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United States government, because of this lack of merchant marine, suffered the humiliation of having 'the coal for its feet its voyage around the world carried in foreign vessels. This seems argument enough for the estab- lishment of a great American mer- chant marine. The opening of the Panama canal will either mean that we must build one or we will likely lose our entire foreign trade." on BETTER OCEAN MAIL SERVICE. Postmaster General Meyer in his annual report, just submitted to con- gress, makes an earnest plea for bet- ter ocean mail service. He says: "With the exception of our service to Europe, the American ocean mail facilities do not compare favorably with those of the other great nations. In no other branch of our postal ser- vice has so little been done in the way of helpful legislation, no provi- sion having been made for improving the conditions since the act of March 3, 1891. Under that act we now have a good service to Jamaica, Cuba, and the Atlantic ports of Mexico in our own ships, subject to our own control; but the longer and more expensive routes are not adequately provided for, and with the exceptions above noted our mails to Central and South America, the West Indies, Australasia, and the Orient, are almost wholly de- pendent on foreign steamers over which we have no jurisdiction. Last year the department recommended, and the senate by a practically unani- mous vote passed, a bill (S. 28) pro- viding for more liberal treatment of American steamers carrying the mails. That bill, which is awaiting the action of the house, provides in substance that the compensation of $4 a mile now allowable to 20-knot trans-Atlan- tic American mail steamers shall also be allowable to American steamers of not less than 16 knots on routes of 4,000 miles or more to South Amer- ica, the Philippines, Japan, China, and Australasia. I earnestly recommend its.early enactment into law. "Manifest considerations of public policy forbid that we should continue to depend on the irregular service of steamers built abroad, owned abroad, and operated primarily by and for foreign interests. Now, even more than last year, we are dependent on the auxiliary cruisers and merchant vessels of other nations for the means of reaching the Philippines and the markets of Australasia and the Ori- ent. Within two years the number of American steamers crossing the Pacific and available for carrying the mails has been reduced more than one-half. More liberal compensation THE Marine REVIEW to such steamers. wouwtd appear to be imperative if they are to remain on ihe seas at alt, "In considering the question of-ad- ditional cost it should be borne in mind that while the expenses of the department as a whole have exceeded the revenues, our international mail service for many years has produced a large surplus. "It would require several years to establish the new mail routes con- templated in the bill (S. 28), for most. of the fast steamers required would have to be built. The enactment of the bill would, therefore, involve no large expenditure it the immediate future. Incidentally, the creation and development of new ocean mail lines would promote our export trade and our ship building industry and ma- terially strengthen the auxiliary naval forces of our government. I believe the American people expect and de- sire that their ocean mail service shall be equal to that of other nations, and I urgently recommend that congress aid the department in making it so." DOCK DEPARTMENT CRITI- CIZED. The dock department of the city of New York has recently come in for considerable adverse criticism on the part of shipping interests of that city owing to the obstacles which have been placed in the path of those who may wish to use the public docks. Two piers had been placed in this class by the department after earnest solicitation by the New York Mari- time Association. The one in the North River has now been encumbered on one side by a public bath and on the other by an arrangement of bridges for transferring ice, thus re- ducing the available free pier space to one pier. Commercial organiza- tions are protesting against such em- barrassment of those occasional 'ship- pers who may have no regular termi- nals at New York. RULING ON BOAT KNEES. The board of general appraisers at New York has overruled the protest of C. D: Bunker & Co., of San Fran- cisco, against the assessment of duty on pieces of wood invoiced as boat knees and described in the protest as ship knees. In deciding against the importer General Appraiser Mc- Clelland said: "It is noted that the protest describes the merchandise as '96 ship knees,' and the only evi- dence in the case is a photograph of the pieces of wood, together with a certificate from the assistant naval constructor of Mare Island navy yard that the said knees were received 15 by the construction and repair depart- ment of said navy yard. There is no proof of any kind as to the ultimate use to which the said knees had been applied or were to be applied, and the fair inference from the record is that they were to be used, as the di- mensions would indicate, as boat knees. Such use, we do not believe, would bring the pieces of wood in question within the meaning of the term 'ship-timber' or 'ship-planking,' as. used in the tariff act." EFFICIENCY CRUISE. It. is now reasonaply certain that the scout cruisers Chester, Birming- ~ham and Salem will be able to start on the long efficiency cruise between Jan. i and Jan. 15, as the Chester has now completed all her preliminary trials except the 24-hour run at high speed. The Birmingham and Salem, one ship at a time, with the board of inspection and survey, headed by Rear Admiral McLean, and the engineering board, headed by Capt. F. H. Bailey, with Constructor Ruhn assisting all on board and in charge of the various tests that will be going on at the same time, will probably require a week for each to cover the variouc water consumption and steam tests. Each vessel is to run the 24-hour high speed trial. -Then there are to be three other trials, a 1,000-mile run at 20 knots in company, a 750-mile run' at 15 knots, and then a 1,000- mile run at 10 knots. The three will sail together in order to have the same weather conditions for all. There will be no particular formation, but the ships must keep in Sight of each other. The American Bridge Co., Ambridge, Pa., launched the towboat,Sarah Ed- enborn last week. She was built for the Louisiana Railroad & Transpor- tation -Co.; and. is 145 ft in Jensth. The hull and upper works are of steel and she is probably the first steel- hulled towboat to be built on the scow boat plan. The ferryboat Brewster, of the Bos- ton Beach & Lynn railroad, was run down by the fishing schooner Geor- giana in Boston harbor, Dec. 3, and both vessels were considerably dam- No one was injured. aged. The T. S. Marvel Ship Building Co., of Newburgh, N. Y., has been given a contract by the New York Central Railroad Co. for the construction of two steel tugboats for use in towing in New York harbor. They are to be 105 ft. in length.