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What the British Are Doing Short Surveys of Important Activities in Maritime NEW departure in Atlantic travel A has been inaugurated by the Cunard line in issuing special tourist third class round trip tickets for £41 4s 6d for holiday tours in Canada and the United States from the British Isles. Several of the newest Cunarders sailing from Southampton and Liverpool will specially reserve all the third class accomodations for this traffic. The move- ment is a sequel to a series of tours made last year by American and Cana- dian tourists, mostly professors and stud- ents. It will be possible to complete the tour in three weeks. Visits may be made to Quebec and Montreal, the Canadian Lakes, Niagara Falls, Boston and New York. Those returning from New York will be able to sail by the MAuRETANIA which still retains its title of the world’s fastest liner. It is well known that the third class accomodations are now better than the former second class. ee et IR FREDERICK HENDERSON, ex-president of the Shipbuilding Employers federation. writes in Lloyds List Annual Review: “Both employers and workers in shipyards have still a lean time ahead. The inelasticity of the trade union mentality seems to make it difficult to adjust wages and condi- tions so that the employer can effect any real economy by installing new’ tools and machinery, even though that economy could be effected without the men’s actual earnings suffering, A glaring instance is that of pneumatic tools, which many shipyards have had to give up, as they were adding to the costs instead of less- ening them, and yet they should be instruments to minimize costs greatly in this country, as they do on the con- tinent.” oe oe REQUENT complaints of Dutch la- bor supplanting English labor on ship repairs has led to the collection of statistics which shows that the English wage standard, low as it is, is still easily the highest in Europe, while the normal working week of 48 hours in Holland is increased to 52 and even 60 or 70 hours. Overtime is paid on a basis as much as 70 per cent and 90 per cent Icwer than in Great Britain. F. Smith, secretary of the Shipbuilding and Trades federation complains that competition is assisted by the fact that English Centers of Island Empire steel firms constantly quote £1 lower per ton for their steel to Continental firms than to the home manufacturer. The official states that they are investi- gating to what extent the Dutch under- cutting is attributable to longer work- ing hours and lower wages. ee ee 6 monthly report of the Boiler- makers’ society states that 22,063 members were unemployed at the end of December compared with 26,072 at the end of November. The general secretary maintains that the shipbuilding industry can provide reserves by the equaliza- tion of profits, and should provide re- serves for the equalization of wages. Shipbuilding requires such a _ scheme and ways and means should be considered to that end. ee NCOURAGING features are diffi- cult to find in the British ship- building industry. But one of these is the reduction of idle tonnage in United Kingdom ports from 755,000 last year ‘to 333,000 at the end of December. Re- ports of shipping companies are gen- erally dismal, but the Tyne-Tees Shipping Editor, Marine ReEvIEW: I have read with particular interest the fine article in the February issue of Marine Review by our fellow citizen Harvey Goulder on the question of the maintenance of lake levels. His argu- ment is unanswerable. As you know, I have been rather active in seeking to prevent further lowering of lake levels by improper diversion of water through the Chicago Drain- age Canal. I agree with your general view that the shipping business, as other busi-— ness, should be in private hands. The difficulty about the matter. is that following that policy we seem not to have been able to get anywhere. Ameri- can foreign shipping has for a long time,:and our country has gone on paying a tribute to foreign 94. From the Editor's Mail languished | Co. is an exception holding its fully paid shares at a premium of 20 per cent. It has now issued new shares at par in the proportion of one share for every two held. In spite of the depres- sion it has maintained profits at a divi- dend-paying level. ae ok | HE Manchester Shipping Canal Co. has accepted a tender for the con- struction at a cost of £300,000 of new transit sheds at Trafford Wharf. The work will be done by a local firm, B. Morton & Co. Ltd. and will consist of two buildings of concrete, 450 feet long. and 110 feet wide. * * * UBMARINE XI, of an entirely new type has been built at the British vaval yard at ‘Chatham in secret, and is. described as the largest and fastest sub- marine in the world. With its speed of 32 knots, this vessel can keep up with the battle fleet steaming at full speed. The object is to operate it as a commerce raider, as it has the speed of a tor- pedo boat destroyer and a crew of 100 men. This submarine will be the first to have a canteen on board. nations for carrying our commerce. Sometimes. I have become discouraged on the merchant marine question, and have felt that the American people really did not care whether they had. a merchant marine or not. I, of course, realize the economic unsoundness of maintaining a fleet of carriers at public expense, and yet, it seems to be a terrible step to take to scrap the great fleet of fine ships now owned by the United States govern- ment and admit that they do not have capacity or desire to maintain a mer- chant marine. What practical method would you suggest of disposing of the fleet which the Government now owns? I shall be interested to read your articles from time to time. Frank B. Willis, Senator from Ohio Washington, D. C.