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MARINE REVIEW. Mr. Parker's Scheme of Minimum Rates. _ Mr. A. A. Parker of Detroit is still enthusiastic over the scheme of minimum freight rates on ore and coal proposed at the recent meeting of the executive committee of the Lake Carriers' Association in Cleve- land. As chairman of the committee of vessel owners from diffe:ent parts of the lakes, appointed at the Cleveland meeting, he will make a strong effort to bring members of the committee together before the annual meeting of the association in [Detroit, Jan. 19. '(With this end in view he has issued to all members of the general committee a circular, in which he not only explains what was done at the Cleveland meeting, but also gives 'his own views on the subject. Most vessel owners are at a loss to understand why Mr. Parker is so confident of success with the minimum rate scheme, in view of the argument against its practicability that is to" be met with on all sides, especially from the standpoint that the interests of a 6,000-ton ship anid a 2,000-ton ship are far removed from one-anotuer, but his efforts to attempt some plan of relief for the owners of several hundred wooden vessels are nevertheless commendable, and it is gener- ally agreed that all vessel owners should give up a part of their time to a systematic consideration of the subject, as there are few fleets that do not include vessels of the kind that are threatened with loss in all future opera- tionis. were not present at the Cleveland meeting, Mr. |Parker says: "The rates most discussed at the Cleveland meeting were those on coal and iore. 'Thirty cents on coal and 70 cents on ore to and from Lake Superior were suggested. These rates seemed to meet with more favor than any others. It was admitted -that we must make a low rate or there would ibe too much incentive for the vessel owners to cut it, and also that we must not make it so high as to be considered arbitrary by the ship- pers. Some of the shippers who were talked with outside of the meeting admitted that these would 'be about fair rates, and they could see no objection to a movement of this kind, provided the vessel owners would stick to it anid not break a rate after it had once been agreed to. Last year vessel owners, by competing among themselves, bid the rate down to less than the cost of carrying coal and ore, and nobody was benefited by it. Shippers who have been consulted all agree that the low rates of this past season did not stimulate the movement of freight nor furnish one additional cargo of either coal or ore, and the object of this move- ment is simply to stop this ruinous competition. "Some members of the association were afraid a scheme of this kind could not be carried out, for the reason that certain vessel owners were also shippers, and that other owners had interests in common with ship- pers who favored them with loads. This is no doubt true, but 1 cannot see where a minimum rate would disrupt any of these arrangements. One friend would still continue to fayor another by giving him this business, but it would stop the disadvantage of outsiders bidding a lower rate or in fact making a lower rate for the friend on business that he had to offer. Another suggestion which came from a shipper, was that there should be a maximum rate; that freights should not exceed say 40 cents on coal and 85 cents on ore. 'But this could not be done. iIf grain freights should go up to a point above the maximum rates in other lines, whose boats would carry the coal and ore? Another point is that the shipper of ore might say, 'I will have to pay only 85 cents on my ore, and 1 will wait until fall before I move it, and thus avoid putting money into freights and other charges in the summer time as at present.' In reply to this I would say that the coal and ore shippers could make freight contracts in the spring, to run through the season to Noy. 1, just as they do now, and they could get all the tonnage they wanted at 30 cents on coal and 70 cents on ore to run until Nov. 1. Every vessel owner I have talked with would take contracts of this kind for a portion of his tonnage, and if he wanted to speculate on freights going 'higher he would have a balance of tonnage to do it with. In this way the shipper would have the same opportunity of covering his sales with season rates that he has at present, and he would know just what the cost would be, as was the case in years gone by. oe : ; "My own opinion is that this scheme can be carried out just as easily as any of the other measures that the Lake Carriers have taken hhold of and carried out successfully. All that is needed is to be honest with our- selves and with one another, and we can all get these rates and every vessel will carry during the season just as many loads as will be moved under the present system of cheapness with advantage to nobody. 'Do not throw this letter aside and say the scheme cannot be carried out, but just give it good, careful thought and consideration. Talk with your friends and you will become more favorably impressed as you go on with it. I find this to be true with everybody I have talked with. Then, if you will kindly write me early in January, giving me your ideas regard- ing the whole matter, I will call the committee together, and I am. sure we can formulate a plan that will be acceptable to the association. A report from the Detroit river postoffice shows a total of over 232,000 pieces of first-class matter handled this season. Of this amount over 181,000 pieces was outgoing mail received from the main office in Detroit, and about 51,000 pieces were received from passing vessels. The Detroit Free Press describes a boat designed by iF. 5. 'Gilmartin and Peter Begin of that city for improvement in the river postal service. The delivery to vessels thus far has been accomplished by means of yawl boats, from which lines are thrown to the passing ships, and which act as tenders to the small steam vessel that is used as a floating postoffice. It 1s im- Possible to run the small steam vessel close enough to the big ships to effect the transfer of packages. The proposed new boat is to be fast and so designed that she could be thandled safely and quickly, but the main feature is to transfer the mail by means of a swinging gaff or crane. The package to ibe delivered is attached to a hook and pulled out to the end of the crane, which is then swung over the deck of the passing vessel. The delivered package is then detached and the incoming: package 'substi- tuted. The crane is 28 feet long, so that there would 'be 20 feet clear 'be- tween the two boats when running alongside of each other. Travel the road whose service is great, The one that offers a holiday rate, Where trains are fast and "up-to-date;" You know, of course, the 'Nickel Plate. 404--Dec. 31 'In his letter to members of the general comimittee, some of wirom - ee a ee Dry Docks Under Discussion in Washington. 4 Washington, D. C., Dec. 23.--In view of the plans of the present administration to undertake, at an expense of several millions, the build- ing of dry docks and improvement of navy yards in preference to large expenditures on new war vessels, the subject of dry docks, or graving docks, as. they are called on the other side of the Atlantic, will receive special attention here during the winter. Members of committees of both the house and senate that are interested in naval affairs are posting up on this subject. 'Comparatively few persons outside of naval circles have any idea of the immense cost and the great difficulties that are sometimes met with in securing docking facilities for naval vessels. There are in the Unjted States a total of only ten naval dry docks. Their location and dimensions: (in feet) is as follows: Depth of sill at high ee 'Length. 'Breadth. . water. BOstoiy sta .. uccie peed aca ae ee _ 396.5 60 25 Brooklyn's eh azj dae teat pele ne 369.3 66 25 Brooklyn! 920-44 ae Sore oan: 500 85 25.5 Brooklyay. cc. .teos eae ae nce saree 670 105.2 28 League cisland <> netepy. sean at, 500 85 25.5 Noriolkuaes cds cee eres se soaek 331.8 60 Be Noriolk(iy 3. 35. See eee 500 85 25.5 PortiRioyalt... gh on eee eee eee 496 97 26.5 Port®@rchardj.5 ee es 650 92.7 30 MarieSiclanidi eter. seers menercteiee 513 79 27.5 The largest one at Brooklyn, and those at Port Royal and Port Orchard are wooden docks. The one at 'Boston and the smallest at Brooklyn and Norfolk, and that at Mare island are of granite. others are Simpson docks. Of these ten docks, only one--that at Port The - Orchard--can take at present any iof the battleships,.and all of them. together do not equal the number of docks in a single government dock-~ yard---Portsmouth--in England, where there are no fewer than eighteen. - At the 'Chatham dock yard there are ten docks; at 'Sheerness' five; 'at\ Devonport and Keyham eight, and three in process of building. Tihe largest dock now built in this country is the wooden dock at the ~ Its actual dimensions are 67() feet in extreme length, © Brooklyn navy yard. 626.7 at bottom, 105.2 feet in breadth at entrance, anda depth of sill ot 28 feet at high water in ordinary spring tides. cent. of this entire number; 249 are within the confines of England, thirty in Scotland and eighteen in Ireland. There are 202 docks in Europe, divided amionig eighty cities; sevenity-six in Asia, divided among twenty- seven cities; 186 in North America and adjacent islands, divided among fifty-nine different cities and towns; fifteen in South America, divided among nine cities, and twenty-two in Oceania and Australasia, divided among twelve cities and towns. and most extensive of any in the world. They cover an area of about 1,620 acres and their quay line measures over 36 miles. This, of course, comprises wet docks as well as dry docks, the total value of the entire system being over $110,000,000, and steps are now being taken to expend an additional $15,000,000 in improving and enlarging the system. The docks at London come next in importance, their total area being about 700 acres, the capital represented in which is nearly the same as that for the Liverpool docks--about $100,000,000. The Southampton docks are noted for having in connection with them the largest single dry dock in the Aworld--a idock that is 751 feet in length, 88% feet in width and has a depth of 28% feet. Altogether it is estimated that the dock properties of Great Britain have a value of more than $1,000,000,000. Seagoing ships havinig metal bottoms should be docked three times a year, in order that they may keep clean and retain a moderate speed without an excessive expenditure of fuel. The navy department requires all steel vessels to dock every six months, to be cleaned and painted, and, of course, when on foreign stations these and other vessels are obliged to use the docks nearest at hand and most convenient. Government 'docks, which are preferred, are not always available, and where a private dock is secured the charges are usually very 'high, particularly at ports in China, Australia and India. To foreign war vessels visiting the United States and desiring docking privileges, the secretary of the navy issues a special permit, and nothing is charged for the use of the dock itself or for the service of the tug used for helping the ship into dock. 'Only the actual labor employed and material used is charged for, and a statement of that is furnished the commander of the ship when the work is complete. This general custom, of course, benefits our own ships when abroad. Wage Advances in the Iron Industry. Wage advances are one of the best indications of improved condi- tions; and those that have come in the iron industry in the past month are especially significant, in view of the general agreement that the iron and steel trades have got beyond the point of any considerable price fluc- tuations. Beginning with a 10 per cent. advance by the Minnesota Iron Co. at its Minnesota and Chandler mines, the movement thas included a similar increase at mines on the Menominee range, with the expectation that an announcement will be made soon of a higher schedule for the Marquette range. Though the fall advance in pig iron has slipped away meantime, a 10 per cent. increase in wages at blast furnaees.in the Ma- ~~ honing and Shenango valleys has gone into effect, and at the Jones & ©") Laughlins mills at Pittsburg, day workmien, who,compose-the greater number of employees, have had a restoration of the 10-per cent. taken. from «0 But a matter of greater value, both to's tonnage men and day employees in all the rolling mills and steel works 9'. their wages in the early sunimer. of the country, is the steadiness with which plants have been operated in 1897, making' it the best year for wage-earners in iron and steel sice 1892, What is encouraging for the coming year is that a share of the European money that the railroads and the farmers of the country have been and are now dividing from the harvests of this phenomenal year are to go one step further along the line in 1898 and pass into the hands of the steel masters and the steel workers of the country in 1898.--Iron Trade Review. All charts sold by the Marine Review are corrected to date of sale. : The: total number of dry' docks in the world is 748. Great 'Britain owns or controls nearly 6 per ~ The docks of Liverpool are the largest -- gig tm a ee a ee Se