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* of, Pittsburg, 112 4 where gas power has been adopted. In addition to the matter in the paper, Mr. Straub also gave a review of the progress made up to date in marine gas power in Eu- rope and America, together with a list The te- view was supplemented by an extended power plants, contained of the principal . installations. report from a well-known naval archi- tect and marine engineer now traveling in Europe. The paper was freely illus- trated with slides, and was very well received. It was, in fact, the most in- teresting paper presented at the meet- ing. ' On Wednesday afternoon the party was entertained by an exhibition driil at Fort Meyer, on Thursday afternoon was received by President Taft, and on Thursday evening was addressed by Rear Admiral George W. Melville, U. a. N,, Retired, on "The Engineer in the Navy." We regret that we have not space to reproduce the admiral's address entire. He reviewed the history of the department during his active ser- vice and contrasted its operation with the system now proposed, under which the bureau of steam engineering is con- solidated with the construction and_re- pair and under the jurisdiction of the chief of that bureau. The admiral paid a touching tribute to his subordinates in the service, and was visibly much affected. He characterized the method as being contrary to the spirit new of the age, which is specialization, and as a step backward. The admiral's ad- dress was followed by the presentation. of his portrait to the National Gallery, the presentation speech being made by Mr. Walter M. McFarland, vice presi- dent of the Westinghouse Electric Co,. formerly Admiral Mel- ville's assistant in the bureau. a glowing tribute to the admiral as a chief, saying that he had pre-eminently the faculty of selecting an organization and insuring its loyal and hearty sup- port by never omitting to give them full credit for even the slightest sug- gestion of value. Director Walcott, on behalf of the nation, accepted the por- trait, also making reference to the ad- miral's services to the country. The program of the meeting was brought to a close by a trip by steamer to Mt. Vernon on Friday afternoon, 'sion in place of steam. He paid ' THe Marine REVIEW STEEL AND NAVAL CONSTRUC- TION. Elsewhere we reprint from The New York Evening Post of April 22, under the above heading. 'We think the author, in assuming that the changes hinted at refer chiefly or entirely.to improvements in material, has lost sight of a development, which, it is a good deal more probable Mr. Asquith had in mind, that is to say, the adoption of gas power for propul- : It is entirely reasonable to expecta reduction in engine room and boiler room weights of 25 per cent or upwards, and a further reduction in fuel stowage of 50 per cent for a' given cruising radius. The assumption that: a saving in these weights would not result in structural improvement, because the saving would be at. once devoted to speed, is, we think, a mistaken one, for this, in itself, comes within the: category of govern- ing conditions of naval strategy. 'It is not at all improbable either that the improvement confidently looked for in steel making within the near future will result in a material reduction in hull 'weights, and a further reduction in machinery weights, due to the availability of bet- but the smoke, resulting from the adoption of ter material, elimination of gas power, will probably have more effect on naval strategy 'than all the other influences combined. In connection with the foregoing, the paper printed elsewhere in this issue on marine producer will gas. power prove interesting. TO REPEAL TONNAGE TAX EX- EMPTION LAW. has amendment to the tariff bill now un- Senator Frye proposed an der consideration to repeal the so- called reciprocal tonnage tax exemp- tion law of 1886. By the act of 1886 vessels are exempt from American tonnage taxes if clearing from foreign ports where no tonnage on light dues are imposed on American vessels. As is well known, few American vessels the Atlantic or.. Pacific. The act of 1886 works equitably only with the province of Ontario, trom which American cross lake vessels are exempt an editorial. exclusive of the armor' May, 1909 from about $20,000 tunnage taxes and Canadian vessels from about $15,000, On the other hand, under the law the United States has sacrificed in the last 20 years about $500,000 in revenue from ships from the Netherlands and over $1,000,000 in revenue in ships The British par- liament is expected in the near future to vote on the bill to abolish light dues which if it passes will exempt British ships $325,000 tonnage annually, from German ports. from about American taxes whereas American ships will be ex- empt only from $8,000 in British light dues. - in " By the repeal of the law of 1886 tonnage taxes imposed on vessels in trade between the United States and Central America, the West British North Amer- ica (except Ontario) can be reduced The net fiscal result of the repeal will be to add only about Mexico, Indies and 33 per cent. $7,000 to tonnage taxes paid by Amer- ican vessels and $48,000 paid by for- eign vessels. Last year American ves- sels paid $86,680 tonnage taxes, for- eign vessels $988,735, small amount of American shipping . Netherland for years have secured exemption of from $30,000 to $40,000 in the United States, while no American ships enter of the Netherlands or Dutch East Indies to secure reciprocal ad- owing to the in foreign trade. ships ports vantages. In fact, the act of 1886 has proved unbusinesslike in all quarters except on the great lakes where there has been an equitable exchange. Its re- peal will, however, mean the payment of about $20,000 by American lake vessels from which they are now ex- empt and about $15,000 by Canadian vessels. TAXING FOREIGN-BUILT YACHTS. 'Clause 471 A of the tariff bill now under consideration imposes a duty of 35 per cent upon foreign-built yachts. Practically all of the yachts owned 'by American citizens have 'been _ built abroad though American ship builders quite as f constructing them as to foreign builders. The sec- tion, if passed, will doubtless promote American ship building to this extent. are capable of