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Maritime Authority Control Of Ship Personnel There is considerable sentimeni at the present time toward granting to the Maritime authority, provided in the Copeland ship subsidy bill pending in the senate, the control and licensing of personnel, both from the Standpoint of safety at sea and from that of securing the best type of men for the merchant marine reserve of the navy. The Navy league in its official pub- lication stresses this point as follows: “It is elemental that the succes; of a nation’s merchant fleet, either in performing its commercial or its con- tingent military mission, must in large measure, depend upon the quality and character of the per- sonnel manning its ships. The best of ships, suitable in size, speed and type to its route and trade—and to its designed function in the national defense—must lose in the keen com- petition on the sea against equally efficient foreign ships officered by men of superior professional qualifi- cations and higher standards of character, commanding more ex- perienced and_ better disciplined crews. “The Maritime authority under the present bill determines, allows and administers subsidies to cover the excess cost of operation over foreign ships. The operating cost, in turn, measurably depends upon the ef- ficiency of ship personnel. The navy Issues commissions in the naval re- serve to merchant officers on the faith and credit of their license as such. The safety of the ship, pas- sengers and crew depends largely upon the personnel, “The present qualifying standards for American merchant officers are far below that of the British——our principal competitor on the sea——and while we have many merchant officers who are well qualified, some of whom have maintained the best sea traditions in meeting’ the emergencies of the sea, the profes- sional standards cf these efficient officers are far above the present estab- lished standards and qualifications de- manded for getting an American ‘ticket.’ “The contemplated plan of grant- ing to the Maritime authority the control of material and subsidies and leaving the licensing and ecntrol of personnel in the bureau of steamboat inspection, where it has long been vested—and failed——will inevitably prove disastrous. “Such a division of authority is neither fair to the nation nor the Maritime authority, the navy nor the ship operators. “Responsibility for the success of this important national adventure should rest squarely upon _ the Maritime authority. Divided author- ity is the father of buck-passing, the mother of alibis -and the open door to sea disasters.”’ Don S. Walker has been appointed district manager in the Philadelphia office of Combustion Engineering Co. Inc., according to an announce- ment by H. S. Colby, general sales manager of the company. Naval Architects to Meet The Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers will hold its ‘forty-third annual meeting in the En- gineering Societies building, 29 West Thirty-ninth street, New York city, on Thursday and F'riday, Nov. 14 and 15, closing with a banquet on Friday, Nov. 15, at the Waldorf-Astoria hotel. The papers to be presented are as follows: “Engineering Education in England and Germany,” by Lieut. R. D. Conrad; “Determination of Anchor Holding from Model Tests,” by Lieut. W. H. Leahy and Lieut. J. M. Farrin; “Strength of Plating in Compression,” by Commander H. E Rossell: “Form Resistance Experiments”; by Capt. E. F. EHggert; “Resistance and Wake of a Tanker Model,” by Professor L. A. Baier; “Methods in Producing Marine Gearing,” by W. E. Sykes; “Controlled Superheat,” by T. B. Stillman; “High Steam Pressure and Superheat Aboard Ship,” by C. P. Wetherbee; “Measuring Ships’ Vibra’‘ion in Propeller Shaft- ing,’ by Dr. W. J. Muller; “Propeller Vibration,” by Professor F. M. Lewis: and “New Studies of Ship Motion,” by F. P. Hodgkinson and P. R. Bassett. Membership in the society is open to all qualified applicants and the aid of members in obtaining new members or reinstating former members is re- quested. The executive committee has authorized the waiving of the payment of entrance fee by new members elected at the 1935 meeting. Ship Owners’ Liability is Greater Under New Law The Copeland-Sirovich bil, prepared as a result of the investigations into Morro Castte and MoHAwk disasters, passed in the last session of congress and signed by the President extends the liability of shipowners for loss of life and personal injury. This act re- places the liability limitation law of 1851 which was deliberately intended to put American shippng on an equal footing with that of other maritime na- tions, and as an inducement to Amer- icans to invest their money in ships in order to build up American shippng. Under the old law, damage claims were limited to the value of the vessel un- less it could be proved that the owners knowingly sent her to sea in an unsea- worthy condition or were otherwise responsible for the accident. Under the new law, the knowledge of the captain of the ship, the manag- ing agent or of the superintendent as to the unseaworthiness of the vessel before she leaves port shall be con- strued to be the knowledge on the part of the owners, thus rendering them liable. The new law fixes the limit of owners’ liability at $60 a gross ton of the ship in meeting claims for death or personal injury. It is believed that some new form of insurance will have to be worked out to meet the re- quirements of the new law. The time within which claims for damages can be filed is also changed. Under the old law, claims had to be filed within 30 days, but under the new law the time limit is one year. Correction Is Made In the article on the towboat Cuampron Coat, in the July issue of MARINE Review, in referring to the three, 6 x 8 inches, double-cylinder, reversing capstans for handling lines, the name of the manufacturer was stated incorrectly. It should be the American Engineering Co. Marine fueling station at Beaufort, N. C., Standard Oil Co. of New Jersey. MARINE REviEw—October, 1935 on the inland waterway, operated by the The dock is conveniently located for the service of ship chandlers, marine suppliers and machine shops LY