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men. It has entered into individuai contracts also for the season of 1909 and has found no difficulty in filling the places of the few chief engineers who declined to sign the contracts. There is no question of wages in- volved--merely the question of a vessel owner dealing directly with the man whom he employs and pays. The Marine Engineers' Beneficial Association has resented this and has preferred charges against a num- ber of its men who entered into indi- vidual contracts. The Marine Engin- eers' Beneficial Association has since notified its men that they must not sign these contracts and that if any have made them they should be re- turned to the local lodges. The Pitts- burg Steamship Co. has met this move by the simple declaration that if any of its engineers regret having signed individual contracts they can return them and consider the matter endéd," The brunt of the fight seems to center around the men who are em- ployed by the Pittsburg Steamship Co., and it is understood to be the policy, of the association either to fine or expel them. The men, of course, employed by the Pittsburg Steamship Co. occupy very desirable positions and naturally desire to hold theni. Any punishment meted out i9 them will in all likelihood result in their withdrawal from the association. As: far as is known the Pittsburg Steamship Co. and Picklands, Mather & Co. are' the only two fleets that have entered into contracts with their engineers. Since the recent visit of National President Yates, of the Ma- rine Engineers'. Beneficial Association, to Cleveland, much pressure has been brought to bear upon engineers to prevent the extension of the individual contract system. In fact, it is under- stood that the engineers of a number of the leading fleets have refused to enter into individual contracts. These fleets are all members of the Lake Car- riers' Association, which is now ir- revocably pledged to the open shop policy, and it iseclear that the men, unless they do sign individual con- tracts, will not be employed at all. In order that there will be no misun- derstanding on the subject, the vessel ownérs of Cleveland met and adopted the' following notice to be. -sent:to their engineers: "Before taking.-up., definite - appo_nt- ments to our ships, we wish it under: stood that in accordance with the policy adopted by the Lake Carriers" Association, and with which you are doubtless. familiar, we propose that proper discipline shall obtain on 'our TAE MarRINE REVIEW ships and our appointments for the coming season will be made only upon the following conditions: First, that there will be no change in the month- ly rate of wages; second, terms of employment must include that all de- partments of our ships will hereafter be conducted in each department on the open shop principle and that your co-operation as an important execu- tive officer on the ship will be required in carrying out this principle. "We desire to hear from you by return mail whether you will or will not make an application on the fore- going basis." It would seem as though in this particular the Marine Engineers' Bene- ficial Association was engaged in the task of splitting hairs. Obviously it desires that its members should be employed at good wages and with fair treatment. In this case it-is pre- venting them from getting jobs--and that, too, when the vessel owners are quite willing that the engineers may remain members of the Marine Engin- eers' Beneficial Association. PITTSBURG STEAMSHIP CO.'S OFFICERS: AND EM- PLOYES. The fifth annual convention of the officers and employes of the Pitts- burg Steamship Co. convened at the Hollenden hotel, Cleveland, Wednes- day; Jan. 6. "President -Coulby: ad- dressed the assembly on "The Welfare Plan of the Lake Carriers' Associa- tion.' In - the: afternoon, Mir» Her- mon A. Kelley, counsel for the steam- ship company, delivered an _ address n "Cause of Accidents, and How to Avoid Them." On Thursday morn- ing Robert Logan and R. B. Wal- lace, of the American Ship Build- ing Co. addressed: the men on "The Proper Distribution of Cargo on a Modern Steel Steamer so as to Equal- ize Strain Over the Entire Struc- ture," and in the afternoon -- ses- sion Dr. Harold Wilson of Conneaut delivered an address on "Sanitary Conditions Aboard Ship." These addresses will be published in the MarINE Review later. The convention will conclude with the usual dinner at the Hollenden on Friday evening. TO IMPROVE GRAIN CARRYING CONDITIONS. | Apparently | there is concerted action to relieve vessel owners of some of the distress- they now. "suffer in the earriage. of: grain. At a meeting of the executive committee of the Dominion Marine As- sociation held in Toronto on Jan. 4, the proposal of a clearing house for grain 47 cargoes at Port Arthur and Fort Wil- liam so as to do away with the neces--- sity of freighters having to go to so many elevators to collect cargoes was unanimously endorsed. A' general. meeting of all 'pean affected was held at Winnipeg, Jan. 7. The individual members of the Domin- ion Marine Association have agreed to carry grain only on a bill of lading which relieves them from all liability of shortages of more than ¥% bu. on each 1,000 bu. of cargo. The present bill of lading makes the vessel responsible for any shortage of cargo at out-turn points, _ a condition which vessel owners have always resented, but have never been able to remedy. The shortage has al- ways been charged up against them. The president and secretary of the Dominion Marine Association will ap- pear before. the Lake Carriers' Asso- ciation at its annual meeting in Detroit, on Jan. 20, to urge unity of action in this regard. --_-- MANAGER FOR GULCH RISE eke FLEET. Mr, Samuel P. Shane, of New Sark a railroad man of long experience, has just been appointed manager of the Gilchrist. 'Transportation 5. 5. fleet of vessels. Shane was quite a. surprise to vessel- men who thought all along that a: lake man would be. selected. Mr. Shane has never been identified with the lakes, his whole training having been along railroad lines. However, he is regarded as one of the: best trafic men in the country and_ will undoubtedly prove a.'valuable acquisi- tion to the Gilchrist' interests.. He has been for+some time past . the freight traffic manager of the Erie railroad with headquarters in New York. He began railroading in 18/1, as a messenger boy in the general freight office of the Pittsburg, Cin- cinnati: & St.. Louis railway 2 joined the Erie force in 1887 as gen- eral freight agent at Cleveland, hold-: ing that position until 1896, when he became assistant general traffic man- ager of the Erie & Chicago and Erie roads... His pris en has been steady since. . F. W. Gilchrist, of Alpena, was coe vice president of the Gilchrist Transportation Co. o 1. ain. A Ane Capt. 'Wm. Gerlach has resigned. "as ' man ager of - the steamers. -Onoke and' I. W. Nicholas' and will retire: from business... The two steamers "will hereafter be managed by George Steinbrenner. Capt. Gerlach will leave for the south next week to spend the winter. ~ The selection of Mr.