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290 of Uncle Sam from the shipping in- dustry. Senator Fletcher, of Florida, stated that it looks as if the shipping board had fallen a victim to “sharp practices.” “Individually, members of the board seem to be good men,” he said. “Collectively, they seem unable to get results. Only three members of the board were on the job when the recommendation on the bid was made. Why were not the members on the job at this critical time?” Representative Robert L. Bacon, of New York, who is preparing to in- troduce a bill in the next congress to do away with the shipping board and to transfer the Emergency Fleet Corp. to the department of commerce, stated that if his hopes are accomplished the sale of government-owned merchant vessels to private shipowners wouid be facilitated, and that the day when tthe government would be out of the shipping business would be in sight. Representative Bacon is a member of tthe house committee on merchant ma- ‘rine and fisheries, and others of both houses of congress are contemplat- MARINE REVIEW ing bills of similar nature. Strong sentiment is growing in fav- or of abolishing the shipping board. The view is being taken that the exis- tence of unnecessary boards and bu: reaus is one of the dangerous tend- encies of the federal government. Tne need is seen at present to repeal some of the laws which have set up multi- farious bureaus and divisions. It is considered that a good _ beginning would be to repeal the law creating the shipping board. In the next ses- sion of congress, the shipping board will be placed on the rack for some gruelling inquisition. It will be brought out that no real progress can be made in carrying out the policies de- termined upon by congress and Presi- dent Coolidge as long as the shipping board remains in existence. Of the proposals for the purchase of the 200 vessels opened on July 16, ten were revised drafts of bids opened June 30. Three were from concerns that did not participate in the original advertisement. Of those bidding, aside from the Ocean Power Co. and Mr. ee August, 1925 Ford, only two offered to buy all the ships. Frank Harris Sons, Ine., of Chicago, offered $1,250,000 plus 50 per cent of proceeds from the sale of scrapping, and August A. Wesser and Dan Robbins, of Buffalo, bid $650,000 for the 200 ships. Among the bids opened was one from the Union Shipbuilding Co., Baltimore, of- fering $9100 each for 50 ships in the James river. The same concern had bid $6000 each for 50 ships on June 30. Mr. Ford offered to begin accept- ing the ships within 30 days, and to complete scrapping within 18 months. He asked that for vessels included in the 200 that are tied up at Gulf ports there be substituted vessels of like types at Atlantic ports north of the James river, inclusive, so that delivery of ships would be made on the At- lantic. Ford also wished to negotiate for any power equipment and machin- ery that might be useful in the Ford plants, and: for the dieselization of any of the 50 vessels of type 1023 for ocean operation. ad U. S. Coastwise Laws Must Prevail WMNHE interstate commerce com- [ mission recently ruled that the right of the Northern .Naviga- : “tion Go., Ltd., a Canadian Great Lakes steamship line, to participate in trans- portation between United States points would have to be decided by court action. A year’s study has been given the question. Chairman Atchison and Commisioner McManany _ dissented, holding that the commission should have settled the question. Under the American law, water borne commerce between United States points is a monopoly to American owned vessels. Exception is made, however, in case of transportation on the American continent over “routes heretofore recognized by the interstate commerce commission when — such routes are in part over Canadian rail lines and water facilities.” Shipping Board Demands Exclusion Shippers generally at Great Lakes ports asked that the Northern Navi- gation Co. be permitted to compete with American companies, while the Shipping Board and American Great Lakes carriers demanded that the Ca- nadian company be excluded. The majority of the commission held that there had been raised “a question of. fact to be determined by the courts” and said that the duty “of administer- ing the merchant marine act does not rest upon us.and it is not within our province to construe its provisions.” Most of the Northern Navigation Co.’s_ service is rendered by boats plying between Duluth, Minn., and Sarnia, Ont., a port on Lake Huron. The freight which it carries is in most cases originated by railroads in Canada or the United States and de- livered to railroads, so that its freight charges are filed with the interstate commerce commission in joint sched- ules, by which the railroad and the water line make up what are known as rail-lake and rail rates. Committee To Continue Study The shipping board joined with the Great Lakes Transit Corp., in ask- ing the interstate commerce commis- sion to order these joint schedules cancelled, which action would have re- sulted in outlawing the Canadian company’s business so far as the move- ment of freight between United States ports was concerned. Shippers in New England and Min- nesota alike intervened in the proceed- ings to oppose the shipping board’s de- mand, while the transit company rep- resentatives argued that American vessels obliged by law to go to more expense than the Canadian would be unable to maintain competing service. The commission conceded that the oe joint rail-lake and rail tariff had been filed with it, but refused to state whether it considered the Canadian company’s facilities constituted “an established route” under the law. June Lake Levels The United States Lake Survey re- ports the monthly mean stage of the Great Lakes for the month of June, 1925, as follows: Feet above mean sea level Lakes May June SUPEPION © sah kcrachdossenntas 600.94 601.22 Michigan-Huron. ............ 578.42 578.44 St. Cla siastusaeicscnaain 573.74 573.73 PONIES: hae ieieteactea osspateocaaues 571.30 571.19 OVCAPION iiesessakcn ach 245.65 245.42 Lake Superior is 0.28 foot higher than last month, and 0.01 foot lower than a year ago. Lakes Michigan- Huron are 0.02 foot higher than last month, and 0.95 foot lower than the low June stage of a year ago. Lake Erie is 0.11 foot lower than last month, and 1.11 foot lower than a year ago. Lake Ontario is 0.23 foot lower than last month, 0.85 foot lower than a year ago, and 1.18 foot below the average stage of June of the last ten years. The Canadian National railways are inquiring for two car ferries involving 2000 tons of steel each.