 1891 204 111,856 45 ss in fe 1892 169 45,968, a i. oe 1898... 175 99,271, So $s ss 1894... 106 41,984.61 st se 1895... 93, 36,352.70 wee Rete = 1896 117 108,782.38 POU echeraaeaen scnex te csteischoncosuazisosssaceasessese scseecs 864 444,216.36 ST. MARY'S FALLS AND SUEZ C\NAL TRAFFIC. ("vom Official iteports of Canal Officers.) St. Mary's Falls Canal. Suez Canal. 1895* 1894 1893 1895 1894 1893 17,956 14,491 11,008 16,806,781} 13,110,366] 9,849,754 231 234 219 No. vessel passages........:.... Tonnage, net registered...... 3,434 3,352 3,341 8,448,383] 8,039,175] 7,659,068 Days of navigation.............. 365] - 365 365 ® *1895 figures include traffic of Canadian canal at Sault Ste. Marie, which was about 4% per cent. of the whole, but largely in American vessels. The first meeting of representatives of the shipping interests of the country, who are trying to unite upon a measure for the restora- tion of our mercantile marine, was held in Washington, a few days ago. The meeting was devoted to a general discussion of the subject, rather than an effort to reach any conclusions immediately, as it was agreed that an understanding between the various interests could best be reached through a committee. The committee as appointed is made up of representatives of the ship building interests, as well as the steamship companies. Senator M. A. Hanna of Cleveland will represent the ship building interests of the Jakes. Mr. Hanna isa stockholder in the Globe Iron Works Co. of Cleveland, but it can not be said that as a senator he will be advancing his personal interests in this matter, as his ship building company, as well as lake commerce generally, will share only indirectly in any advantages that may come from legislation favorable to American shipping. Other mem- bers of the committee from the lakes are F. J. Firth, one of the vice- presidents of the Lake Carriers' Association, and Secretary OC. H. Keep and Counsel Harvey D. Goulder of the same organization. It is probably unfortunate that the leaders of this movement excluded representatives of the press from their first meeting. It is well under- stood, of course, that when a large number of men interested in ship- ping come together, some ship builders, some owners of tramp vessels, others owners of organized lines, and some others American owners of vessels flying foreign flags, there would be zonsiderable difference of opinion, and press reports might accentuate the difference, or might cause a wrong impression as to what is intended before any conclu- sions are reached. On the other hand, however, the promoters of this movement must expect that no matter what measure is proposed for the mercantile marine, they will find a strong opposition, even from members of the political party now in power, and the charge that their deliberations have not been entirely open to the public may be used to advantage by the opposition. It is understood that the idea in the appointment of the committee referred to was first to endeavor to harmonize all conflicting interests; to obtain all possible informa- tion as to the causes of the decline of American shipping; to report also upon what has been done by other countries, to encourage their shipping and to unite, if possible, upon a policy to be recommended to congress as a remedy for the existing situation in this country. As had been expected, the meeting was not enthusiastic on the subject of discriminating duties, Extended discussion of this subject of late is caus- ing leading vessel owners all over the country to conclude that aftey all a carefully drawn subsidy measure would be preferable to legis. lation that would assuredly provoke retaliatory duties on our own products abroad. They have concluded, also, that such legislation js clearly contrary to the text of many of our treaties with other nations, Although little is now heard of union seamen on the lakes, ex. cept through an occasional quarrel during the navigation season at Chicago and Milwaukee, it can not be said that the organization, which still flourishes on the Pacific coast and in some parts of the east, is dead, even in this part of the country. On several occasions of late dissatisfaction with the methods of the Lake Carriers' Associa- tion has been expressed by some members whose vessels are not of the larger class, and who have claimed that the work of the association in promoting deep channels, and in other respects, is largely to the interest of the big carriers. Probably nobody is watching these differ- ences among vessel owners more earnestly than a few leaders in the Seaman's Union, who have stood by it for a long time past through many trials and with apparently little return for their labor. It must be admitted that the earnestness and the ability of some of these men would insure profit and advancement if applied in almost any other direction. T. J. Elderkin of Chicago is one of them. He keeps up a show of organization on the lakes, ready to step in at any time and take advantage of a weak point in the interests that oppose the union, and his reports to national officers in San Francisco would indicate that he is as well posted on lake freight conditions and the affairs of the Lake Carriers' Association as most members of that or- ganization. He has only a straggling band of followers among men who were on sailing ships in the days of the old union, but he has kept up a semblance of organization and is now trying to include in the union "all men who follow the lakes for a livelihood, whether on steam or sail vessels.'? This broad qualification for membership is very probably intended for use whenever it may be found that the powers of the Lake Carriers' Association are lessened in any way. But the rememberance of days when vessel owners were at the mercy of a union that was unreasonable in its demands will always act against organization among men employed on lake vessels. If for any cause there should' be disruption in the ranks of the Lake Carriers' Association, the old Cleveland Vessel Owners' Association would cer: tainly be revived. It is understood that Col. Lydecker, United States engineer in charge of the canal lock and other big government improvements in the Sault river, is now at Sault Ste. Marie, giving personal attention to the completion of dredging contracts and to directions as to the parts of the work that are to be hurried, so as to provide the greatest possible draft of water early in the season. Some arrangement will also be made at the Sault so that special care will attend telegraphic announcements regarding the draft of water through the river and canal. It is the intention of the government officials to give the ves- sels full benefit of the available draft, but groundings and accidents of all kinds that cause expense and delay must be avoided as far as possible. Canada's new government seems to be determined in its efforts -- to complete the St. Lawrence canals to 14 feet navigation within the next two years. The government estimates, which have just been submitted, call for $5,327,696 to be expended on canals during the coming year. Of this amount $1,250,000 is for the Soulanges canal, and other leading items are also for connecting parts of the St. Law- rence system. It is the general opinion that the design of the Canad- ian government in pushing the St. Lawrence canals to completion, in extending the Intercolonial railway and in continuing the Trent Valley canal is to give effective competition to American trade routes by a rail and water route controlled by the government from Fort William to Halifax, with branches into central Ontario. It would seem that the engineer branch of our navy is open to criticism on account of lukewarmness on the water tube boiler ques- tion. The British admiralty seems to be coming out of its great bat- tle with flying colors. In order to increase the efficiency of the fire- men service, they have decided to make warrant officers of some of the so-called engine room artificers, and they recently increased the salary of Mr. C. Albert J. Durston, engineer-in-chief of the navy, from $6,500 to $9,000, in recognition of valuable services rendered in the introduction of water tube boilers into the service.