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"TAE MarRINE REVIEW REPUBLIC BELTING & SUPPLY CO. The rapidly expanding business of the Republic Belting & Supply Co., of Cleveland, formerly the Bodifield Belting Co., has necessitated their leasing the Sherburne building at the corner of Seneca and Michigan streets. This is a large, substantial, pressed brick building of mill construc- tion, and in good central location, handy to all depots, insuring quick delivery out of town, and also in close prox- imity to the docks. They have already let the contract for a five-story addition to the building which will give them a commodious structure. They have purchased a large quan- tity of the latest improved belting machinery and expect to have it installed by May 1. This will enable them to largely increase their output in leather belting, which is now very large, as they are distributing more leather belting within a radius of 300 miles of Cleveland than any other manufacturer in the country. They expect to do a much larger business in the mechani- cal rubber goods as they have recently entered into a con- tract with the Republic Rubber Co. to be the exclusive repre- sentatives on their line of mechanical rubber goods. The Republic Rubber Co.'s name has been rapidly coming to the front as manufacturers of a very high class of steam and water hose, valves, etc. They are today furnishing air-brake hose to, nearly every railway in the United States. They have built an organization of the most experienced factory managers and salesmen, President of the company Mr. Arms was formerly president of the American Sheet Steel Co. It was due to making a connection with the Republic Rubber Co., and the desire to more fully convey to the public the line they were carrying that the Bodifield Belting Co. decided to change its name to the Republic. Belting & Supply Co. A line of supplies was also added at the time - this contract was made and is under the management of Mr. F. J. Mau, late of the Geo. Worthington Co. This in- cludes everything along the line of mill, mine, railroad and vessel supplies. The organization is composed entirely of young men and they are aiming to build up an organization that will deliver goods of quality, give prompt dispatch and quote prices that will secure the business, all things being considered. The officers are: E. C. McKay, president and general manager; S. C. Cutler, vice president; S. H. Moore, secretary and treasurer. INCREASED PROFIT TO FOREIGN LINES. Editor Marine Review :--Here we are, practically, with- out an American ocean marine, and nearly $3,000,000,000 worth of imports and exports to be carried every year, while the Kosmos Shipping Co., of Hamburg, pays a dividend of 14 per cent for 1905, as against 10-per cent in 1904. The reason for the increased profit is reported as because of the "prosperous development of the traffic to South America, especially to Chile, Peru, and the West Pacific coast in general." The report continues, "The growth of the South American trade is so enormous that competition is re- garded with equanimity." It is hoped that our house of representatives will not con- tinue to "regard with equanimity" the fact that, for want of ships, Germany and other countries are getting many mil- lions of the South American trade each year (almost each month) which geographically belongs to us. We have to spend money and worry to keep things on the equilibrium in South America, and, till we get ships, mainly for the benefit - of other countries trading there. Why not stop it? WALTER J. BALLARD. W. A. Boole & Son, Oakland, Cal. are to install an. oil- burning plant in the United States steamer General. Mifflin at a cost of- $3,725. INTERPRETATION OF CUBAN COASTWISE | : LAWS. The state department has received from the owners of the American steamship Cristobol Colon, a protest against the action of the Cuban government in requiring them to take out a Cuban register for the vessel as a condition. to plying between Batabano, Cuba, and the Isle of Pines. The plea is made that this tariff is open to American ship- ping on the same terms as Cuban vessels under an order made by Gen. Wood when he was governor of the island of Cuba. . The department has taken the matter under advisement. Its disposition is to regard the Isle of Pines as part of Cuba, but this contention is new, in that it disregards the question of title to the Isle of Pines and relies. simply upon the. vitality of an order made by the intervening military power, which under the terms of the Platt amendment and the Cuban constitution was to be continued in force indefinitely. If this contention is held to be well taken the Cuban coast: wise laws will not be operative as against American ship- ping. : AN AMERICAN SCHOONER AT MANILA. Editor Martne Review:--It is refreshing to us shipless Americans to read of the arrival at Manila, of the American' schooner David Evans, sixty-nine days out from Everett, ' Wash., with nearly 2,000,000 ft. of American lumber aboard. As we cannot get ocean-going steamships we must rejoice that any American ship, no matter how small, arrives any- where abroad, carrying American goods. The David Evans is only a little one, 821 tons gross, but it is one. For that we must be thankful, get out our old records, and revel, in retrospection, over the days when the "yankee skipper and his crew" were often welcomed in foreign ports. On the same day, three foreign steamships, loaded with foreign goods, also arrived at our busy port of Manila. That news is not nearly so refreshing. WALTER J. BALLARD. IMPROVEMENTS AT ASHTABULA HARBOR. During the past week plan's were submitted to a board of government engineers by the Lake Shore railway for the improvement of its dock facilities at Ashtabula. These plans are of the most comprehen'sive character and involve practically the entire use of the harbor out to the government line on the Lake Shore side of the harbor. board of government engineers, consisting of Col. G. J. Lydecker, of Detroit, Lieut. Col. Dan C. Kingman, of Cleveland; Major George' Zinn, of Wheeling, W. Var and Capt. Charles Kellar, of Detroit. Those who went over the plans, with Chief Engineer Samuel Roswell, of the Lake Shore railway, were Mr. Harry Coulby, of the Pittsburg Steamship Co.; Mr. H. G. Dalton, of Pick- ands, Mather & Co.; Mr. W. M. Fencke, of J. W. Ells-. worth & Co., and John P. Manning, the Lake Shore's dock agent at Ashtabula. It is understood that the new docks contemplated are so extensive as to require an additional breakwater which, however, will be constructed by the railway com- pany at its own expense. It is understood that about $3,000,000 is involved in the_ improvements. The: Penn- sylvania side of the harbor will also be extensively im- proved, but these plans are not, as yet, sufficiently de- veloped to be discussed. A ship's bell was presented to the cruiser Des Moines last week by the citizens of that city. The gift was tendered by Mayor George W. Mattson and accepted by Com'dr. W. Halsey. The plans were thoroughly gone over by the. e