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R Ee YY te ow -- Sa DEVOTED TO EVERYTHING AND EVERY INTEREST CONNECTED OR ASSOCIATED WITH MARINE MATTERS ON THE FACE OF THE EARTH: 'Published every Thursday by The Penton Publishing Company, CLEVELAND, OHIO. CLEVELAND: WADE BUILDING. | CHICAGO: MONADNOCK BUILDING. DETROIT: HAMMOND BUILDING. NEW YORK: 150 NASSAU STREET. Correspondence on Marine Engineering, Ship Building and Shipping Subjects Solicited. Subscription, $3.00 per annum. To Foreign Countries, $4.50. Subscribers can have addresses changed at will. The Cleveland News Co. will supply the trade with the MARINE REVIEW through the regular channels of the American News Co. Entered at the Post Office at Cleveland, Ohio, as Second Class Matter. JULY 28, 1004. Capt. W. Irving Adams of East Boothbay, Me., re- cently celebrated the launching of the rooth vessel from his yard. The vessel was, of course, a schooner for the coasting trade and it was eminently proper that the event should be celebrated, for it is not every individual ship builder who lives to complete his hun- dredth vessel. The speeches were many and signifi- cant, but probably the most important utterance of all was the following letter from Congressman Little- field of Maine: "It is certainly a fitting occasion for calling atten- tion to our merchant marine, and especially the exist- ing decadence of our foreign-going merchant marine. Industries like that represented by Capt. Adams are becoming very few and far between on our coast. It is no doubt true that steamers are to a large extent, so far as ovet-sea commerce is concerned, taking the place of sailing vessels, and it may be true that this development is necessarily incident to changing con- ditions. It is a source of great regret that we are be- ing practically eliminated from the carrying trade of the world, especially so at a time when our foreign commerce is increasing very rapidly, and is vastly greater than ever before in our history. I believe that it is essential to our permanent commercial and. in- dustrial development that the ship building, ship owning and ship sailing industry should receive the $$$ most careful attention, to the end that we may be able to regain our proper place among the maritime nations of the world. It is neither wise nor safe for us to be obliged to depend for the transportation of our products to foreign countries upon a foreign mer- chant marine. "Every well informed man realizes that a large merchant marine is an indispensable foundation for a large and efficient navy. We have made tremendous strides in the last two decades toward a large navy, and during that time our merchant marine has been grad- ually decreasing and dwindling. "A great difference of opinion exists as to the causes which have brought about these conditions and as to the remedies to be applied. There cannot but be, how- ever, a common agreement upon the part of intelligent and well-informed people as to the necessity of ascer- taining the cause and the true remedy. It is a source of satisfaction, however, to know that we still have some enterprising, energetic and successful ship build- ers like Capt. Adams, who proposes to celebrate in a proper manner his century vessel. May his shadow never grow less, and may his inspiring example be successfully emulated." : The Marine Review submits that there is no issue before the American people today except the shipping question. 'The money question is not an issue. The gold standard has been irrevocably established and the financial question will not be given a moment's consid- eration. The country, too, is committed to the fiscal policy of protection and there is no serious intention of adopting any other. The revival of shipping is the only question of importance before the people. It is the first question to be considered when congress meets in December and it is to be hoped that it will be settled before it adjourns. All about and every- where over the middle west the people are talking about shipping. It is remarkable how much knowledge is being displayed about it. Business men discuss it on the street cars and deplore the absence of American ships from the high seas--not from patriotism or na- tional sentiment, but from hard headed, business reasons, saying specifically that they cannot reach the South American market with their products because there is no communication between this country and South America. Every pound of export destined for the rich countries of South America goes first to Liver- pool, where it meets in competition the product of British factories. Does any one pretend to say that the American product is favored over the British product? It is probably true that more interest is being taken in the shipping question today than has ever been taken before--and it is being taken by the right individual, not the ship builder and ship owner, but the manu- facturer and the "man in the street."". They are begin- ning to inquire why it is that a country like this, great in manufacturing and essentially maritime, should have