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Jan. 1, by .an order-in-council,.. the - government thas lifted the ban on all steamships: of not less than 1,500 tons gross.until 1911, although withdraw- ing the privileges from vessels under that "class; The former regulations which shut out all vessels flying foreign flags from the coasting trade between Quebec. and Noya Scotia was prompted by an organized movement among Canadian shippers to procure better opportuni- ties for their native vessels, of which they claimed they were deprived, be- cause of tthe large numbers of. for- eign vessels employed. Most of the ships affected by these orders are used in carrying coal -and steel, and owned in. Italy, Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden, Norway, Austria-Hungary, Belgium, the, Ar- gentine Republic and Japan. : PIG IRON SITUATION. The year closes with the pig iron | and finished products' markets very quiet, but with no evidence of weak- ness. Taking of inventories has un- _doubtedly postponed. the placing Of A number of fair sized inquiries for pig iron for. the first quarter are out, and consid--- considerable business. erable buying 'is expected befote Feb. 1. Railroads 'continue to buy large quantities of spikes and. track fasten-, ings as well as locomotives. Specifi- cations on steel bars are coming out in satisfactory volume, and there is more general contracting for sheets. The tin plate outlook is encouraging, and the merchant pipe business has been very satisfactory. Since nearly all: furnaces in blast or intending to blow in shortly have contracted 'for their first half year requirements, the demand for coke is not active. MARINE ENGINEERS AND _IN- DIVIDUAL CONTRACTS. The Marine Engineers' Beneficial -- Association is not taking 'kindly to the fact that its members are entering into individual contracts with vessel owners, and a. meeting will be held in Cleveland, on Jan. 11, ito consider -- what action is to be taken on the -- premises. Charges have been pre- ferred against a number of the engi- neers of the Pittsburg Steamship Co.'s fleet, who signed contracts last 'spring and have renewed these contracts with the company. Only. six. chief engi- neers in the Pittsburg fleet declined ' to sign contracts and_ their places -were filled by the promotion. of as- sistants 'to first place. Nearly all of the second engineers in this fleet have "TRAE Marine REVIEW also signed contracts. also been entered into individually with the engineers of Pickands, Math- er & Co.'s fleet. Other, vessel. own- ers expect in the near future to enter into individual contracts with their engineers. STEERING GEARS OF LAKE SHIPS. Editor Marine Review: The ques- tion of steering gear is always to the fore with every master and is always'. under discussion with us on the coast, as I. assume it is on the lakes. With. the numbers of large ships continually building on 'the great lakes, of a 'type in which the gear extends practically the whole length of the ship, your masters must have exceptional op- portunities of judging of the com- parative merits of the different ar- rangements which I understand are freely used. Before coming to a de- cision on a proposed installation I ' would very much like to obtain the judgment of some of the masters of 'the great lakes as to what they found "the most 'satisfactory arrangement, that is to say, whether with steering engine forward or aft, and, if the former, as to the best method of con- nection to the rudder quadrant, with wire. rope, rods or chain. If the lat- ter, ds to. the relative merits of tel- emotor, shaft, wire or rod transmis- "gion. Of course I am assuming the use of some standard type of steering engine, Can one of your large ships be 'steered by hand from forward anid what is.the best.rig? As no device is perfect, what do you find the chief troubles with different forms and what modifications would you sug- gest? As the only man who ican say whether a steering gear is good, bad or indifferent, is the master, assum- ing of course that the gear has 'prop- er care, and is operated intelligently or with intelligence which it must be supposed to meet in service, I think an expression of opinion would be good for all concerned, and am sure "it would 'be appreciated by, A Coast MASTER. Philadelphia, Dec. 23. REORGANIZING NAVY YARDS. Secretary of the Navy Newberry his evolved a comprehensive scheme for the reorganization of 'the navy yards. He believes that the bureau system which has prevailed in the yards 'should be eliminated so that admin- istration may be much simplified and the commandant of the yard be in Contracts have - cheaper. Zi. more direct touch. with the work to. .. be done. It is probable that the sys- | : tem of accounting will be modern-' ized and made uniform for all the navy yards, so that a.comparison can. be made of the cost of manufacturing the various articles used by the navy, and the work can be concentrated in every yard where it: can be done In this connection Caspar F. Goodrich, commandant of the New York navy yard, has completed and forwarded to the navy department a report recommending that the several machine shops at the yard be con- solidated. About a year ago Secretary Newberry, who was then assistant secretary of the navy, authorized that the paint, pattern and carpenter shops at the navy yards. on the Atlantic coast be consolidated. Under the former administration of the navy yards there was a series of bureaus similar in nature and. func- tions to those of the navy department. Each yard had a bureau of steam en- gineering, a bureau of construction and repair, and so forth. pened that each of these yard 'bu- reaus had a separate paint shop or a separate carpenter shop. or a_pat- tern shop of its own, each conducted by a different foreman. Each of these shops did similar work under inde- pendent direction. the reorganization of the navy yards was the gradual consolidation of the small independent shops 'into. one large shop. The consolidation or. the paint, pattern and carpenter shops at the various Atlantic coast yards was ordered last spring, and it has worked so satisfactorily that 'the consolidation has been extended to the two large navy yards of the Pacific coast. The new White Star liners Laurentic and Megantic are progressing rapidly at the yard of Harland & Wolff at Belfast, Ireland. An interesting feature of their construction is the work of that company's new floating crane which has been used for lifting the machinery of the Laurentic into place. The Megan- tic is still on the stocks, but it is ex- Fe pected that She will be launched some time this month, -- The « specifications rial for the battleships Florida and Utah require a resisting power more than 50 per cent greater than that previously required for this class of material. The bureau has not specified vanadium steel but "special treatment" steel, which will meet the physical tests required. Often it 'hap The first step in" for the ballastic -- tests of the protective deck plate mate-