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18 MARINE REVIEW AND MARINE RECORD. SHIPPING LETTER FROM SCOTLAND. Lower Wages in the Ship Yards, but Higher Prices for Material--Output of Scotch Builders in February--Changes in Shipping Regula= tions Recommended to Parliament--Miscellaneous TMatters. Glasgow, Mar. 9--Although a settlement has not yet been effected in the matter of machinists' wages in the engine shops, work is proceeding steadily in the ship yards and engine works. The conference between the executives of the Federation of Engineering Employers and the Amalgamated Society of Engi- neers is only now being held. Under the circumstances the Clyde employers put forward the date of the proposed reduction in wages, so that no disagreeable element is introduced into the relations between the two bodies. An amicable arrangement is expected. Meanwhile the "black squad" and the "white squad" in the ship yards on the Clyde are working steadily on the re- duced basis. 'The position of the ship builders, however, has not really improved since the wages were reduced, because the cost of material Has gone against them. Fig iron has. steadily risen during the last three weeks, partly as the result of a large bull movement in warrants and partly in response to a legitimate and increasing demand--increasing at all events as far as foreign requirements are concerned. How far this will go no one, of course, can foresee, though some people here are predicting a higher price for pig iron than has been known for years. But the immediate effect is to stiffen the prices of plates and other ship building material at the very time when ship builders are most anxious to get down costs in order to obtain more orders. It is an unfortunate state of affairs for them, though iron smelters rejoice in the big rise in pig iron while coal is coming down. The number of contracts booked by Scotch ship builders in February were rather larger than the first estimate and seem to have aggregated about 30,000 tons. 'The most important of the month's orders were secured by the Clyde Ship Building & Engineering Co., Ltd., Port Glasgow, who are to build and engine two passenger and cargo steamers, each 350 ft. in length, for Elder, Dempster & Co. and also two passenger and cargo steam- ers, 235 and 240 ft. in length respectively, for the Goole Steam- ship Co. The hull of tone of the latter will be built by Archi- bald Macmillan & Son, Ltd., Dumbarton, but the C&de com- pany will supply all the 'engines. D. J. Dunlop & Co., Port Glasgow, are to build another steamer for Elder, Dempster & Co.; Russell & Co., Port Glasgow, two steamers of 7,000 tons for Glasgow owners; A. Rodger & Co., Port Glasgow, a steamer to carry 6,000 tons, also for local owners; John Reid & Co., Ltd., Whiteinch, a ferry steamer for Clyde; Gourlay Brothers & Co., Dundee, a steamer of 830 tons for the Great Eastern Railway Co.; and the Greenock & Grangemouth Ship Building Co., Grangemouth, a small aoasting steamer for snglish owners. It is reported from Montreal that the Canadian Pacific is to have built on the Clyde four steamers, each of 10,000 tons, as an addi- tion to the Beaver fleet, which they have acquired. FEBRUARY OUTPUT OF SCOTCH SHIP YARDS. It will be of interest to note here briefly some items of the February output of the Scotch ship yards. Among the steam- ers there were the Narragansett, an oil-carrying steamer of 9,200 tons, with engines of 5,500 I. H. P., built and engined by Scott & Co., Greenock, for the Anglo-American Oil Co., Ltd.; Dorset, twin-screw steamer of 7,000 tons, with triple-expansion engines of 4,200 I. H. P., built by John Brown & Co., Ltd.,. Clydebank, for the Federal Steam Navigation Co., Ltd., London; Kyarra. twin-screw steamer of 6,976 tons, with engines by Denny & Co., built by William Denny & Brothers, Dumbarton, for the Aus- tralasian United Steam Navigation Co., Ltd.; Cranley, screw steamer of 4,500 tons, built and engined by D. & W. Herderson & Co., Ltd., for London owners; Charon, screw steamer of 2,350 tons with triple-expansion engines of 1,700 I. H. P., built and engined by the Caledon Ship Building & Engineering Co., Dun- dee, for the Ocean Steamship Co., Liverpool; Antoine Fraissinet, screw steamer of 1,900 tons with engines by Cooper & Greig, Dundee, built by the Grangemouth & Greenock Ship Building Co., Greenock, for French owners; Baron Kelvin, screw steamer of 1,500 tons with engines by Dunsmuir & Jackson, built by Charles Connell & Co., Glasgow, for Glasgow owners; Find- horn, screw steamer of 1,160 tons with engines by David Rowan & Co. Glasgow, built by the Ailsa Ship Building Co., Ltd., Troon, for Wiiliam Sloan & Co.'s Glasgow and Bristol coasting trade; Batavier VI., screw steamer of 1,200 tons, with triple- expansion engines of 1,100 I. H. P., by Hutson & Sons, Glasgow, built by Mackie & Thomson for Rotterdam owners; 'Thisbe, screw steamer of 950 tons, built by the Dundee Ship Builders' Co., Dundee, for French owners; Blanche, screw steamer of 374 tons, with compound surface-condensing engines by Ross & Duncan, Glasgow, built by the Ailsa Ship Buuding Co., Ayr, for Liverpool owners; Orion, screw steamer of 300 tons, with engines of 400 I. H. P., built by John Fullerton & Co., Paisley, for Irish owners; 'Tees, screw steamer of 280 tons, built by the Ardrossan Ship Building Co., for Hull owners; Jennie and Jane, screw steamers, each 223 tons, with compound surface-condensing en- [Mar. to, gines by Fisher & Co., Paisley, built by Scott & Sons, Glasgow, for English owners; Bosphorus 47 and Bosphorus 48, paddle steamers, each of about 220 tons, built and engined by the E air- field Ship Building & Engineering Co., Ltd., for the Chirket Hairie Co., Constantinople; H. M. $. Provider, screw steamer of 200 tons, with engines of 300 I. H. P., built and engined by Bow, McLachlan & Co., Ltd., Paisley, for the British govern- ment; Bosphorus 46, screw steamer of about 100 tons, built and engined by the Fairfield Ship Building & Engineering Co, Ltd, Govan, for the Chirket Hairie Co., Constantinople. Of steam yachts there were the Katoomba of 760 tons, yacht measurement, with four-cylinder, triple-expansion_ engines by Dunsmuir & Jackson, Ltd., built by Ailsa. Ship Building Co., Troon, for Mr. Kenneth M. Clark, Paisley; Mantanza IIL., of about 150 tons, with engines by Muir & Houston, Ltd., Glasgow, built -by George brown & Co., Greenock, for Sir John Denison Pender, K. vu. M. G. : Of dredges, tugs, etc., were the T. C. C. bucket dredger No. 6 of soo tons and 600 I. H. P., built by Fleming & Ferguson, Ltd., Paisley, for the Tees Conservancy Commissioners ; Vigi- lant, twin-screw tug of 345 tons, with triple-expansion engines of 800 I. H. P., bv David Rowan & Co., Glasgow, built by Messrs. Murdoch & Murray, Port Glasgow, for the Mersey docks and harbor board; hopper barge of 257 tons, built by Lobnitz & Co. Renfrew, for foreign owners; stern-wheel steamer of 95 tons and 130 1. H. P., built by Ritchie, Graham & Milne, wias- gow, for foreign owners. a Among fishing vessels are the Fort William, steam trawler of 200 tons with engines of 320 I. H. P., built and engined by Hall, Russell & Co., Ltd., Aberdeen, for the Aberdeen United Steam Fishing Co., Ltd.; Conductor and Companion, steam trawlers, each of 185 tons, with triple-expansion engines of 350 I. H. P,, built and engined by Hall, Russell & Co. for Newhaven owners; Loch Garry, steam trawler of 176 tons and 560 Pao: built by Alex. Hall & Co., Aberdeen, for the Empire Steam Fishing Co., Aberdeen. BRITISH CAPTAINS FEAR MORGAN ENCROACHMENTS. I don't know whether you have on your side anything cor- responding to our Merchant Service Guild, the annual meeting of which was held a few days ago. 'The Merchant Service Guild is admittedly the most powerful organization of its kind in the world, having a membership of over 9,000 British captains and officers. Reference was made at the meeting to the hopeless disorganization of the present marine staff of the board of trade, and it was stated that what the premier industry of the country desired was proper recognition by the appointment of a minister of marine. Aliluding to the Morgan shipping combine, the guild's report stated that this gigantic tindertaking was organized under the laws of the state of New Jersey and some public feeling was anoused at the fact*that, tnough this was the case, the ships should enjoy all tue benefits and privileges of fiying the British flag. 'he cardinal point to the profession was what bearing the combine might have upon future prospects. This could be but mere speculation, but it was some source of comfort to know that the combine had agreed with the British government to retain the ships under the red ensign for twenty years, which was at least some guarantee of future employment. At the same time, the institution of a new American nautical scnool at Rhode Island was not without significance. It did not require a very great stretch of imagination to apprehend that the pupils to be trained in that nautical school might be designed to officer the ships of the combine. Speakine in support of the adoption of the report, Lord Muskerry, who has been described as the "Plimsoll of the Peers," stated his intention of again intro- ducing the aliens bill in the present parliamentary session, re- marking that they might rely upon his persistent efforts to ensure that British ships shall be commanded and officered by our own countrymen. He also deprecated the granting of pilotage certificates to aliens, and this was a point he hoped to deal with in the bill. 'Ihe carriage of deck cargoes in winter must be put a stop to, and he hoped to be able to convince parlia- ment on that matter before long. He considered that the mer- chant service ought to receive more consideration at the hands of the government, as it was as much-a national service as the navy. SHIPPING CHANGES RECOMMENDED TO PARLIAMENT. At a meeting a day or two ago of the parliamentary shipping committee Mr. C. McArthur's bill for the abolition of the light dues was approved and approval was also given to a bill to carry out the recommendations of the shipping subsidies committee for the revision of restrictive and out-of-date legislation. The proposals of the Belgian government to convene an international conference to bring about uniformity in the law of collision and salvage were approved of, and a resolution was passed urg- ing the government to appoint delegates to such a conference. 'Ine committee also decided to ask the government for a sepa- rate parliamentary sitting to discuss the vote for the marine de- partment of the board of trade. This last motion was passed before the discussion in the house of commons regarding the reconstitution of the board of trade as a ministry of commerce. An inquiry instituted by the government is now to take place into the whole position and functions of the board of trade, so 'sic RMNcalX shkaat agaameamatl saa enmatia hai