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What the British Are Doing Short Surveys of Important Activities in Maritime Centers of Island Empire Sf Bat output from the Clyde ship- yards suffered severely during October as the resuult of lack of materials and fuel consequent upon the coal dispute. Only four vessels of an aggregate of less than 13,000 tons were built, making a total for the ten months of this year of 112 vessels of about 256,550 tons. With one exception the output for the year up to date is the lowest for more than 20 years. The largest of the four vessels built was a cargo steam- er of 5000 tons. Orders booked dur- ing October included three turbine steamers to be built by William Denny & Bros., Dumbarton, for the Irish channel service of the London, Midland & Scottish railway; an oil- carrying vessel for British Tankers Ltd., and three cargo steamers for the Scindia Steam Navigation Co. Ltd., to be built by Lithgows, Port Glasgow; a cargo vessel to be built by Harland & Wolff, Ltd., Greenock, for the Moss Line, Liverpool; and a steamer to be built by Hiley & McLellan, Ltd., Polmadie. * * * BOOM in British freights is tak- ing place, reaching dimensions unparalleled since the war. The value for coal tonnage from the United States to the United Kingdom which had advanced from around 18s 6d in May to 28s a week ago has now reached 87s 6d. Corresponding ad- vances are being conceded for grain from the two markets in most direct competition (Argentina and Mon- treal), and throughout the world rates are much above the average for 1925, in some cases twice to three times as high. The importation of large consignments of coal to Europe from America is mainly responsible for the pressing into service of boats that have laid idle for months. Ed * * GROUP of businessmen headed by Sir James Connolly, formerly agent-general for Western Australia in London, Sir John Biles, of the. well known firm of naval architects and engineers. Sir Eustace Deyn- court, until recently director of naval construction to the admiralty, and Sir Charles Parsons, head of the Parsons Marine Turbine Co. have submitted a shipping proposition to the Australian Commonwealth gov- ernment. The promoters of the scheme also include several of the largest shipbuilders in Britain, backed by substantial financial and shipown- ing interests. government has expressed approval of the scheme in princple. A capital of £11,000,000 is proposed, to build a fleet of 22-knot liners, which will revolutionize shipping facilities on the Indian and Australian runs. A regular fortnightly service is to be of- fered between Britain and Australia, calling between Bombay and Colombo both ways, half as fast again as the weekly service of mail ships now running to India and Australia. For the new service it is proposed to build a fleet of seven 24,000-ton liners, and it is intended that the ships shall be built and engined in Britain. * % * A CONTRACT for a floating dock at Singapore is to be placed on the Tyne with the firm of Swan Hunter and Wigham Richardson. Or- ders amounting to about £8,000,000 will mean a great boon to the pres- ent impoverished state of Tyneside The orders include five of the new Empire Australian liners and a new cruiser secured by Palmers Ship- building & Iron Co. of Jarrow. Safety Council Elects Officers at Detroit The fifteenth annual congress of the National Safety council held at Detroit, Oct. 25-29, attracted 5000 people from the more than twenty industrial divisions. The marine sec- tion was represented by a large dele- gation. Many constructive methods were suggested and plans for future activities were formulated. The fol- lowing were chosen to hold office in the marine section during the ensuing year: Chairman, Capt. W. P. Kain; first vice chairman, C. H. Potter; second vice president, Robert F. Hand; third vice chairman, Capt. R. C. Brennan; fourth vice chairman, F. P. Foisie; secretary, A. R. Bush; chairman bul- letin committee, Capt. C. Bartlett; 36 The Commonwealth. chairman program committee, R. E.. Prouty; chairman membership com- mittee, Arthur M. Tode; chairman stevedoring committee, F. H. Weeks; chairman research committee, Capt. Irving L. Evans; chairman publicity committee, Arthur M. Tode; chair- man information and service com- mittee, Milton D. McIntyre; engi- neering ‘representative, W. E. Welch. A list of the principal papers pre- sented before the marine section at the annual meeting on Oct. 25-29 was published in the MARINE REVIEW for October on page 56. Rivers & Harbors Congress The twenty-second convention of the National Rivers and Harbors congress will be held in Washington, Dec. 8 and 9. Speakers will come to attend the convention from all parts of the country and addresses will deal with ocean ports, the Great Lakes, inland rivers and matters of general interest to waterways and water transporta- tion. The following addresses are scheduled for presentation: “Line Hall versus Terminal Charges,” J. Spencer Smith; “The Great Lakes and their Traffic,’ R. J. Maclean; “Shall the I. C. C. Control Our Water- ways and Highways?,” J. N. Teal; “The Ports of Virginia,” J. Gordon Bohannan; “Restoring Navigation On the Ouachita,” H. J. Fernandez; “Fed- eral Regulation of Water Lines,” A. H. Ferguson; “Survey of the Tennessee and Its Tributaries,” Lieut. Col. Harold C. Fiske, corps of engineers; “From Deficits to Dividends,” Brig. Gen. T. Q. Ashburn; “A National Waterway Plan,’ Maj. Gen. Edgar Jadwin, chief of engineers; “Putting Barges on the Upper Mississippi,” W. H. Morris; “Portland, the Port and Harbor,” James H. Polhemus; “From Portland Harbor to the Sea,” Maj. R. T. Coiner; United States district engineer; “The Water Caterpillar,” Carl J. Baer. The banquet of the Rivers and Har- bors congress will be held on the evening of Dec. 8. Made Vice Piwstdaa: S. W. Wakeman has been appointed vice president and general manager of the Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corp.