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7 Up and Down the Great Lakes Establish Port Commission—Lake Levels—Begin Harbor Work—Coal Dumping Lags— Welland Canal Open to Larger Vessels—Ore Movement Drops—New Canal Service river link of the Great Lakes-to- Gulf waterway by late in 1932 is expressed by war department offi- cials, who expect to make faster prog- ress from now on. Thus far, $5,665,000 has been allotted for carrying on the Illinois project, of which $3,400,000 has not yet been expended. Further allocation of funds is ex- pected next spring. The total authori- zation for the Illinois river project is $11,000,000. Of this sum, $5,400,000 has not been allocated. As the rivers and harbors appropriation is voted by congress in a lump sum, it will be pos- sible for the United States engineer corps to advance the money for con- struction work as rapidly as it can be expended. The plan now is to supply funds to the engineers as it can be used. The engineer corps is working also on a.survey of the lower Illinois river to determine what canalization work must be done to insure a 9-foot channel in the event the water diversion from Lake Michigan is cut down to any con- siderable amount below the present flow. fis. of completing the Illinois Establish Port Commission Approval of a bill passed May 20 by the illinois legislature officially estab- lishes a Chicago regional port com. mission in preparation for the open- ing of the Illinois river’s 9-foot chan- nel. Both Illinois and Indiana were to adopt enabling legislature and each state was to appropriate $15,000 for a port commission, according to the plan intended to develop a permanent in terstate port authority. Jurisdiction of the port commission covers wharfage and harbor facilities from Wisconsin south past the Chicago waterfront and down to the Indiana state line. The Indiana group of the commission will function for the lower end of Lake Michigan. The scope of the interstate commission embraces the territory between Waukegan, IIl., and Michigan City, Ind., and an imaginary line connecting Waukegan, Elgin, Aurora, Joliet, Chicago Heights, IIl., and Laporte and Michigan City, in In- diana. The personnel of the Chicago re- gional port commission is to be recom- mended by the Chicago association of commerce. The port commission law authorizes the organization to perform the following services: To act as a clearing house for all 32 * water terminal proposals in the metro- politan district. To study existing harbor plans and to consider such changes and modifi- cations as may be necessitated by the growth of the district and by changing business and commercial needs. To make recommendations to the proper authorities as may be needed to carry out an early terminal scheme. To study and recommend in the form of specific proposals the establishment of a permanent port authority for the district To act in an advisory capacity in matters pertaining to port and water transportation facilities. Generally, the commission is to en- deavor to stimulate a development of facilities that will lead to a revival of the metropolitan district as a center of water transportation. May Lake Levels The United States Lake survey re- ports the monthly mean stages of the Great Lakes for the month of May as follows: Feet above Lakes mean sea level SUDOTIOR S505 secs eas apenas eine oregestotas oes 601.74 Michigatieburon eo tc atee rns 579.12 St. [SERB Pr Sa a er ya 574.19 Erie Sasuesnssspacssssahassatanessavenennenasssuevasacetseates 571.46 ONGATIO: ENG ia oe 245.13 Lake Superior was 0.20 foot higher than in April and it was 0.50 foot lower than the May stage of a year ago. Lakes Michigan-Huron were 0.07 foot higher than in April and they were 1.85 feet lower than the May stage of a year ago. Lake Erie was 0.33 foot higher than in April and it was 2.53 feet lower than the May stage of a year ago. Lake Ontario was 0.16 foot higher than in April and it was 2.94 feet lower than the May stage of uw year ago, 1.36 feet below the average stage of May of the last ten years. To Start Harbor Work Harbor work at Milwaukee, Wis., totaling about $3,000,000 is expect- ed to start soon. All of this will be in construction in the city’s outer harbor. Among the projects is one of the Milwaukee harbor commis- sion on seven Jones island projects, which will cost $1,300,000. The Milwaukee sewage sion ‘is scheduled soon to commis- start on MARINE REVIEwW—July, 1931 a $400,000 job toward erection of a bulkhead and slip for the harbor commission in return for exchange of land. The city also has contracted for a $1,110,000 project for the Bay View property of the Illinois Steel Co., the exact amount of the work depending upon negotiations be- tween the city and the steel company for the purchase of the Bay View property. A part of the plan includes construction of a bulkhead and fill- ing of land to be given the steel com- pany in exchange for the company’s transfer of a similar area to the har- bor commission. Coal Dumping Lags According to the report of the ore and coal exchange issued June 3, the dumping of bituminous coal continues to lag behind last year. The total net tonnage dumped for the week ending June 1 amounted to 900,188 net tons as compared with 1,387,595 net tons for the same week in 1930. The record for the season thus far is shown to be the lowest for the last four years. Total dumping for the season to June 1 was 4,684,050 net tons as compared with 8,233,029 net tons for 1930; 8,354,812 net tons for 1929, and 5,746,090 net tons for 1928. Com- pared with 1930 and 1929 dumpings, the 1931 figures show a great decrease. Chart of Radio-Beacons Announcement is made by _ the lighthouse service of the United States department of commerce that a new chart of all the radio-beacon stations on the Great Lakes, both American and Canadian, has been issued. This is available to Great Lakes navigators. Code signals, name of stations, the period when each station is in opera- tion and details as to frequency and power are identified on the new chart. It is estimated that radio-beacon sig- nals now are used in the navigation of about three-fourths of the Great Lakes’ vessels. About that proportion of the vessels are reported equipped with radio compasses. According to E. H. McCracken, pas- senger traffic manager, the Detroit & Cleveland Navigation Co., will operate the steamers Eastern StTares and WESTERN STATES between Detroit and Chicago by way of Mackinac island and St. Ignace beginning June 30.