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FRIWUUUTUUOIOILOUOUTAUULUU ECU FANY BOWLES, former presi- dent of the Fore River Ship- building Co. and a high official in the shipping board during the war, was the first witness at the resumption of the trial of the government's suit to fix the price on the Cape Cod canal. He char- acterized Cape Cod as the most dangerous obstruction to navigation on the Atlantic coast and one of the most dangerous in the world... "In the last 25° year." he said, "there have been more than 1000 wrecks between Fisher's island and Prov- incetown, the majority of them in the vicinity of Monomy and along the cape to Provincetown. Shipping around the cape," Admiral Bowles stated, "has in- creased from 600 vessels annually in 1790 to 25,000 in 1918. The canal in its present condition could take care of 75 per cent of this number. With the pres- ent tolls, the annual income would. be $1,200,000. The tolls can be doubled," he testified, "thus bringing the annual revenue to $2,400,000." Admiral Bowles estimated that schooners lose 25 to 35 days in clear weather annually waiting for suitable weather to round the cape while tugs lose 60 to 90 days annually and. steamers. 8. to 12 hours a. teip on an average. During the year ended July ye 24 of this year, 6296 vessels with a total tonnage of 5,177,000 passed through the canal, an average of 17 per day. ok * K Shipbuilders and vessel operators, as large employers of labor, realize that tuberculosis prevention is of vital im- portance at the present time. This year, more than one billion red cross Christ- mas seals have been printed for dis- tribution by the National Tuberculosis association. In addition to the seals, health bonds ranging in denomination from $5 to $100 are to be sold instead of seals to large contributors. who do not send out enough mail during De- cember to make use of all the seals they would like to purchase. It will be eces- sary this year for the association to raise $6,500,000 to carry out its program made necessary by post-wartime needs. eo * * The Radio Corp. of America has been formed and has taken over the radio rights of the General Electric Co., ac- cording to a recent announcement of Edward J. Nally, vice president and gen- EAR ADMIRAL FRANCIS TIF-" Se iii ttt tt Bits From the Log of Progress Events of Interest to Those Engaged in-Operating, . Constructing and Outfitting Yards and Ships ll eral manager of the Marconi Wireless . Telegraph Co. of America. * * * An important feature of the seventh national foreign trade convention to be held at San Francisco, May 15 to 20, 1920, will be the world conference of American foreign traders, according to a recent announcement of the National Foreign Trade Council, New York. Three special steamers, chartered for the accommodation of delegates from abroad will be provided for the ports on the Pacific coast. Another steamer starting from New York will go to the Pacific coast via the Panama canal. ** * * Cost of repairs to shipping board ves- sels in the New York division has been reduced to slightly more than $1,000,000 a month, while the number of vessels coming under the jurisdiction of that port represents approximately 70 per cent of the government fleet. The work is done on a competitive basis, except when the outlay is less than $5000. Speci- fications are sent to various shipyards who are invited to submit bids. He EO ke The United States shipping board will use from 2,039,000 to 2,558,000 tons of coal during the coming year. The coal will be distributed from 18 principal ports among which Boston will handle 75,000, New York 950,000, Philadelphia 350,000, Baltimore 300,000, New Orleans 30,000, San Francisco 85,000 and Seattle 35,000 tons maximum capacity. * * * According to Chester Lloyd Jones, Madrid, shipbuilding in Spain is pro- gressing slowly in spite of the fact that Spain is desirous of equipping a substantial merchant marine. Shipping actually under construction in Spain at the present time has been variously re- ported, the average announced for the first half of 1919 being about 120,000 tons. The total at the end of 1918 was reported as 135,018 tons. At the present time, shipbuilding in Spain is carried on without governmental aid. ee ee 4 The initial attempt to salve a cargo of coal by the method of using a large centrifugal pump to throw it out of a 595 iin IN = lie INUIT LULU ml submerged vessel into a barge recently was tried at Seattle. The barge ELecrra had sunk with 16 feet of water over her deck at low tide. A 12-inch suction. Pipe was used to "pump out" the coal. ee Shipping board plans for the Hog -- Island yard are now said to call for the completion of all vessels under con-- struction by June, 1920. This will com- plete the program calling for 110 A-type cargo carriers. Of this number nearly 70 have been launched and over 50 have: been delivered. The original program called for 70 B-type transport ships.. Of this number, contracts for 58 have been cancelled, leaving 12 which the shipping board will complete. The king of Belgium sponsored the first of this. type, the CantTicNny. * * * The Electrolytic Oxy-Hydrogen Labo- ratories, Inc., has organized a sales and' manufacturing company known as the _Electrolabs Co.. New York. The parent firm. will continue in charge of the laboratories and will maintain technical supervision over the work of the new company. The general offices of both companies have been moved from Day- ton, Q., into larger quarters at Pitts-- burgh. The general sales offices are being continued at 15 William stree:,. New York, and branch sales offices have: been opened in the Morris _ building, Philadelphia, and the Merchants Fx- change building, San Francisco. I. H. Levin continues in charge of technicai' and research work and D. J. Tunkonogy in ge.eral charge of sales. The con- pany is a manufacturer of oxygen and liydrogen wzenerating plants. * * 2* Last month, the Western Electric Co., Inc., New: York, passed the half- century mark of continuous operation. ,In 1869 the firm of Gray & Barton. was formed to manufacture telegraph apparatus, electric bells and buzzers, and from this unpretentious start, at: a time when present-day commercial applications of electricity were wun- heard of, the present company was developed. At the present time, the company's activities are world-wide and its products are used in every civilized country.