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ee oy ot ee ------ DEVOTED TO EVERYTHING AND EVERY INTEREST CONNECTED OR ASSOCIATED WITH MARINE MATTERS ON THE FACE OF THE EARTH. Published every Thursday by The Penton Publishing Company, CLEVELAND, OHIO. CLEVELAND: WADE BUILDING. CHICAGO: MONADNOCK BUILDING. DETROIT: HAMMOND. BUILDING. NEW YORK: 150 NASSAU STREET. Correspondence on Marine Engineering, Ship Building and Shipping Subjects Solicited. ° . Subscription, $3.00 per.-annum. To Foreign Countries, $4.50. Subscribers can have addresses changed at will. The Cleveland News Co. will supply the trade with the MARINE REVIEW - through the regular channels of the American News Co. Entered at the Post Office at Cleveland, Ohio, as second Class Matter. JULY. 21, 1904. The Review has lately endeavored to ascertain whether the extension of the customs act to the Panama canal zone, whereby all goods entering the zone from foreign countries pay the same tariff that they would have to pay at any United States port, did not also extend the coastwise laws to the, zone. It would seem a very natural conclusion that if it is treated by the government as a United States port that goods going to the zone from the United States would have to go in American ships, that is, it would virtually be trade from an American port to an Amer- ican port which is exclusively reserved to the Ameri- can ship. The treasury department in answer to the inquiry says: e "In reply I have to inform you that while the de- partment is under the impression that such coastwise laws have been extended to shipping between the United States and such canal zone, since the admin- istration of the navigation laws is under the jurisdic- tion of the bureau of navigation of the department of commerce and labor, your letter has been referred to the secretary of that department for reply." The secretary of commerce replied that the com-- munication had been referred to the bureau of navi- gation for attention and the bureau of navigation says that the extension of the coastwise laws to Panama is now under consideration. It is therefore to be hoped that something will be done along this line in the very near future. If American shipping interests are active they can probably secure this trade for them- selves. Indeed there is every reason to believe that if they had pursued a campaign when the Cuban re- ciprocity treaty was made that the trade between that island and the United States might have been reserved to the American ship. The primary object of the administration, of course, in imposing the Dingley tariff rates on all goods im- ported into the Panama canal zone from foreign coun- tries is to give American manufacturers and export- ers an advantage over all competitors in the canal zone. In addition to the vast amount of machinery that contractors for canal work will have to take into the zone it is expected that provisions and supplies of all sorts for the workmen who will be employed will have to be imported to the value of many millions of dollars. It is the purpose of the president's tariff or- der to give the American manufacturers and ex- porters, as nearly as possible, a monopoly in supply- ing machinery and all other articles that are contained in the dutiable schedules of the Dingley act. It is really no more than proper that this should be so since it is American money exclusively that is building the canal. It is not easy to see how the customs act could be extended to this zone without also automatically extending the coastwise laws. The customs act vir- tually makes the zone American territory and inter- trade between ports of American territory is under the jurisdiction of the coastwise laws. The bureau of navigation should make a definite ruling upon this subject as soon as possible. ~ The sessions of the Merchant Marine Commission _are being resumed today at Milwaukee. The commis- sion visits Milwaukee by invitation of the Chamber of Commerce, the Citizens' Business League and the Merchants & Manufacturers' association. The city of Milwaukee is making unusual efforts to entertain the commission and the various interests which have : the meeting in charge have prepared an excellent list of addresses. Undoubtedly the Milwaukee meeting will be a fitting companion to the other great meet- ings which have been held in the lake region. At the close of the Milwaukee session the commis- sion goes direct to the Pacific coast and is scheduled to reach Seattle on July 25. Hearings will be held by the commission in Seattle on July 26 and 27 and in Tacoma on July 28 and 29. The commission will reach Portland, Ore., on July 30 and have reserved the two succeeding days, July 31 and Aug. 1, for hearings in that city. While in Portland the commission will be the guests of the Chamber of Commerce and the 3oard of Trade. The commission will reach San Francisco on Aug. 3 and will spend the 4th and 5th in that city as the guests of the Chamber of Commerce and Shipowners'