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MASTERS’ WAGES. Many lake captains have been expecting the insurance companies to compel the vessel owners to pay their ship- masters more than the average wage of $1,500 a year. Mr. George L. McCurdy, the well-known underwriter, is quoted on the subject as follows: “Tf the masters think we will interfere in the matter, they make a mistake. It is simply a question between the vessel owners and the captains. Weare not interested in the outcome. “The captains have hoped we would interfere on the grounds that a man competent to care for property valued at $500,000 could not be hired for $1,500 a year. Now, it is none of our business what the masters are paid. Of course, we would like to see the men get as much as possible, but that is another question. We do not touch on masters’ sala- ries in our agreement. I think we never will. What we re- quire is a competent man as master of a boat. We get him, for the lake captain is as skillful as any navigator in the world. “we do not even care to express ourselves on what lake masters are worth. This arises simply from our efforts to mind our own business. If our contracts governing insur- ance did not take in the competency of the captains, then it would be adifferent matter. As it stands now, the masters make a mistake if they think the underwriters will interfere in the salary question.”’ In connection with the underwriters’ possible interest in ‘the matter one of the oldest captains in the service said: ‘‘I have sailed the lakes ever since I wasa boy. For 20 years I commanded a vessel running between Lake Superior and Lake Erie. In that time I got many’s the hard knock, and I learned that the best way to fight is todoit alone. Out- side aid is not forthcoming when you most expectit. The insurance men will not give us any assistance in the salary discussion. Really, they are outside the matter entirely. Many of the masters say that our deliverance will come from that direction, but I don’t believe it. What we want to do is to get our heads together and consider. Then when we have formulated a policy, to carry it out. “We will not be arbitrary. All the lake captain wants is what is coming to him. Weare getting very tired of seeing our crews getting advances, while we go on working at the old scale. Why, there is one vessel I know of and the first engineer on her gets $132 per month, while the master draws only $125. Is that right? The engineer obeys the captain, and the latter accepts the responsibility. I have frequently advocated a good strong union among lake cap- tains. We have a shipmasters’ association, but it is a benevo- lent order. We want to deal fairly with the vesselmen, and above all things we want them to deal fairly with us. Is that too much to ask?”’ In this connection we quote from a recent article in the Chicago Journal as follows: While the engineers, mates, firemen and deckhands on lake vessels are being paid more wages than a year ago, it is said that the masters are working at the old rates. These facts have been known to all marine men since the season opened, but until the present week no steps have been taken to find the reason for the so-called neglect of the captains’ interests. _ Now the matter seems likely to develop into one of grave import. The masters haye discussed the matter, and they have decided that the organized efforts of the engineers, mates, firemen and deckhands have resulted in their getting a liberal advance in wages. Ina word, the masters say that their subordinates are getting more money on account of the strength of their unions. These facts have awakened the captains, and with it has come a realization of the small- ness of their salaries compared with the responsibility of their positions. A retired lake captain, who is a member of the Shipmas- ters’ Association, and at present residing in Chicago, has given the following statement to the Journal on the masters’ position: “Imagine the president of a bank, capitalized for, say, $500,000, working for from $1,000 to $1,600 a year. That’s what the avarage lake captain draws, and he has more re- sponsibility than the bank president. It may seem strange to the layman to compare a lake captain to a bank president, but the comparison is not so far-fetched after all. ‘“When I say that the master of a big lake vessel has more responsibility resting an his shoulders, I mean it. Look at your bank president. He has his money under lock and key. True, he invests it, and takes risk that way. But, THE MARINE RECORD. what about the master? He-is given a boat worth $300,000; he loads that boat with a cargo worth $200,000; he is ex- pected to bring that boat through the most tortuous chan- nels in the world in safety and do it in the greatest possible haste. Ten or twelve trips a year bring up the total value of the property in his care to over $5,000,000, and for his work he is paid on an average $1,500 a year. Undoubtedly the lake captain is the most underpaid man in the country today. Just imagine what the bank president would de- mand for such responsible labor, even if the dangers of storms and rocks were entirely withdrawn from the reck- oning? “Then turn from the freight boats and consider the pas- senger trade. Think of a master taking out 1,000, 2,000 or 3,000 passengers on a vessel, and only receiving in the neigh- borhood of the above sums? Isn’t the comparison between the responsibility and the reward ridiculous? Five dollars a day is paid by some of the big Chicago companies. And the returns for a single trip of some of the big boats will run from $2,000 to $4,000 for fares alone. ‘Tn any other line of business a man that would offer to accept such responsibility for such a small sum annually would be thought incompetent. But it is different with the lake masters. They have never struck work like the deck hands and the other men on the boats. And, there is not a class of men in existence who could as easily coerce em- ployers into paying a reasonable scale. “Think of it, we would have the government at our back the moment we walked out. There would be only one side to the fight. If the shipowners went to fill our positions with substitutes, UncleSam would immediately say: ‘Where are your papers?’ The vessel owners cannot make captains in a day; they cannot make themina year. If the masters went on strike for what is their dues they would tie up lake traffic. Business would be paralyzed. In afew weeks you would see the vessel owners offering anywhere from $5,000 to $10,000 for a competent master. For rates would soar, and nothing hurts a capitalist more than to see money go to loss which he might prevent by satisfying afew men’s de- mands. ‘“We hold the key to the situation. In the Shipmasters’ Association meetings I have more than once advised the masters to take a vacation when the season opened. They have not spent a summer with their familiesin years. Sup- pose they were simply to tell the vesselmen that they were going to spend the summer ata lake resort. What would be the result? The vesselmen could not import men; they could not give licenses. Ever and always the government would be there to say: ‘This you must do in regard to cap- tains on your boats.’ We would win in a walk. The vaca- tion would be short. For the vesselmen would be falling over each other in an effort to get men to command their boats. “The other employes on lake boats have had their wages increased. Weare given at the end of the season a present by the owners, perhaps $200 or $300, but this is optional. It is not practiced by all the lines. Organization has given the engineers and other classes of labor more money. The captains ina union can do the same. We have been too easy. Here we are with property amounting to millions at our individual power. With a word we could send the boat out of her narrow channel on the rocks, and who would be the wiser? No one. But we don’t do that. We go on working day by day, 24 hours in 24, controlling men, with millions of dollars’ worth of property in our care. And what do we get for it? Hardly enough to pay the oil bill for the engines of one of the big steamers we control.” or oo ir In Le Yacht, M. de Duranti writes a spirited and able de- fence of the policy of those French naval experts who adyo- cate the building of battleships of large displacement and possessing great offensive and defensive power, as opposed to the idea of those who, like the ex-minister of marine, M. Lockroy, believe that the only hope of success of France in a naval war with England lies in adding to the French navy a number of armored cruisers of a displacement of from 1o,- ooo to 12,000 tons. M, de Duranti quotes, with approval, the statement recently made by a French deputy, M. Aim- ond, that there does not exist, built or building, any foreign warship capable of resisting the .305 mm. projectile of the French gun. According to M. Aimond, who has made an exhaustive study of the new 15,000-ton battleship t J }0C e for the French navy, the new type is invulnerable, porn ee of action and speed are insufficient and its artillery power is clearly superior to that possessed b i ren newer Pp y the battleships of any ‘ wondering what is to be done with her. This question of . SEPTEMBER 20, 1 THE FRENCH NAVY. Analyzing the French naval programme the Engin says: M. Chautemps told his colleagues that the comm cial war was a mirage, since there will be no such war. the occupation of the commerce destroyers is gone, French have found other reasons for abandoning their cy of relying entirely upon swift cruisers. The strongest these is that, once blocked up in a port, they never cou get out again. Moreover, France is the only country whi has persisted in giving attention to this type of vessel, and all other countries are pinning their faith in the battleshr the French naval authorities are beginning to see that th are perhaps wrong in not doing likewise. The failures of new cruisers to come up to expectations are also largely re | sponsible for this change of opinion. The Guichen is re- | garded as a disastrous experiment. Everything has beenso | far sacrified to speed that her armoris inefficient, and she | only carries two heavy guus. French naval critics are now | speed also has given rise to disappointment. Vessels which, in trials, go up to 23 knots will do no more than an average of 18 to 19 knots in long runs. Not only do M. Lockroy and his followers find their predictions with respect to the cr sers entirely falsified, but they are even more severely hii by the results of the trials carried out with squadron torpedo boats andthe submarine boats. The torpedo boat is at the mercy of the quick-firing gun, and in future it will be re served solely for coast defence. : The Government has abandoned any idea of building squadron torpedo boats, but will replace them with destroy- ers. As for the submarines, the Minister would scarcely care to shock public opinion by condemning them, but he damned them with faint praise, so faint, indeed, that no one — could have any illusionsas to their value. It is obvious that | the trials carried out with these vessels, which are to terror- — ize a hostile fleet, have not been a success. The submarine - boat has got its famous ‘‘eye,”’ but it appears that the moist ure condensing upon it renders it blind, and in any event — the speed under water is so slow that there is little chance — of reaching a vessel which refuses to remain still to be hit. The Minister, however, looks hopefully to the carrying out : of improvements, which will make the submarine boat a — formidable weapon. With this end in view a sum is to be set apart for organizing competitions of plans similar to that © which produced the Narval a few years ago. Meanwhile, the place which the submarine boat is to occupy in future y strategy is to attack blockading ships in the daytime, while the torpedo will be employed for the same work at night. orev EASTERN FREIGHTS. Messrs. Funch, Edye & Co., in their weekly freig report of the Eastern Market state as follows: a The principal incident in the situation of our freight mar- ay ket is the terrible disaster which has befallen Galveston and — renders the participation of that port in this season’s export trade a matter of doubt. Until this question is solved and the loss to the Texas cotton crop definitely established, char- — terers at the Gulf ports are likely to act cautiously, although e freights on parcel lots at New Orleans have advanced for — prompt shipment. The Atlantic ports have still taken, and — are offering on, boats for this month’s loading; for October they appear to be well supplied and disinclined to consider — latter tonnage at the moment. Grain freights are steady ‘ and the supply of tonnage not up to the demand for prompt — boats; we quote for September 4s. 94., October 4s. 7%d., latter months 4s. 6d. to Cork f. 0. Larger vessels for picked — ports may be quoted at 3s. rod. @ 4s. We can still point to — some trans-atlantic fixtures for coal but the settlement of the Welsh strike in conjunction with high freight rates ruling — here, has temporarily taken the edge off thisdemand. There is still some enquiry for timber boats from the Gulf, which — will lead to business, as soon as the present indifference of — owners to this business, except at extremely high figures, will have toned down. The scarcity of sailing vessels for transatlantic business x continues to handicap the export trade in various commodi- ties. Several fixtures have latterly taken place for case oil tothe far Kast, mainly for remoter periods of loading, against . which a slight premium is obtainable for more forward : vessels, ee re oo or THE Carnegie Steel Co. wants to furnish all the armor plate the government will need to cover its war ships, and if it can’t furnish all it doesn’t care tofurnishany. ‘The man-— ufacturers of armor plate are doing their share to drive the - government to putting in a plant of its own. 3