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February, 1923 MAR UNE REV IE Ww a Share in Benefits of River Traffic the funds used for construction. It has all modern «unloading devices including locomotive cranes as are shown in the accompanying illus- tration which shows structural material from Pittsburgh steel mills being unloaded, telepher cranes shown in. the background, and various other appliances and methods of handling freight. All railroads entering St. Louis have access to this terminal. At Louisville, Ky., unloading is done by loco- motive cranes direct from river barges to road cars. terial was unloaded as is also shown in accompanying illustrations by stiff-leg derrick a cranes and at Memphis, pipe was taken direct from river barge to railroad car by derrick boat. At Evansville, Ind., structural through the ability of the society to see the vessel at frequent intervals. It should be mandatory that a repre- sentative be called to view a _ vessel every time she is drydocked, if it is only for painting, and the reason for drydocking and the extent of repairs, if any, should be endorsed upon the certificate. A general observation of the condition of the vessel should also be made and tthe society should insist, particularly in the case of a wooden vessel, that she be thoroughly cleaned inside. In the days of inferior ma- terials, the bottom of a wood vessel should be tried for possible shipworm attack and her calking tested for hardness every time that she is dry- docked, the representative of the so- ciety being called in all cases. Some operators ‘would object, upon the ground of expense, to having a vessel examined so often but this could probably be adjusted through the so- ciety charging a fixed annual fee against all vessels for surveys having to do with maintenance and repairs. In the Rules for the Construction, In- spection and Characterization of Sail’ and Steam. Vessels, Buffalo, 1876; a prefatory rail- AoE ma- i the ae address by the proprietor of the Lake Vessel Inspection will be found. A _ por- tion of this reads as follows: “Tt is within my memory that a committee of the British house of parliament was appointed to investi-: gate the causes of the greater loss of life and property on British, when compared with American, ships. The committee reported that American ships were better models, better built, better manned, better offcered and commanded.” It is evident from this that a great merchant marine depends upon the quality .of the naval architects; the quality of the builders; the education and experience of its officers; and the type of men who compose the crews. All of these matters require . correla- tion under a central arid progressive authority before a great metchant marine can result. The moral tone of a classification society must be high if it’ is to give efficient and impartial service. Where two or more societies are competing in the same field, the moral tone of all may be more or less fixed by that of any one which is lax in the en- forcement of its requirements. Con- sequently, all ¢lassification’ societies operating in ‘this country should be Unloading structural material direct from river barge to rail- road flat cars by stiff leg derrick at Evans- ville, Ind. subject to a central form of control. A central control, either through a business like department of the .na- tional government or a_ close and powerful association of all the ship- ping interests in the country could require the classification societies to have comprehensive rules and to en- force them impartially. _ Likewise, it would. be in a position itto require all marine insurance companies and un- derwriters to accept the classifications of the societies whose actions it con- trolled and, if necessary, increase the scope of the societies to the extent that the placing of insurance, after classification, would be a simple and expeditious matter. 5 The probabilities are that a certral control would ultimately extend its authority, within bounds, to a _ gen- eral supervision of design, classifica- tion, insurance, officering and man- ning of vessels flying the American flag; the regulation of existing trade; and the opening of new routes. It should be plain that only a «strong and efficient central ‘control of = all matters pertaining to ships and ship-’ ping’ will “make the American mer- chant marine.