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The Ford bid was the most desirable from all, points of view and, as a result, material which otherwise might have deteriorated beyond repair was put to good use. Discussing the merchant marine situation with the writer Mr. O’Connor called attention to the fact that, before the World war we transported in American flag vessels about 10 per cent of our foreign commerce; today we are carrying some 30 per cent, while the volume of our foreign commerce has increased about one hundred per cent since the beginning of the war. “We are working toward a merchant marine sufficient in size to carry at least fifty per cent of our commerce, and we are advised that this would balance with our naval and military requirements,” he continued. “We have sold more than a thousand ships to private capital and we have transferred several established ship lines for guaranteed operation under the American flag. “In other words, not only have we had a well defined merchant marine policy, but today we actually have a merchant marine. It is true the bulk of our ships in foreign trade are of necessity owned and operated by the government as directed by law, and it may be that government operation will continue for several times that many years before it can be transferred to private opera- tion permanently. And yet such a period is a_ short time in the life of a nation, and the nation’s interest is always paramount.” During his early work in the union’s Mr. O’Connor found that decent approach was the main thing from the employe to the employer and he worked .most success- fully along those lines. Following this idea and begin- ning at Buffalo his name spread from one end of the Great Lakes to the other in the labor movement until he became one of the best organizers of the time. Stern W heel Diesel Towboat Launched UGMENTING the already large A fleet of all-steel towboats in operation on the Ohio river, the diesel towboat BENWOOD' was launched Feb. 17, from the ways of the Dravo Contracting Co., Neville Island, near Pittsburgh, for the -La- ‘Belle Transportation Co., the river - shipping subsidiary of the Wheeling Steel Corp., Wheeling, W. Va. This is another step taken by this interest toward the perfecting of its facilities for transportation of iron and _ steel by water, so that it may fully take advantage of the complete canalization of the Ohio river, scheduled to be realized by 1929 or at the latest 1930. With an over-all length of 150 feet, a beam of 27 feet and a depth of 5% feet,-this stern wheel boat will op- Stern wheel diesel towboat Benwood built by the D 12 BY W. H. LLOYD erate on a draft of 3% feet; and developing 480 horsepower, will be one of the most powerful towboats of its type now engaged in this con- stantly expanding traffic. Propelling equipment consists of two Fairbanks-Morse diesel engines, each 240 horsepower, operating in- dependently to drive a_ split stern wheel. Additional deck equipment consists of two forward capstans and two side capstans, with generating units to furnish their power. These generating units will likewise furnish power for an electric refrigerator and a powerful searchlight. The boat is equipped with complete crew’s quar- ters and all conveniences. A_ full toned whistle is operated by means of compressed air. MARINE REVIEW—April, 1927 ravo Contracting Co. for operation on the Ohio Miss Mary Cavanaugh, daughter of Capt. Thomas Cavanaugh, master of the transportation fleet of the Wheel- ing corporation, was the sponsor, breaking a beribboned bottle of cham- pagne on the prow of the ship a sec- ond or two before it was released from the retaining lines and the blocks were knocked away. The launching, witnessed by officers of the Wheeling Steel Corp., the Dravo Con- tracting Co., and numerous rivermen, was in charge of V. B. Edwards, general manager of the Dravo com- pany, and afterwards the visitors were the guests of R. M. Dravo, vice president of the company, at a lun- cheon in the dining room. New boats to take care of grow- ing traffic are needed. river