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'TAE Marine REVIEW 21 profitable. That such methods have been used in con- nection with county work may be illustrated by the following: A contractor was the successful bidder for constructing a courthouse. The contract had a loop- hole--no foundation being especially mentioned, al- though the contract called for a complete building. As time for commencement had passed, the commis- sioners called on the contractor to commence work; he replied that work would be commenced as soon as the foundation was ready. To the surprise of the commissioners, they learned that the contractor was right--the contract provided for no foundation, al- though all other proposals received for the work showed that they apparently covered the cost of the foundation. It is a grave mistake, however, to rely on changes in government contracts, as they require the approval of the higher officials before payment can be made, and the prices must therefore be reasonable. | Construction work connected with river and har- bor improvements requires contractors to take big risks, especially if the work is to be done in a river or a harbor; and when this is necessary, due allow- ance should be made in bidding. This seems to have been overlooked by most contractors who have un- dertaken work in the Ohio valley, and the results have been most disastrous. Not only have contract- ors lost money, some having gone into bankruptcy, but the progress of the work has been unduly de- layed. With its sudden and numerous rises, the Ohio is a most troublesome river for those having con- struction work thereon. At best, there are not over five months in a year, which permit of profitably car- rying on work in the Ohio river. Under such condi- tions, it is absolutely necessary to put in substantial preliminary work (cofferdams, etc.), especially if the work is to be carried over a winter, and completed within a reasonable length of time. Working in run- ning water, especially in a river like the Ohio, re- quires experience, and those inexperienced would do well to avoid narrow margins in submitting propo- sals. : Perhaps nine-tenths of the delay in completing work on the Ohio river and the failure of most of the contractors to make a profit can be traced to the relying on a low-water season, and therefore con- structing cofferdams which will not withstand. an or- dinary rise. There are known cases where contrac- tors were compelled to pump out five times before being able to place permanent work. As it takes at least twenty-four hours to pump out, and, perhaps as long again to remove the deposit and put matters in condition, this flooding of vofferdams proves costly. Building locks and dams is serious and costly work (a complete structure on the Ohio costs in the neighbor- hood of a million dollars), and it is doubtful if any man would undertake such work simply for recre«- tion. Why, then, should men bid less than the work can actually be done for? Are they so anxious for work, or do they consider it an honor to do govern- ment work? There may have been a day for large profits made irregularly, but one needs only refer to the Greene and Gaynor case at Savannah to know that profits cannot be expected from such sources in the future. -- : 3 ) No one is benefited by the failure of a contractor on government work, and it appears unreasonable that. men should: lose large sums of money while do- ing work for the United States--a government fully » able to pay for the best and which should accept only the best. If contractors desire to do work at losing prices, let them give the benefit to our private citizens in moderate circumstances or to some of our strug- gling corporations. (anti-trust). There have been several failures among contrac- tors who have accepted work on the Ohio river, caused by inexperience and low prices. It is only within the last three years that men of experience have undertaken the larger contracts, and the results are gratifying, They have shown what can be done. Men without experience in that class of work and without plant or capital who have attempted the building of locks and dams not only ruined them- selves and their friends, but caused delay to im- portant work and brought discredit to the men in charge. x DOCK MANAGER®S' CONFERENCE. The dock managers are holding conferences at present with the representatives of the International Longshoremen's Association regarding hours of labor and wage conditions on Lake Erie docks. Last season the ore handlers worked - eleven hours a day up to Sept. I and ten hours during the balance of the season. The men are now asking for a ten-hour day and an increase in wages of 7%4 per cent. With the volume of business to be handled the managers do not feel that the hours of labor can. be shortened. If they are, the burden will fall upon the vessel owners who have to pay extra for all the ore that is 'unloaded after regular hours. The dock managers probably would not look unkindly upon a ten-hour day provided a double shift could be worked, that is, the docks kept in continual oper- ation twenty hours out of every twenty-four. In this way the maximum efficiency could be got out of the unloading machines. It is expected that an agreement can be reached by the end of the week. FREIGHT SITUATION. Coal freights have been established at 30 cents to the head of the lakes and 40 cents to Milwaukee, which is the figure at which most of the business was transacted last year. A considerable amount of coal has been covéred at this figure and will be moved as soon as the weather permits. The ice report shows that there is very little ice in the upper lakes and what there is is not of much -thickness. From the present outlook it appears as though navigation would surely be opened by April 1. Those closest to the trade do not expect a coal miners' strike. No additional charters for ore are reported and it is now expected that a considerable volume will be moved wild. The steamer John Sherwin, building at the West Bay City yard of the American Ship Building Co., will be launched on Saturday of this week.