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July, 1922 services as shipping, insurance, etc. Sut to turn the argument around, can Europe even under these circum- stances logically argue that American foreign trade should be monopolized by European shipowners? Sir Norman Hill closes his article with a strong plea for equal oppor- tunity in the following words: eer There will be room in the world, in free and open competition, for the NMARINE REVI Ww American merchant marine if, work- ing together, we can re-establish in- ternational credit and thereby inter- uational commerce; but no_ heavier blow can be struck against the re- establishment of international com- merce than the denial of equality of opportunity to all ships, under all flags, in all ports of the world.” This is a sentiment which all Amer- icans interested :in the upbuilding of the merchant marine of the United 287 States. can subscribe to. The difficulty at present and in the past has been that American ships have been denied equal opportunity on the high seas owing to excessive operating costs and the competition of strong foreign ship- ping interests throughout the world, backed by highly organized mercan- tile organizations. All that level headed Americans look forward to is an equal opportunity for their ships. What the British Are Doing Short Surveys of Important Activities in Maritime BILL has been introduced in parliament on behalf of the Mid- land Railway Co., by the Port oi London Authority, in connection with «scheme to build a large passenger liner terminal at Tilbury, 25 miles down the Thames from London. It is under- stood that construction work will start at a comparatively early date. The Dill involves construction of a floating land- ing stage similar to the Princes stage ai Liverpood, 2000 feet long by 80 feet wide with the necessary bridges, booms, poutoons, floating tenders, platforms, ete. It. will involve the closing. or diversion of roads, the acquisition of the requisite iands, and the demolition of the existing larding stage and pier at Chadwell St. Mary. In addition to these works, the port of London Authority proposes to undertake the erection of a customs bag- gage hall, 450 feet iong by 92 feet in depth facing a new circulating area which the Midland Railway Co. is to construct to the south of its Tilbury station. The construction is also pro- posed of two new private roads and several bridges and piers for vehicles and foot passengers. The railway com- pany on its part seeks power to under- take the construction of new tracks, plat- forms, private roads, and a public road 39 feet wide from the footbridge over the railway in Ferryroad to a point 700 teet west of the World’s End inn, also an addition to the landing stage 150 feet x 80 feet. When completed this terminal will greatly facilitate the handling of passengers in and out of the port of Lordon. It is expected that the new work will cost $4,500,000. oo pee ac Chamber of Shipping of the United Kingdom has issued a public communication in which it is pointed out that as business men cannot sue sover- cign states owning ships, in the case of damage by collision, etec., legislation Centers of Island Empire should be passed to compel governments owning ships to submit to the ordinary jurisdiction of their own ard foreign courts, thus permitting these courts to exercise their usual functions in con- nection with admiralty cases. This is aimed chiefly at the Commonwealth line operated by the government of Australia which is giving a good deal of trouble in British ports. This question is be- coming so important that the Association of British Chambers of Commerce at its annual meeting in May unanimously passed a resolution favoring international consideration of the subject, and the Comite Maritime International has agreed to discuss the question at its next conference which will be held in London in October. x * x VER $5,000,000 in gold and_ silver was lost on the steamship Ecypt when she collided with the French cargo steamer SkINE in the English channel ov May 20. This included gold bars with a total value of £674,000, gold coin to the value of £165,000, and silver bars to the value of £215,000. The less was insured at Lloyds and is one of the heaviest that has ever fallen on Lloyds underwriters. The premium paid by the P. & O. Steamship Co. was only ls 9d-per £100, or 0,09 of 1 per cent. Since the vessel lies in 390 feet ef water there is not much hope of. sal- vaging the gold and silver. * * GRAVE position has just arisen in the White Sea owing to the capture by the soviet of Norwegian vessels fish- ing with the 12-mile limit, and the Nor- wegian fishermen in turn carrying off two soviet revenue men to the Norwegian pert of Vadso, as hostages. Shots have been exchanged in the same region, and H. M. S. Haresett is reported to have bouyed out the 3-mile limit, and is stand- ing by the British fishermen. The dif- ficulties of the Norwegian fishing indus- tiy thus threatened has compelled the Norwegian government to subsidize the fishermen and sign a fish supply treaty with the soviet. Indirectly the English fishing industry is concerned, owing to the Scandinavian fishing fleets having now invaded English grounds, and the dumping of the fish in British ‘east coast ports may cause trouble. The Danes have already protested that English fish- ermen have wilfully damaged their ve3- sels and nets. Black Sea Trading Still Continues Dull The probability of exports on a large scale from the Russian Black sea ports being realized again in the near future is rather remote. At present obviously there can be no talk of wheat exports, nor will there’ be for several years. A little ore is being exported, mainly from Poti, but owing to the inclusion of unreasonable freight clauses in the contracts for the transport of goods of that nature, these orders are anything but an acquisition to shipowners. From the large oil fields in Georgia no move- ments can be expected in the near future, owing to “transport to the sea” conditions being in a hopeless state. As regards the other countries abutting on the Black sea, no calculations at present as to their ex- port and import possibilities could be made on a definite basis. Roumania for instance ought to have been able to ex- port large. quantities of wheat and oil this season but state restrictions have hindered any trade of consequence. The Danube route which normally — takes up a large tonnage as a result has been a great disappointment to vessel owners. Vessels are subjected to heavy dues to the inter-allied Danube commission. A 7000-ton ship, for example, has to pay