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20 DEVOTED TO EVERYTHING AND EVERY INTEREST CONNECTED OR _ ASSO- CIATED WITH MARINE MATTERS ON THE FACE OF THE EARTH. Published every Thursday by The Penton Publishing Co. CLEVELAND. Neos a oo ek 73-74 Journal Bldg. oer CAE ON Tah are as 932 Ellicott Sq. CHICAGOS cee res 1328 Monadnock Blk. CINCINNATI: coy. ee First National Bank Bldg. NISW GVORKG. a5. Sess 1005 West Street Bldg. PITESBUR Gases Pe Gea eae 5 510 Park Bldg. | DU TW: soe ew rc ces 411 Providence Bldg. Correspondence on Marine Engineering, Ship Building and Shipping Subjects Solicited. Subscription, U. S. and Mexico, $3.00 per annum. Canada, $4.00. Foreign, $4.50. Subscribers can have addresses changed at will. Change of advertising copy must reach this office on Thursday preceding date of publication. The Cleveland News Co. will supply the trade with the Marine Review through the regular channels of the American News Co. European Agents, The International News Company, Breams Building, Chancery Lane, London, E. C., England. Entered at the Post Office at Cleveland, Ohio, as Second Class Matter, July 23, 1908. THE DOCUMENT IN EVIDENCE. The planks of both political parties the marine are brief. The (Democrats upon subject of the merchant say: "We believe in the upbuilding of the American merchant marine without new or additional burdens upon the people and without bounties from the public treasury." The Republicans say: "We adhere to the Republican doc- trine of encouragement to American shipping and urge such legislation as will revive the merchant marine pres- tige of the country, so essential to national defence, the enlargement of foreign trade and the industrial pros- perity of our people." The no discussion. Democratic platform requires It means nothing but free ships.. The policy of free ships might be tried out until the day of judgment without doing the American merchant marine a particle of good, employment. Tae Marine RevIEW The time to talk about the mer- chant marine is past; the time to act has come. If it were possible to get a referendum vote on the subject of shipping it would carry by an, enor- mous majority. Regular organizations such as boards of trades throughout the country have declared for it time and time again and delegation aiter delegation have journeyed to Wash- ington to advocate it. Yet the Amer- ican government remains obdurate and nothing has been done. Measures of relief are invariably defeated. The re- Stilt .1o. that American shipping has now reached the lowest point of stag- nation. To prove this we have but to take one example from current life. Looking across the New York harbor and pointing to a five-masted schoon- er, which has been lying idle for five weeks at her moorings with no pros- pect of employment, Mr. Potter, of the Luckenbach Towing & Transpor- tation. 'Co., said: "The docks are full of idle ships.- And it is not only New York, but the same condition prevails. at. Boston, Newport News, Baltimore and Phila- delphia. Of our own ships there are five laid off with nothing to do. One vessel of 6,500 tons that cost $380,000 three years ago can't find profitable no show against the foreign steamer, She can't get any freight to pay when the higher cost of the seamen's wages is added compared with that of foreign vessels, and we don't get any freight even from the government to help us along. The government is building the Panama canal with the nation's mon- ey, but foreign ships are being em- ployed to take the supplies down there when American steamers are available and plenty of them. congress insists on How is it that American engi- neers only being employed on the canal and American manufactures for the the nothing is done army in Philippines the American There must be 14 or 15 larger vessels laid up.in the harbor with a total of 100,000 tonnage. Those of moderate size could be used while for mercantile marine? for transporting cement and other sup- plies, and are suitable for the docks The home steamer has . and waterways, but congress mus and purchase two 12,000-ton ye, drawing 28 or 29 ft. of water, a they are not wanted. The govye, It buil the collier Vesta, which with its om ment is quite inconsistent, and equipment will make the: cost transporting coal very much a than by an ordinary native ship, g yet when any aid is asked for the home mercantile marine congr turns down every application, We have to live up to strict laws, and if the food, with meat and chicken, isp supplied according to schedule, we're hauled into court. The foreigner pay: his crew at the tate of $12 or $13 month, whereas we have to pay $25, Last year we seemed to be going along smoothly, : but this depression has quite knocked us back." This is a document from life. What more does congress need to convince x it of the imperative necessity of legis- lation in behalf of the American mer- Why should there be this holy horror of subsidy? chant marine? Every country that has a merchant marine Why ~ should the -- United States stand aloof when the evidence of its folly accumulates on subsidizes it. all sides? LAKE FREIGHT SITUATION. While the volume of freight moved on the Great Lakes during 1908 will probably be greater than any movement prior to 1902 this season will be remem- bered as one of the most disastrous in lake history. The proportionate depres- sion is greater than has ever been ex- ~ perienced, far greater than the depression following the panic of 1893. In 1892 the movement of ore was 9,072,242 tons; im 1893 it fell to 6,065,716 tons, The move: ment in 1894 was 7,748,312 tons; in 189% it reached 10,429,037 tons, falling in 18% to 9,934,928 tons. It was not until 1897 that the period of normal increase was reached, when 12,469,638 tons were moved. Judged by these figures it took about four years or more to recover from the depression of 1893. The present depression is far more drastic. Last year 42,009,000 tons of ore were moved on the lakes. This year it is not likely that more than 21,000,000 tons will be moved, a reduction of 50 per cemt Such an abrupt curtailment has deranged the whole lake system. Methods of opet ation have to be. revised constantly. It was thought that by withholding the ope