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trip. In a sideport operation, the move- ment from dock to ship is continu- ous and therefore more economical than when the slingloads are hoisted overall. Furthermore, the fork truck which brings the cargo to the ship may be used to bring the load close to the point of stowage. To obtain the maximum economy for all concerned in the handling of freight the shipping unit should be made up as far back in the plant operation as conditions will permit. In the paper industry for example, flat printing stock is put on skids within the plant and remains on skids until it passes on to the printing press at the final destination which in some cases is over 5000 miles away by the route traveled by the paper. This method has proved very suc- cessful and has been extended to other commodities including fire brick and roofing slate. The same basic idea of handling commodities ean be used for other commodities particularly when pallets and fork trucks are used. Determine Best Stowage Problems will be encountered in stowing loaded pallets in ships, but the possible economies of this meth- od certainly warrant experiments to determine the best manner of stow- age of different commodities which can be handled on pallets as well as determining the limitation of this way of stowing cargo. Purely theo- retical objections at this stage of the development carry little weight when by a little experimentation facts sup- plant theories. Shipping tinplate on skids or pal- lets is a comparatively recent devel- opment in materials handling which is very interesting and has resulted in savings to the manufacturers, the buyers, railroads and shipping com- panies. The manufacturer quotes list price on tinplate boxed. When shipped on pallets with more than a 4-inch underneath clearance a dis- count of 5 cents per cut is allowed; if shipped on pallets of less than 4 inches, the discount is increased to 10 cents. A manufacturer of tin products purchasing 60,000 pounds carload of tin plate, saves $60 by hay- ing it shipped on the 4-inch pallet. One opportunity for economy is in the interchange of freight in large transportation centers. Rather than handling shipment between terminals package by package, on a motor truck or barge or by switching in box cars, shipments may be loaded on skids, cleatboards or trailers. In one case, six loaded skids are handled on a motor truck. These can be loaded in a fraction of the time necessary to load, and unload the 360 to 400 cases loaded on the six skids which make up a load. In another case a 30 railroad loads trailers into box cars and switches them between termi- nals. Because pallets cost less than skids and occupy less space loaded and empty, the return of empties is a less burdensome problem to solve. There is a broken point where it is just as cheap to throw the skid or pallet away at destination as to re- turn it to point of origin. This point must be determined for each move-. ment. Many shipping men objected to transporting cargo on skids between ports because of the lost space un- der the skids. This objection is no longer of any weight, because taking into consideration that the pallet eliminates need of dunnage, the lost space is of little or no consequence and in many operations such little disadvantage that may exist with re- spect to lost space is offset by the other advantage of the fork truck- pallet method. Pacific Coast Shipping The chariering department of the General Steamship Corp. Ltd., San Francisco, in referring to the condi- tion of Pacific coast shipping in a memorandum dated Aug. 1, makes the following observation: Due to strike conditions prevailing at all United States Pacific coast ports, the month of July experienced almost a complete stoppage of business. The full cargo market suffered heavily as charterers and owners alike showed little or no inclination to speculate in chartering vessels’ for loading at United States ports. The return of the longshoremen on July 31 after having agreed to arbi- tration is lifting a heavy pall of gloom and pessimism that has been preva- lent since May 9, when the strike was first declared. It is now felt that shortly all the maritime unions on strike will follow the lead of the long- shoremen, thus ending definitely one of the most costly of strikes on the Pacific coast. Despite strenuous efforts of employ- ers to avoid this disastrous strike by submitting the difference for arbitra- tion, the radical element succeeded in defeating this effort, and thus pro- longing the strike. However, appar- ently nothing has been gained that would not have been gained had the differences been submitted to arbitra- tion in the first instance. The shipping industry, as a whole, is too busy now in untangling the snarls caused by the disruption of business to make possible any predic- tion of immediate volume of business. It is expected, however, that there will be a resumption of considerable ac- tivity in chartering ships and booking berth space in all trades for future loadings. MARINE REVIEw—Septem ber, 1934 Intercoastal Hearings on Rates and Practices The hearings held in New York, on the rates and practices in the in- tercoastal trade were concluded on Aue Tbe MM: G. Quevedo, examiner for the shipping board bureau, in charge of the hearings, notified rep- resentatives of the lines operating in intercoastal trade that the board would set a date and place for hear- ings on questionnaires which the car- riers are to answer which have to do with their operations and financial ar- rangements. During the hearings, which had begun on Aug, 6, many representa- tives of steamship lines, shippers, and Southern ports were heard at length on various phases of the in- tercoastal __ trade. The examiner will make his report to the shipping board bureau. It is likely that the bureau in turn will use this report as the basis for ‘recommendations to congress for legislation which will give the bureau the authority to ex- ercise control over the trade and to fix minimum rates. The United States intercoastal con- ference, which hiad been in exis- tence in one form or another and for yarious periods and which was disbanded on July 31 last, may now be revived. The hearings clearly showed that rate wars and chaos will prevail without some _ definite un- derstanding and control over rate making. To avoid this it is, there- fore, believed that the chances are now better for again reaching an agreement to operate under an in- tercoastal conference. Clyde Mallory Line The Clyde-Mallory line recently in- stalled an outdoor swimming pool and special sun-bathing facilities aboard the S. S. SHAWNEE in addition to the already extensive “country club” ad- vantages, including sports decks of varied interests. The liners MOHAWK and ALGONQUIN have also been similar- ly equipped. These vessels sail from New York on nine and ten-day cruises to Miami Beach and a 13-day cruise to Texas via Miami Beach, the SHAWNEE sailing on Saturdays and the MoHAwk and AI- GONQUIN on Wednesdays. Each voy- age includes six days of cruising on these modern liners and from three to seven days ashore. All expense rates are offered by the line providing meals and stateroom accommodations at sea with meals and room at a_ hotel ashore. The Electric Storage Battery Co., Philadelphia, Pa., has signed the code of the electric storage and wet pri- mary battery industry, and will, there- fore, in the future operate under the code’s established regulations.