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August, 1916 New Cunard Offices The Cunard Steamship Co., Liver- pool, Eng., has just completed a new office building on Pier Head, Liver- pool. The new Cunard building em- bodies in general outline and archi- tectural detail the prominent features of the Italian renaissance as_ repre- sented in the Farnese palace in Rome. The simplicity and dignity of the structure make it very impressive. The building is seven stories high, 170 x 330 feet, and includes a base- ment and two sub-basements. The floor space area of the various floors aggregates approximately 20 acres. The details of the interior decora- tions are said to be particularly beau- tiful. The main ground floor halls are lined with marble, the columns mre of Greek design. The screens and counters are of Italian marble from the Armi Alto quarries. The public offices for first class travel are on the ground floor, the second class passenger offices are in the basement and the executives’ offices are on the fifth floor. The remainder of the buildine with the exception of.the two sub-basements is to be leased to ten- ants. Regulation of Spanish : Line The contract of the Spanish ernment with the Compania Transat- lantica, known in the United States as the Spanish line, made on June 1, goy- 1910, has been modified by a royal order published May 23, 1916. The company is authorized to use the vessels stipulated in the contract as forming the Philippine line and other vessels necessary in order to make 21 trips between Spain and New York before the end of the current year, beginning with one voyage in May, two in June, and during the rest of the year three a month. One departure must be from a Mediterranean Spanish port and an- other from a Cantabrian Spanish port, and the return trip made to those ports to which the cargo is chiefly consigned, in order that the vessels shall make no voyage in_ ballast. Barcelona and Cadiz will be the Mediterranean ports served and Bil- bao and Vigo the Cantabrian. The usual time to remain in New York harbor is fixed at eight days, but if the Spanish government finds that more time is required for cargo, or for any other reason, this limit may be extended; also, if it be found ad- vantageous to visit ports in the United States other than New York, this may be done at the company’s discretion. The Compania Transatlantica plans to THE MARINE REVIEW make six more voyages to the Philip- pines during the remainder of the year, leaving Barcelona during the first days of every month, and five return’ < voyages from Manila: If, through accident or other circum- stance, the company cannot make the trips to the Philippines without re- ducing the voyages to New York, it may reduce its trips to the Philip- pines to one sailing every six or eight weeks, or even suspend the service. The company will’ receive no subvention other than that for the Philippine line. In both the New York and the Philippine service and on the coast- wise runs, of the company, foreign vessels may be utilized by the com- pany if satisfactory arrangements to this effect can be made. In all the carrying: trade preference must be given to Spanish importation and ex- portation. On vessels making a re- SS SS ISS LSS Building Shh ETAILED information concerning D the development of the ship build- ing industry in Japan is contained in a report from Vice Consul M. D. Kirjassoff, stationed at Yokohama, which emphasizes the difficulties under which ship construction is now being carried, on due to the “lack of. raw materials. The great demand for skilled labor has caused a_ consider- able advance in the wages paid. During the fiscal year ended March 31, 1916, the imperial Japanese gov- ernment granted ship building subsi- dies amounting to 1,600,000 yen ($797,- 600). Fifteen ships, with a total ton- nage of 68,104, recéived this subsidy, a decrease of 1 in the’ number of ships, as compared with the preced- ing fiscal year, but an increase of about 3,000 in the total tonnage. Of these 15 ships, 4 each are owned by the Nippon Yusen Kaisha and the Osaka Shosen Kaisha, with a _ total tonnage of 25,951 and 25,311, respect- ively. The two largest vessels built during the year, Manita Maru, 9,505 tons, and Hawam Maru, 9,482 tons, both owned by the Osaka Shosen Kaisha, have been put on the Amer- ican run, the former to Tacoma and the latter to Honolulu and San Fran- cisco. : Ship building in Japan has been greatly retarded by the difficulty of securing supplies. The fact that the export of steel is prohibited from Great Britain is chiefly responsible for this condition. Ship builders are not so greatly inconvenienced by the scarcity of plates, but the prohibition a 2¢/ turn voyage from New York half of the space for freight will be reserved for wheat, corn, coal and ammunition up until 15 days before sailing. The directors general of commerce or the military intendant general can requisi- tion more space, compensating for the excess on another voyage, so that on an average half of the capacity of the vessels shall be available to carry the freight mentioned. If, be- fore the time fixed, this space is not engaged it may be filled with other freight for Spain. The wheat, corn and coal will be carried at reduced rates of freight, will be fixed monthly by a duly qualified Spanish board of transportation that will de- termine what cargoes may profit by the reserved space, the discount on the freight and the order of prefer- ence between them, informing the company of its decision in advance. which @ SSS SS 0 ‘es ips in Japan ot the export of keels and frames of ships hampers the industry. Dr. J.; Intaoka, . the head of shipping. section in the of communications, is reported as saying that unless some effectual measures be immediately taken the ship building industry will soon be paralyzed. In his opinion the short- age is due to the decreased imports from England and to the shortage of bottoms to bring supplies to Japan. He suggests that ship builders co- operate in securing materials required and dispatch ships to bring home their purchases abroad. To this end Mr. Matsukata of the Kawasaki Dock Yard Co., Kobe, and others will go the department to the United States. In some places timber is being used as a substitute for steel sec- tions, especially at the smaller yards, where wooden ships are being buiit il increasing numbers. The use of timber is, however, limited as it is impracticable to build ships of more than 1,000 tons of wood. In spite of the lack of materials the extension of ship building plants in Japan is going on at an enormous rate. During the past few months the number of docks for ships of 1,000 tons or upward has increased from 18 to 37. Of these, five are at the Osaka Iron Works, two at the Mit- subishi Dockvard in Kobe, six at the Mitsubishi Dockyard in Nagasaki, six at the Kawasaki Dockyard, six at the Inoshima Works, and two each at the Watsuo Iron Works, the Ono Iron Works, Fuji-Nagata Dockyard,