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32 MARINE REVIEW AND MARINE RECORD. CAMPAIGN FOR AN AMERICAN MERCHANT MARINE. Mr. Aaron Vanderbilt, chairman of the committee on mer- chant marine of the New York Board of Trade & Transporta- tion, in discussing the activity of the board at the present time mis campaign for a revival of the American merchant marine, said: _ "We have with deep concern been watching our shipping in the foreign trade steadily decline for many years, hoping some- thing would be done to remedy matters. We see a great busi- ness of ocean transportation to which the United States is one of the largest contributors, in which the finest ships afloat are engaged, and whose earnings run into the hundreds of millions of dollars annually, in which American shipping participates to the extent of less than 10 per cent. "As in 1861 the United States had three times as large a tonnage engaged in ocean transportation as we now have, we want to know what has caused the decline, especially as the present value of our foreign commerce is four times larger than it was in 1861. We want to know why our people don't build the larger part of the ships that carry our foreign commerce, and why our own people don't own and operate them. This is something that we believe the whole country wants to know, and our purpose in trying to find it out is in order that in the discussion some thoroughly practicable, effective and acceptable solution of the problem how best to proceed to remedy this con- dition may be evolved. This we believe to be a timely, a com- mendable and a popular undertaking. Our hope and aim will be to keep the discussion free from partisan or political heat or bias. We are not concerned in contributing through this issue to the 'political capital' of either party. It is a business question, pure and simple, in which the whole country is interested, and it should:be considered and discussed in a business and temperate manner. "The action of the Board of Trade & Transportation in ap~ pointing a committee to investigate the decline of American shipping in the foreign trade has called forth expressions of ap- proval and support in all parts of the country that are both gratifying and inspiring. It cannot be said too emphatically that the committee does not purpose turning its back upon nor ignor- ing any suggestion that may be made in good faith and sincerity. The advocates of free ships are as welcome to us as are the advocates of large subsidies, and the believers in discriminating dues and duties will have the same opportunity to present their 'arguments that is given to the subsidy and free ship advocates. "Tt is a 'free-for-all' discussion, and if out of it all shall be formulated a plan for upbuilding our shipping in the foreign trade that shall be practicable and effective that is what the people are more concerned about than in the discussion of ab- struse or impracticable theories. We shall ask the free ship advo- cates to explain whether they believe that foreign ships should pe admitted to our coastwise trade or confined wholly .to our foreign trade, and whether they would have the laws repealed that require that the masters and officers of American vessels shall be American citizens. Most.of all, in respect of this par- ticular phase of the discussion, we. desire to know how effective free ship laws in other countries have been in building up their merchant shipping, especially in Great Britain, whose ships have so long made her the unchallenged mistress of the seas. ' "We shall ask the subsidy advocates to make good by ac- ceptable proofs their assertions that subsidies stimulate the build- ing and economical operation of ships, and especially the claim 'that the subsidies which come from the people go back to the people in the lower freight charges resulting from subsidies. We shall also want to clearly define the dividing line between 'pay for carrying the mails' and 'subsidies and bounties.' "We shall also ask the discriminating dues and duty advo- cates to say how best the practical and seemingly serious diffi- culties of abrogating or denouncing some thirty or forty treaties and conventions that we now have with as many different coun- tries can be overcome without undue international friction, whether they believe the discrimination should be through a re- duction of the dues and duties now in force on American ships and on the imports carried therein, as compared with foreign ships, or whether foreign ships and the goods they import should pay higher dues and duties than they now pay, and how we could discriminate against ships bringing imports that are free of du- ties and ships that come here in ballast; also how serious the retaliation by other countries would be if this system were adopted, and how such possible retaliation could be met without placing a check upon our export trade. The line of our in- quiries is to be eminently practical and trite generalities will be of little value to us, as, most of all, we desire specific details in con- nection with each policy advocated. __ "The newspapers of the country," continued Mr. Vander- bilt, "can be of the utmost assistance to us in presenting to their readers the salient facts of the decline in our shipping, in securing Suggestive statements and interviews from men of prominence and influence in their vicinity, and in presenting editorial views as to the practicability and effectiveness of the plans suggested, their good and their bad features, and, most of all, their views as to what the people will be willing to 'stand for,' should it develop that congressional legislation is necessary. We hope that com- amercial, Jabor and agricultural associations in all parts of the country will take this subject under discussion and debate. for- mulating their final conclusions in expressive resolutions. fi " + 8 . 7s . The great political parties," concluded Mr. Vanderbilt, "have [Sept. 17, been prontising for many years to enact legislation to build up our shipping in the foreign trade but so far nothing effective has been accomplished. Perhaps the business people, the farmers and the wage workers can evolve a plan which will command the support of both parties and which can be discussed without partisan bitterness. That is what we hope for." AMERICAN SHIPPING SHOULD BE STIMULATED, At the Seattle convention of the Trans-Mississippi Com- mercial Congress held a few days ago the following resolution in favor of the upbuilding an American merchant marine were adopted: a ae "Resolved, By the Trans-Mississippi Congress, in fourteenth annual convention assembled, and representing twenty-one states and territories west of the Mississippi river, that the decline of our oversea American merchant marine from carrying go per cent. of our export products in American bottoms down to 9 per cent. is an anomaly in the industrial development of the United States, and for a nation with a greater coast line, greater resources, and an unbroken record of enterprise and intrepidity on the ocean from Paul Jones to George Dewey, is a national disgrace; "Resolved, That every ship is a missionary of trade; that steam lines work for their own countries just as railroad lines work for their terminal points, and that it is as absurd for the United States to depend upon foreign ships to distribute our pro- ducts as it would be for a department store to depend upon the wagons of a competing house to deliver its goods; "Resolved, That it is the sense of this congress that the con- gress of the United States should enact such laws as will tend to build up the American merchant marine." The Review has maintained all along, and must continue to maintain, that until congress comes to the relief of shipping there will not for many years be an adequate merchant marine belong- ing to the United States. The road to travel through natural processes is a long one and beset with many hardships. The American vessel is handicapped by higher cost and a higher wage and must have governmental aid to compete even on equal terms with the ships of other nations. TRADE NOTES. The New York offices of the sales organization of the West- inghouse Electric & Manufacturing Co., consisting of the New York sales department, department "I," the export department, and the general agent's office, have been removed to the new Hanover Bank building, corner of Nassau and Pine streets. The new offices occupy the entire seventeenth floor of this building, one of the finest and best equipped office buildings in the country, where the arrangements and facilities will be of the best, both for the representatives of the company and the public with whom they do business, The mail address of the several departments of the sales organization in New York will be No. 11 Pine street The executive, financial and stock transfer officers will remain on the fourth floor of the Equitable building. The present organiza- tion of the Westinghouse Electric & Manufacturing Co, has been quartered in the Equitable building since 1880, but the rapid and material increase of business has made the above -move necessary. - The Magnolia Metal Co., New York, announces that it has returned to its factory at No. 113-115 Bank street, New York, which was destroyed by fire about a year ago. The factory has been rebuilt and equipped with all modern convenience for the manufacture of all grades of babbitt metal. The New York sales offices of the Nernst Lamp Co. have re- cently been removed from the Equitable building and_ trans- ferred to the new Hanover Bank building, No. 11 Pine street. With two long, deep furrows extending along the port and starboard sides of her underbody the cruiser Olympia is resting in the wooden dry dock at the Norfolk navy yard. The work of docking the vessel was a delicate task for Naval Constructor Evans, but it was accomplished safely and for the first time since the vessel ran on the rocks near Portland, Me., the damage has been seen. Along the starboard side of the Olympia's bottom for 96 ft. there extends an indentation 214 in. deep. On the port side ee : the plates are dented to a depth of 5% in., and many are uckled. 'Seaboard Steel Castings"' A Guarantee of Quality. Open Hearth Steel Castings of the Highest Grade for Locomotive, General Machinery and Shipbuild- ing Work. Subject to U. S. Government, Lloyds, Railroad and Other Highest Requirements. : Seaboard Steel Casting Co., Chester, Pa.