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Gate Dec. 30, 1911.--Statistics covering the chartering of foreign colliers by the United States navy department since July 1, 1910, alone form a startling indictment, showing a wanton disregard of this country's coastwise laws, utter contempt for the tights of American ship owners and an wunexcusable waste of the public money. The department has been in the habit of chartering six or eight vessels at a time and thus its policy has not attracted the attention it de- serves. However,. compiled figures show that since July 1, 1910, the de- partment has sent to the Pacific coast with coal from the Atlantic range 47 colliers, while 12 more are to arrive within the next 'three months. Of these 59 bottoms but nine are American vessels. A Ruinous Policy. These startling facts are in the pos- session of Congressman William E. Humphrey, of this city, who intends at the present session of congress to repeat previous efforts to prevent the department from continuing this policy, so ruinous to American ship- owners on this coast and: so demoral- izing to freight rates on the Pacific. In. previous sessions Congressman Humphrey's efforts .to pass legisla- tion to prevent this invasion of the coastwise carrying trade of the Unit- ed States by foreign colliers has been nearly successful and he intends to continue the 'fight until 'conditions are changed. United States Senator Wesley L. Jones, of this state, in speaking of the navy department's at- titude toward this coast, said 'only yesterday: "For years past the senators and representatives in congress from this coast have battled bitterly for recog- THE MARINE REVIEW nition of the needs of this section. This fight will be kept up and will . % . be as vigorous and effective as we can make it. The fight has grown so bitter that we from the coast are about ready to vote against any ap- propriations for the construction of more battleships unless some of these are sent, to.the ship yards of the Pa- cific. coast." : Hostility to Coast Interests. | Senator Jones was referring to the lack of protection on this coast, but his attitude expresses that of other members of congress from this sec- tion who are prepared to vote against more money for the department un- less it shows a more friendly disposi- tion to the western shore of this country. Summarizing what the navy depart- ment has done to injure the American commerce of the Pacific in the last 18. months, it may be of interest to state that the 50 foreign colliers sent here during that period have brought approximately 300,000 tons of Atlantic range coal for the Pacific navy yards. At the average rate of $5 per ton, which is a fair figure, the department has expended at least : $1,500,000 in freights alone during this time, all of which has gone to enrich the cof- fers of foreign owners. This means almost 100,000 per month paid to foreign ship owners, which figure in itself is of startling import. Includ- ing the American bottoms, fixed for this same business during the past 18 months, consisting of five sailing ships and four steamers, the navy has dumped on this coast. approxi- mately 350,000 tons of Atlantic coal for the use of navy vessels in these waters. Seven of the foreign tramp | col- February, 1912 liers sent to Honolulu with coal dur- ing this period departed for Aus- tralia in ballast, but with this excep- tion all of these. foreign steamers have been chartered to carry cargo from north Pacific ports. Exclusive of the. seven which departed in ballast -and the 12 colliers yet to arrive, the a other, 40 vessels were chartered as J ollow's : : : 'Sugar from Honolulu, four. From north Pacific ports--grain, 12; lumber, 16; merchandise, 8; in addition three of these vessels carried coal from British Columbia to San Francisco before beginning their offshore char- ters, Sm - Displacing American Bottoms. In round figures this collier ton- nage has already carried from north 'Pacific ports the following cargoes: .» Grain, | 75,000 tons; ° sugar, 20,000 tons; lumber, 50,000,000 ft.; merchan- dise, 40,000 tons. The injustice done American own- ers of tonnage operating in the Pa- cific is seen by the assertion that the 16 foreign steamers which entered the Pacific lumber-carrying trade and took from this coast approximately 50,000,000 ft. of lumber, diverted just that. much business from American bottoms. This huge quantity of :car- go represents in round figures as much as 45 American sailing vessels will carry. The three foreign tramps which violated the spirit of the coast- wise trade by carrying coal from British Columbia to San Francisco, took from American vessels business formerly enjoyed almost exclusively by United States bottoms. The 12 tramps which carried wheat from North Pacific ports to the United Kingdom entered a field which here- tofore has been almost exclusively that of sailing ships, both American and foreign. The foreign sailing ves- sels, which were thus unable to get grain charters, were forced to seek offshore lumber cargoes at lower rates than American owners could afford to accept with the result that the American 'bottom was forced to lay up or take unprofitable freights. The 12 foreign colliers which re- turned from this coast.with approxi. mately 75,000 tons of grain carried as much as 25 sailing ships of ordi- nary size could handle. Consequently at least 25 foreign windjammers en- tered the lumber trade, displacing about 35 American bottoms. Were it not for the fact.that the coastwise laws are strictly enforced in the mer- chant marine, the four American ves- sels which carried sugar from the Hawaiian Islands to the Atlantic coast