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“ae ane The Marine Record. ~ Published every Thursday, at 144 Superior Street, (Leader Building,) CLEVELAND, O. levine B, Smith. } ase Carr. JOHN SWAINSON. e eee BRANCH OFFICE, f Cnrcaco, In1., - 35 Franklin St. THOMAS WILLIAMS, Associate Editor. Proprietors. SUPSCRIPTION. One copy, one year, postage paid, =~ - ci ‘One copy, one year, to foreign countries, - . . ; Inyariably in advance, ADVERTISING. Rates given on application. THE MARINE RECORD can be found for sale by the following agents and news dealers: AMHERSTBURG. ONT.—George Taylor. ASHTABULA HARBOR, 0.—0, C. Totes, 0. M. Kohne. SHLAND, WIS.—Post Office News Stand. ; SOEPALO; N. Y.—Miss McCabe, Elk st-; W- H. Boyd, 60 Main st. CHICAGO, ILLS.—Thomas Williams, 252 South Water street. L. P, Ballin, 33 West Randolph street. CLEVELAND, 0.—Cleveland News Co , 118 Wood street; G. F. Bow- man, corner Pearl and Detroit street; R. A. Castner, 254 Detroit street E. J, Ray, 452 Detroit street; Larwood & ae at ae Uae N. ) i t; Taylor. Austin & Co., ublic Fquare, Het ROLT, Miol George “brains, River Reporter. : DULUTH, MINN.—Albertson & Chamberlain, 323 West Superior st., Zenith News Stand. DUNNVILLE, ONT.—J. H. Smith. ERIE, PA.—Reed Caughey, W. J. Sell, Moses Dryfoos. ESCANABA, MICH.—John Finnegan, Sourwine & Hartnett. HURON, 0.—John Squires. HOUGHTON, MICH.—F. W. Kroll. KINGSTON, ONT.—John Henderson & Co- LORAIN, 0.—0. C. Knapp, J. B. Tunte. LUDINGTON, MICH.—Fisk & Co. MANISTIQUE, MICH.—W. S. Gilbert, Post Office Block. MARQUETTE, MICH.—Vannier & Bigelow. MILWAUKEE, WIS —T. S. Gray Co., 126 Wisconsin street. OWEN SOUND, ONT.—H. P. Adair & Co., J. Sharpe, Jr. PORT HURON, MICH.—D. E. Lynn, Marine Reporter. SARNIA, ONT.—J.G. McCrae, D. McMaster. SAULT STE. MARIE. MICH.—J. P. Haller, Water street. 4ay- Subscribers and others are respectfully invited touse the columns of THE MARINE RECORD for the discussion of pertinent topics and all matters relating to the welfare of the Lake Marine. N.B.—We do not hold ourselves responsible in any way for the views expressed by our correspondents. Contributions must in every cise be accompanied by the full name and address of the writer, and be at this office not later than Wednesday morning. Entered at the Post Office at Cleveland as second-class mail matter. CLEVELAND, O., APRIL 7, 1892. OnE of the most representative organizations in the world might be brought about through the consolidation of the vessel-owning interests on the Great Lakes. Asa unanimity of opinion in this direction now exists, no bet- ter time could be found to weld such a powerful associa- tion in the bonds of great good to the greatest number. Consolidate, gentlemen! DD + Oa Ir is too often and generally understood among ship- masters and officers that when a vessel isin extreme peril she may be beached, and the loss, being voluntarily oc- casioned, would consequently come under the rules of and form a good general average claim. This is not so, nor or claims so regarded in admiralty courts. The vol- untary act is but a part of the circumstance and is only held valid when a portion is sacrificed to save the whole or remainder, and it is on this latter clause that the gist of the question hangs. Saving life alone, or the ultimate total destruction of property when the same was pre- viously involved, does not bring a voluntary act under the rules of general average, as direct results of saving property through the voluntary act must be established. —_—— ED +o + aa SENATE Bill No, 1310, introduced by Senator William F. Vilas, to amend section 3117 of the Revised Statutes, in relation to the coasting trade on the Great Lakes, meets with determined opposition and resistance from all the passenger line managers on the lakes. An inces- sant levying of fines and penalties, besides an outlay of thousands of dollars on each boat, is seen to be the re- sult if this bill becomes a law. The most rational and sensible way out of the difliculty is to exempt passenger steamers, as one line alone makes 373 landings each week, and others forty landings each day. The volume of freight and correct statistics of same is what the framers and supporters of the bill are after. It will work little or no harm to the large freight carrier and be of in- ealeulable statistical importance, but, there can be no reasou for burdening small river passenger steamers and others almost exclusively engaged in the passenger trade, with specially prepared manifests for each port of call where, in many cases, only a few minutes are passed or just sufficient time to lower a gang plank and take it in again. Exempt short service passenger steamers from THE MARINE RECORD. the bill and it will be all right, and it is for this proviso the objectors ought to work. NO FREE SHIP BILL! Hi. R. Bill 5441, to admit to American registry ships built in foreign countries, has been favorably reported on by the Committee on Merchant Marine and Fisheries and its passage recommended. This iniquitous piece of leg- islation ought not to be permitted, and we call to mind the fact that lake shipyards are equally interested in the outcome. The United States can build and equip her own ton- nage and shame on the legislators who would deny the skill of our ship-builders to compete with even the ram- shackle tanks constructed as the low classed British puilt tramp steamers are. If this bill becomes a law, all barriers now guarding our lake and coasting privileges will be thrown down and the ports will be thronged with foreign tonnage, under the American flag, perhaps, but owned abroad. Such a fea- ture is easily accomplished. The only hold the country now has on the mercantile marine is centered on the lakes and coasts, and these in- terests combined should see to it that our ship-yards and commerce is not turned over to foreign manipulators. Immediate, combined and decisive action is necessary to head off this giving away of our birthright, or nothing will be known until our ports are swarmed with all sorts and conditions of foreign-built tonnage, nominally un- loaded on the nation to obtain American registry, while our artisans haunt the deserted ship yards waiting and vainly hoping for an opportunity to earn the bread so ruthlessly torn from their grasp by the ill-considered views and legislation of their own representatives. — oc NAUTICAL EDUCATION. The recently introduced Frye Bill, calling for a higher status of efficiency, and the methods now in vogue for examining candidates for licenses, coupled with the high classed valuable modern tonnage being put afloat, are certain indications of the advancement in nautical edu- cation which the exigencies of commerce and trans- portation will soon demand of the men who practically handle these enormous interests. The older maritime countries whose professional re- quirements are far in advance of ours, are still reaching towards a higher system of education for officers, and it is well for us to notice the features which are considered essential for the progress and welfare of the mercantile marine of other nations. It would appear that those who are most directly benefitted by a superior capacity in their employes ought to take the initiative in bringing about a higher nautical and semi-commercial system of education, but, there is not that unanimity of purpose in the ship-owning com- munity to warrant the establishment, at their own ex- pense, of a training college for such a purpose. Hitherto men have been found to rise to the occasion, competent and qualified to undertake the special duties which the progression of events has called forth, and the general impression that each succeeding requirement will be met in a more or less qualified manner predominates. The principle, however, remains, in so far as educa- tional skill is concerned, that the most valuable employe is also the most competent for his special duties, and, while nothing so long winded as the examination which foreigners undergo need be toleratedin the United States; still, there is ample room for a regular course of advance- ment on the lines of competency in our merchant service. To this end an annual revision of the local inspectors ex- amination for issuing licenses should be made, and such questions and problems as are now conspicuous by their absence, introduced, so that the student would find it a matter of requirement to learn his profession in a man- ner hitherto uncalled fur, though highly desirable, If this is not done the mercantile marine will shortly over- top the department assuming its control, and frame its own laws, rules and regulations for emergencies and modern guidance, LL A i ABOUT SHIPPING COMMISSIONERS, The Coast Seamen’s Journal, of San Francisco, in com- menting upon the recent articles in Tue MARINE REC- ORD, anent the establishing of shipping commissioners’ offices at the principal lake ports, takes a somewhat one- sided view of the question, and argues directly from what would apparently be the views of an A. B. on the subject. We have pointed out, from time to time, (and trusted that our valued contemporary has noted the same), that there is now no government supervision over the enormous amount of shipping and discharging car- ried on during the season of navigation, As a conse- quence, private persons are compelled to establish depots, bureaus, or shipping offices to conduct. and facilitate com- merce on the great lakes, in so far as it relates to the em- ployment of seamen. ‘To show that it is from an inelu- sive and comprehensive standpoint that we view this matter, it may be stated that in the event foundering, it is now almost impossible names of the persons who may be lost with ther, should any dispute arise regarding the vice, or the pay earned, it must now be settled torily or otherwise by interested parties. In the agreements they have, and are being, regularly ig Steamers and schooners are not unfrequently stopp a paltry lien for wages, and other annoying tactic entered into. Seamen, good, bad and indifferent, grouped together. and no record of their service, ch: ter or skill can be found. i ’ A civil agreement is better subserved by the additio; of a disinterested authority to the compact, and thi feature a shipping commissioner may eminently fulfill, Our contemporary also states “that royalty-ridden B; land abolished the rule of shipping under govern officers thirty years ago.” This must surely be an erro a3 we can any day learn the total number of men employe inthe mercantile marine foreign and coast service of 3 United Kingdom, but such a question, propounded to the officials who watch and ward over the American sea- men would only be met by a blank stare, or an e: tion of perfect innocence of knowledge on the subject. — This question is in no sense a narrow, class, or bigoted ‘ one, and if not for the best interests of all concerned re. quires no championing. Lake vessel owners are compe Br tent, and are probably well satisfied to personally maint: every iota of their rights when dealing with seamen. Are seamen equally armed? We think not; and an ex- president of the Seaman’s Union, who, in his experien ay has been surfeited with power, stoutly maintains that e mmissioners would do more good on the lakes than at any other point. Eventually these officers will certainly a be appointed to lake ports and a report of the shipping — and discharging of men will be lodged with the commissioner each six months or at the close of theseason. To bear us out in this opinion we quote from the 1890 1e- port of the Commissioner of Navigation to the Secretary 3 of the Treasury as follows: : “The number of men and crews for vessels in the coast- ing trade, shipped voluntarily under articles in the pres— ence of commissioners, is constantly increasing. Hitherto the shipment law has not bound seamen in the lake, coast- ing, and close-by foreign trade, to perform their contracts the same as in the distant foreign trade and, after — signing articles single individuals and some- times whole crews have refused duty and de- serted the vessel without apparent reason. — ‘oul the lakes, until this year, many crews were shipped on articles, but last fail a judgment was given at Milwau- — kee that all shipping articles were not binding on the lakes, and the past season much trouble has been exper- ienced in keeping seamen on board of vessels. Even after articles are signed and the men have partly fulfilled their — agreement, they have often quit work and struck for higher wages. This would seem to indicate the need of extending the shipment laws of the sea to the lakes, and the appointment of commissioners to administer them in the interest of commerce. hin Recent legislation to remove the evils complained of in the shipment of seamen in the coasting trade, if ithad been asked for and extended to the lakes, would havebeen highly useful. Under the new act, shipping of men on articles is voluntary on both sides, but the law will com- pel the performance of agreement on both sides. * * * I would recommend the extension of the act of Aug- ust 19, 1890, to include the waters of the Great Lakes, which now bear more traffic than those of the Atlantic coast, and the appointment of shipping commissioners at — the principal ports. HEED oe a SHIPPING CANADIAN SEAMEN. It would seem that an entirely wrong construction has been placed on the ruling of the Acting Secretary of th ‘Treasury in the delivery of his recent opinion relating the shipping of Canadian or foreign seamen in United States vessels, and why this issue should have been sprung upon the lakeshipping community at this time we are somewhat at a loss to determine. : Admitting that the several Unions have seen fit to mi due and diligent inquiry into the status of the case, ’ still find that immigration agents at not only the 1 ports, but, even the office stationed at Port Town Puget Sound, had become exercised regarding the sa issue and entered into correspondence with Washi on the merits of the ruling. Of course, those who were and are desirous of lim the labor market within the closest bounds possi! have been instrumental in awakening the imm spectors to the special feature of Canadian seamen § in American lake vessels, hence the inquiries and ruli the Department, and ithas probably been from source that the necessity of a ruling at this ti nated. In the official log book supplied by the U- 8. ment, ta American vessels the acts of Congress the mercantile marine are set forth, in sectio found the following: ‘All the officers of vt