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324 _ usage by the shipping board. Follow- ing are the methods of testing and the specifications covering fuel oil, gas oil, and bunker oil for Atlantic and Gulf ports, as adopted by the government: "Methods of Test--(a) will be taken as indicated in specifications. "(b) Viscosity will be taken by the distillation method. When oil in small lots is consigned to naval ves- sel or to navy yards the centrifuge test will be used in order to obviate delay. Im this test 30 cubic centi- Flash point the meters of oil and an equal quantity of © best commercial benzol, 50 per cent white, will be used, and the mixture heated to 100 degrees Fahr. "Specifications--(a) Fuel oil shall be a hydrocarbon oil free from grit, acid, and fibrous or other foreign matter likely to clog or injure the burners or valves. If required by the navy department, it shall be strained by being drawn through filters of wire gauze having 16 meshes to the inch. The clearance through the strainer shall be at least twice the area of the suction pipe and strainers shall be in duplicate. '(h) Phe ant of. quantity to be the barrel of 42 gallons of 231 cubic inches at a standard temperature of 60 degrees Fahr. For every decrease or increase of temperature of 10 de- grees Fahr. (or proportion thereof) from the standard, 0.4 of 1 per cent (or prorated percentage) shall be added or deducted from the measured THE MARINE REVIEW or gaged quantity for correction. , "(c) The flash point shall not be lower than 150 degrees Fahr. as a minimum (Abel or Pennsky-Marten's -- closed» cup) or. .175 degrees -Fanr. (Tagliabue open cup). In case of oils having -a viscosity greater than 8 Englet at 150 degrees Fahr. the flash point (closed cup) shall not be below the temperature at which the oil has a viscosity at 8 Engler. ° "(d) Migcosity. shall not be greater than 40 Enatetfat 70 degrees Fahr. "(e) Watér and sediment not over i per cent,. If in excess of 1. per, cent, the excess to be subtracted from' the volume; or the oil may be re- jected. og "(f) Sulphur not over 1.5 per cent. "Note--If the Engler viscosimeter is not available, the Saybolt standard universal viscomimeter may be used. Equivalent viscosities are: " 8 Engler-- 300 seconds Saybolt. "40 Engler--1500 seconds Saybolt. "Bunker. oil A--To comply strictly with the provisions for navy+specifica- tions fuel oil, except that there shall be no limit on sulphur. "Bunker oil B--Specifications to be the same as for navy fuel oil except: "(cy Omit:and 'substitute: The flash point shall not be lower than 150 degrees Fahr. as a minimum (Abel or Pennsky-Marten's closed cup) or 175 degrees Fahr. (Tagliabue open cup). "(d) Omit and substitute: To have a minimum gravity of 18 Baume. "Gy This: item to be. omitted: July, 1919 "Bunker oil C--Specifications to ph, the same as for bunker cil B except it is to have a gravity of approximate. ly 16 Baume. "Navy standard fuel oil will be sup- plied to battleships, destroyers anq other vessels subject to heavy forced draft conditions or required to run smokeless. . It will also be supplied for cargo oil for all shipments abroad or to navy storage. ; "Bunker oil A will be used by other types of vessels requiring a light oj{ and by shore stations fitted with separate storage for yard use. -- It will not be used where bunker oil B or C can be satisfactorily 'used. "Bunker oil B will be used by all transports and cargo vessels which can satisfactorily burn an oil not heavier than 18 Baume gravity. It will not be used where bunker oil C can be satisfactorily used. "Bunker oil C will be used by all transports and cargo vessels which can satisfactorily burn an oil of ap- proximately 16 Baume gravity. "The commander, cruiser .and trans- port force, or his representative, and the district supervisor, naval overseas transportation service, shall determine the grade of oil to be used by vessels operating under their direction." The cargo carrier GEORGE WASHING- TON, which is powered with diesel en- gines, made a round trip voyage from San Francisco to the Orient without rebunkering, the distance covered being 14,000 miles. She docked with several weeks' supply of oil on hand. dvocates Government Control of Ships (A letter to the Editor of The Marine Review ) HE problem of American ship- ! ' ping is so great and must be viewed from so many different angles that it is impossible for any one, even though gifted with omni- science, to know it all. From 'the many articles which have been writ- ten on the subject, the one who is seeking for light and who is earnest- ly and honestly desirous that plans which will really build up an Amer- ican marine and American trade should be adopted and put into ef- fect, becomes hopelessly confused. From all the conflicting ideas, how- «ver, there stands out clearly some facts: 1--The necessity for a large mer- chant marine under the American flag is conceded by all if the farms and factories of this country are to have a continuous and healthy growth, and if the financial inter- ests of the nation are to undertake responsibilities and privileges which have been forced upon them in the past five years. 2---The old shipping interests and their connections are firmly opposed to government ownership of ships, to government control of rates or of operations. 3.--That it costs more to build and operate a ship under American registry than it does under the registry of many of our principa! competitors in the race for world trade. 4.--Not so clearly shown, but still plain, shippers are beginning to real- ize the necessity of having ocean rates and service which will place them on an equality with other European competitors in reaching the south- ern and far eastern markets. American experts, who have man- aged American shipping companies in the past, pin their faith to the old order of affairs and demand private Ownership and operation of vessels with the least possible control or direction from the law and maxi- mum freedom from regulation by gov- ernmental authorities even in the management of the ships or in the rates to be charged for service perf- formed by them. But they. claim that, owing to demands of American labor, both at sea and ashore, the. privately owned marine cannot ex- ist under competition with the less costly ships and labor of European and far eastern countries. They demand, therefore, assistance from the government to meet this condition. The American people in the past have stood steadfastly against a sub- sidy to ships in any form or shape. There is nothing to indicate that, as far as giving assistance to the privately owned marine, this feeling has changed. It is the fashion to rail at congress and legislatures but in the main these men gage correctly