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BO Oe immediate future. The two bodies of land lying in the same region, ag- gregate more than 500 square miles of primeval forest about to be turned into marketable products. The 'stripping of .the. forest. cover from a region so large and so moun- tainous will be watched with interest by those who study the effect of the soil cover on stream flow. The rain- fall over the region is very heavy-- more than 4 ft. annually. Snow 6 ft. deep on the timbered mountains, while not usual, is an occasional occurence. Fire is sure to follow the usual meth- ods of lumbering, and unless this re- gion is more fortunate than most lum- bered tracts in that part of the Ap- palachian plateau, many. of the sum- mits and sides of the mountains will be laid bare to the soil and rocks. The rainfall and melted snow, which are now retarded by the forests, will then pour down the naked slopes and cause destructive floods in the lower streams, and low water will follow. West Virginia is one of the states which has taken no measures to pro- tect-its valleys from floods by pre- serving the forests on the mountains. Its woods are being cut and burned more rapidly perhaps than those of any other state, and this in face of the fact, that it is by. nature. a for est state, with soils and_ situations suited to almost all eastern timber trees. It might perpetuate its forests and have woods of immense value al- ways. A little protection against fire, the leaving of small trees to form the future forest, and provision for repro- duction by means of seed trees, are simple measures, but they would mean all the difference between wasted hill- sides and well stocked forests, ripe for the ax. A few years would bring hand- some returns from the investment. BOSTON MARINE NOTES. Boston, July 29.--A crusade has been started in these waters by the Treasury department, through its inspectors, against negligent owners and operators of power boats. This action was made ab- solutely necessary owing to the appalling number of fatalities resulting from power- boat catastrophes continually occurring along the New England coast during the present summer season. Regarding the inspection of small craft moved by power, instructions are set forth in Treasury department circular 139 of September 7, 1906, to which all owners of launches under 15 tons, carry- - ing passengers for hire, are subject, and for failure to comply with same a penalty of $500 is incurred, copies of which have been forwarded to all customs inspectors TAE MaRINeG REVIEW along the coast. First, failure to carry one life preserver for each passenger on board. Second, failure of person in charge to be licensed by steamboat in- spectors. Furthermore, 'where operator is licensed and undertakes to carry more than the inspector deems safe, notify operator that inspector will demand revo- cation of license for gross negligence. All concerned are notified that no leniency may be expected from department. These instructions have been communicated to principal revenue cutter officers, principal officers of the navy and supervising in- spector of steam-boat service. Operators must be full fledged citizens of the United States and over 21 years of age. Surveyor of the port of Boston, Jeri- miah J. McCarthy, has procured the fol- lowing digest of the law governing the class of boats in question, copies of which are being forwarded to all upon request: "All motor vessels, without regard to size or use, must be provided with an efficient whistle or siren, fog horn and bell. The whistle must be of such char- acter as to be able to produce a pro- longed blast from four to six seconds' duration. "At night all motor vessels must have a bright white light at the bow, a green light on the starboard side and a red light on the port side provided with proper screens. Whenever the green and red side lights cannot be fixed to the vessel they. must be kept lighted and ready for use. They must also have a white range light aft. "Such vessels are also required to have on board two printed copies of the rules which must be observed by them, fur- nished by local inspectors of steam ves- sels on request. pe "All motor vessels under 15 tons en- gaged in carrying passengers for hire, in addition to the equipment above stated, are required to carry one life preserver for each passenger and to be operated, by a person duly licensed by the local inspectors of steam vessels. Life pre- servers are not compulsory equipment for such boats, however, when they are used only as private pleasure boats." JAPANESE SUBSIDIES ARE IN DANGER. The agitation which has been car- ried on in Japan to reduce Japanese shipping subsidies is being continued with considerable vigor and is not un- likely to meet with a certain degree of suiccess. _ A representation was tntroduced in the lower house of the diet last ses- sion, advising a material modification of the present law, in the senate that whereas a steamer of not less than 1,000 tons and 10 knots is now eligi- ble for encouragement money, these figures should be raised to 3,000 tons 19 and 13 knots. The period of the pres- ent law expires next December, and although the drastic amendment em- bodied in the above representation, cannot be adopted, it seems to be felt that the treasury's yearly payments under this law are so large as to call for some amendment. On the other hand, there are valid reasons to doubt whether the progress of ship building in Japan will be as rapid in the future as it has been in the past. Several of the principal dock yards are largely reducing their staffs and are making strenuous efforts to ob- tain orders from foreign countries, so that in all probability the vessels on account of which encouragement mon- ey, may have to be granted in the near future will be comparatively few. Since the ship building encourage- ment law came into force in March, 1896, the steamers built or in course of construction at dock yards in Japan under the subsidy granted number 88, with an aggregate tonnage of 200,900. Of these, 76 steamers, of 167,746 tons, have already been completed at the following dock yards: Steamers. Tonnage. Mitsu. Bishi dock yard....... 30 106,066. Kawasaki dock yard,..0:..... 22 36,426 Osaka *=Tron WockS a; cca eee 22 22,739 Ishikawajima dock yard...... 2 2,516 Total: "ye er ee eee . 76 167,747 As three of these steamers, the Tsukishima, Hitachi, and Shiga Maru, were subsequently lost, the subsidized steamers at present number 73, with a total tonnage of 159,237. The steam- ers recently launched and in course of @ equipment are as follows: Steamers. Tonnage. Mitsu Bishi dock yard....... 3 24,000 Kawasaki dock yard ........ 7 8,600 Osaka "Tron Works... 2... < « 3 4,160 otal sfss kc 5 frou eee oe 7 36,760 The steamers in course of construc- tion under the encouragement certifi- cate number 11, with a total tonnage of 78,240. These steamers are to be launched between August, 1908, and April, 1911. ' The passenger steamer Huron while going out of Cleveland harbor July 27 collided with a scow in the river just below the Lake Shore bridge and cracked two plates. The scow and a dredge were working on the west side of the river and the big passenger steamer City of Cleveland was tied 1p at the Pennsylvania dock on the eat side and the Huron could not get through. She went to the ship y1d_ for repairs. The Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Co. has been given contract amounting to $15,000 for dredging the river at Lorain.