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This is ten more than in the previous year. Most of the works, however, seem to be engaged in bu'lding small sailing craft, of which 220, of an aggregate of 16,841 tons, were constructed, be- 176 (of 8,041 tons) less than in the previous year. Of steam vessels, there were built 76 (of 28,838 tons), being 13 vessels and 3,157 tons less than in the previous year. As to ship- ping owned in Japan, there has been an increase, especially in the steam voted to the building of junks, ing craft, the number at the end of the year being 2,223, of 1,116,945 gross tons, the increase on the year being 75,376 tons. Of sailing vessels there were 4,811, totalling 365,959 gross tons, an increase of 12,594 tons. In junks, however, there has been a decreaze of 1,997, the total now being 2),635 'tons. An analysis of the whole shows that the addition of new tonnage is considerably greater than that removed from the register -through disaster and other causes, so that there is a mate- rial improvement in the average effi- ciency of the shipping. Ten large ships were built under the shipbuilding en- couragement certificate system, and 20 more are in course of construction, Navigation encouragement certificates were granted to 20 vessels. - These ships were for service to Europe, America, the Ocean Islands, Bombay, Java, Vladivostock, China, and Korea. PIG IRON SITUATION. A fair amount of new business is being received by the steel mills, and for the most part, prices are being sol- _ idly maintained. Some low prices are being made on fabricated steel, but the price of the plain material seems to be maintained. Proposed wage .re- ductions in eastern Pennsy vania have becn declined by the Amalgamated Association and strikes may result. The pig iron market is extremely dull, Prices are declining, and sa'es are be- ing made at $11.50 Birmingham for No. 2. Northern prices also show weakness. Considerable activity in structural steel is noted, ard the Car- negie Steel Co. has taken soine sat- isfactory orders for plates as well as steel rails. The demand fo: sheets has improved in the west, but there is some shading of prices. The re- duction of $5 a ton on tin plate was quite a surprise. to the trade. Speci- fications on $teel bar "contratts' are improving, and the price of 1.20c Pitts- burg is being adhered to. Bar. iron is _ dull... Some: coke' for 'six months'. re- 'quirements. is being contracted, for. Prices are weak in the old material market.; TAE Marine REVIEW NEW LOCK AT THE ANTWERP HARBOR. The two new harbor basins, which were opened in the year 1997, and to which access has hith:rto been by the somewhat round-about way via the Kattendijk Dock, were on Dec. 2 last placed in more direct communication with the Schelde through the sc-called Royer's Lock, which leads into the Lefebore Dock, and which was that day opened to shipping. The new lock is both larg<r and better equirped in every way than the two o!d locks, through which the harbor authorities would allow no_ vessels of more than 21 ft. depth to pass; ships with "a greater draught were compelled to dis- charge part of their cargo into lighters in the river, a process entailing both expense and considerable loss of time, and causing much dissatisfaction all round. The new lock will admit of vessels with a draught of up to 30 ft. going straight to their appointed place in the dock. There are three gates which are worked by electricity; of the two lock chambers, the one is 243 ft., the other 337 ft. long; when ves- sels of a greater length have to be dealt with, the intermediate gate can be opened, giving an available ag- eregate length of 580 ft. THE ITALIAN NAVY. The Rivista Marittima recently pub- lished in pamphlet form two essays it had received in reply to a non-official competition it had instituted among the officers of the Italian navy. The competitors were asked to state the features that should characterize Ital- ian battleships, and to give a scheme for navigating a fleet formed of units of the type proposed, so as to estab- lish contact with an opposing fleet of similar power. The author, a nav- igating officer, who was awarded the first prize, proposed:. A battleship armed with eight 12-in. guns mounted in pairs in four turrets; fort, aft, and on the port and star- board 'sides; arc of training of fore and aft turrets, 270 degrees; arc of training of lateral turrets, 180 degrees on their respective sides and 90 de- grees athwartship. Eight 6-in. 50-cali- bre guns, firing a projectile weighing 100 lb., with a 3,050-ft. muzzle velocity; rapidity of fire, ten rounds per minute; mounted in four side turrets, firing di- rectly, forward,.,; Or aft, and . round an arc of 135 degrees . to port, or star- 'board. Twelve 3-in. guns, distributed symmetrically in the bow and stern, above the belt armor, and firing through embrasures, The ammunition 21 on board should consist of 100 rounds for each 12-in. gun, 75, being capped © armor-piercing projectiles and 25 with shells suitable for destroying land de-- fences; 250 rounds for each 6-in, gun . and 300 rounds for each 3-in. gun. Torpedo-launching tubes forming the most effective means of defense of a ship which has otherwise become in- capacitated, there should be two later- al submarine tubes, but neither bow nor stern tubes. The protection should consist of belt-armor 8 in, thick over -- 70 per cent of the length amidship, 4 in. thick round the bow and the stern 12-in. gun-turret armor 8+ in.. thick; 6-in. gun-turret armor 6 in, thick; con--- ning turret armor 12 in. thick; base of funnels to practically level with con- ning-tower protected by 4-in. armor; no torpedo netting--this to be fitted on subsidiary ships only; tonnage, 16,- 000: tons; 24,000 H. P.. capacity Tor fuel, 1,750 tons; turbine-driven; speed, 22 knots. The navigating officer and author of the essay which was award- cd the second prize advocated a battle- ship of 16,000 to 17,000 tons, fitted with turbines developing 30,000 H. P., having a maximum speed of 23 to 23.5 knots; armed with eight 13-in. or 13.5-in. guns, mounted in four turrets, two fore and two aft, in the axis of the ship, the guns in the two middle | turrets, when aimed directly forward or aft, firing directly above the two end turrets; arc of training of all four turrets, 320 degrees; twenty-four . 3.5- in. or 4-in, guns, firing through em- brasures in the broadsides above the belt armor, mounted in paifs on 12 disappearing mountings; arc of train- ing of each gun pair, 120 degrees; two submarine torpedo-launching tubes, or two tubes on deck (if the latter, room might perhaps be found for four); pro- tection afforded by belt armor 10. in. thick, tapering down to 6 in. at the ends and lower edge; 12-in. gun-turret armor 10 in. thick; conning-tower ar- mor, 1334 in.; armored deck, 3- 16 in. thick. Both essays give further 'in- teresting data on the desiderata which should be met in capital ships des- tined for the Italian navy, and also in the second, the tactical, portion of the program set forth by the Italian Mari- time Review. : The state harbor' commissioners | have accepted the offer of the West- ern Pacific; Railway. Co, for the lease of Pier 34 at San Franci ISCO. The offer is $167, 730, the cost ot the pro- posed pier and is advance payment of rent for 180 months. The pier will be built by the Associated Contracting Co. for $167,730.