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\ February, 1925 for the hydro-electric plants. Central Illinois has a grievance because Chicago has refused some claims for damages resulting from overflow, and there are some fears of contamination. Some lower Mississippi states side with Chicago on account of the Lakes-to-Gulf water- way. But the chief indictment against Chi- cago is that it has lowered lake levels. Chicago’s counter-proposition is this: Let it build, at its expense, a lock at the lower end of Lake Huron and regulatory works in the Niagara river to hold back Lakes Huron and Erie, respectively. It calculates that a lock with a 5-foot lift at Port Huron would add 1 per cent to the time of a trip from Duluth to Cleveland but permit deeper loading by 10 per cent. This contest over lake water—and Chi- cago stresses the point that Michigan is an American and not a_ boundary lake—dates back to 1889 when the Illinois legislature created the Sanitary District of Chicago. Contrary to general belief, it is not a municipal body but entirely an independent one, ‘whose members are elect- ed by the voters of the 50 cities and villages within the 437 square miles of northern Illinois that it embraces. It was thought that reversing the flow of the Chicago river, digging a canal to connect the south branch of the river with the Des Plaines river, which drains into the Illinois and then the Mississippi, was preferable and cheaper than build- ing filtration and sewage disposal plants. Today Chicago’s city water is not fil- tered. In 1899 the Illinois legislature decreed that sewage entering the Chicago river should be diluted by 3 1/3 cubic feet of water per second per 1000 of population, and on this basis the present population of the sanitary district requires 10,000 cubic feet per second. The original in- terest of the war department was to prevent too great a current for safe navi- gation in the Chicago river. The most recent limitation of the war department is dated March 31, 1903, and stipulates a diversion of 4167 cubic feet per sec- ond. The sanitary district stood on its mandate from the Illinois legislature all the way to the Supreme Court, but the recent decision makes the war department limitation superior. A good deal of conflicting evidence has been produced on the subject of lake levels. The engineers of the sani- tary district board contend that over long periods the Great Lakes rise and fall 3 to 5% feet, and that the present low stages are due to natural variations in rainfall, evaporation and ice conditions, to diversions through the Chicago drain- age, Welland, Black Rock and Erie canals, water power at Niagara, storage of water in Lake Superior and enlarge- MARINE REVIEW ment of the channels in the St. Clair and Detroit rivers. Between 1900 and 1923 the officials show the level of Lake Michi- gan above sea level was highest in 1918, at 581.4 feet, and lowest in 1923, at 579.3 feet. Shipbuilding Declines Merchant shipping under construc- tion in the world on Dec. 31, 1924, ag- gregated 2,470,436 gross tons, or about 4 per cent less than on Sept. 30, 1924, according to Lloyd’s Register of Ship- ping. Great Britain and Ireland, which at the close of the third quarter were building 356,000 tons more of ship- ping than all the other maritime coun- tries combined, were at the close of the year building 123,000 tons less than the other countries. Shipbuilding in the United States during the period under review declined 6000 tons. A significant feature of the returns is found in the figures showing new work begun, as compared with tonnage launched. For Great Britain and Ire- land, the tonnage launched was nearly double the amount on which work was begun. In the case of the other mari- time countries, taken together, how- ever, new work was 50 per cent in excess of launchings, thus emphasizing the decline in British shipbuliding, The following figures for the quarter ended Dec. 31, show that replacements in Great Britain and Ireland fell 158,000 gross tons short of shipping launched. while in other countries combined the replacements were nearly 100,000 tons more than tonnage launched. Returns from the principal shipbuild- ing countries show that Germany (in- cluding Danzig) had the amount of work under way diminished about 30,- 000 tons. During the last quarter, France increased the amount of con- struction under way by nearly 60,000 tons; Holland by 36,000 tons, and Italy by 22,000. On the other hand, the work in Japanese yards fell off 11,000 tons, and in those of the British Dominions, 5000 tons. The total for the United States is far below the pre- war aggregate, and less than at any time since the war. Construction of motor ships continues to play a prominent part in the re- turns for world shipbuilding. While there has been a slight decline (16,000 tons) as compared with the quarter ended Sept. 30, 1924, the decrease in construction work on other types of vessels during the same period amount- ed to 94,000 tons. The proportion of world construction represented by motor vessels is now 37.4 per cent, as contracted with 36.4 per cent in the previous quarter. 37 Contracts Placed . Abroad for American Ships While American shipyards, it is stated in a recent bulletin issued by the At- lantic Coast Shipbuilders’ association, are more or less inactive, orders on American account are being completed in foreign yards. During the last year a number of vessels have been built: abroad for American concerns doing: an international busines. The extreme depression in American shipbuilding, which is being contributed to by the placing of orders abroad for ships for American commerce, has tong since reached a stage where the plight of the industry is a matter of vital im- portance to other interests as well as to shipbuilders themselves. The irregu- lar volume of tonnage contracted for in this country also contributes to the higher cost of shipbuilding here. If American shipowners adopted the same policy as their foreign competitors in the way of contracting ahead for new tonnage, and having a definite system in regard to renewal of old vessels, they would materially contribute to a reduction in our shipbuilding costs. With this advantage American ship- yards would be able to distribute their overhead charges, which in connection with such a complex product as. a ship are necessarily large, and_ ship- building would continue as a permanent American industry. Other American in- terests have had the same disadvant- ages compared with foreign countries yet we turn out a wide variety of products in the United States at our higher labor and material costs and sell them in competition abroad. There is no reason why we cannot do the same with ships if the proper volume of business is forthcoming. In’ view of the fact that the shipbuilding industry of this country is making every effort to survive present abnorm- al conditions we maintain that it is a duty owed by American concerns to the country whose flag protects their investments to aid in removing the obstacles which at present retard the shipbuilding industry. At a meeting of the governing board of the Maritime Association of the Bos- ton chamber of commerce, held on Mon- day evening, Jan. 12, the following were elected to membership: Boston, Cape Cod and New York Canal Co., New York, owners of the Cape Cod canal Henry Herbermann, New York Sanderson & Son, Inc., Boston and New York; Noyes G. M. C. Truck Co., Boston; G. W. Breymann & Bros., Boston and New York. SANTI WY oi ne Lager eyes ge raee gece oe ee te ee ee ee cee oe as