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What the British Are Doing Short Surveys of Important Activities in Maritime Centers of Island Empire are asking bids from leading Brit- ish builders for two motor ships, each of about 20,000 tons gross for the passenger, mail and cargo serv- ice between London and New Zea- land. An important feature is the increased speed proposed of 17 knots, which compares with the 13 knots of all the existing vessels. The object is to reduce the length of the passage by the Panama canal from 37 days to 29 or 80 days. The equipment is described as superior to that of any liners afloat. None of the existing vessels exceeds 12,000 tons gross. It is expected that they will take about two years to build. * * Eo GS ee: SAVILL & ALBION CO. T IS pleasant to be able to record a real revival of interest in ship- building, more orders having been placed within the last 10 days than in any similar period for many months past. All the _ shipbuilding centers have benefited by a number of or- ders of a fairly substantial char- acter, providing work for the Clyde, the Tyne, Tay and Tees. As the end of January 13 new ships were placed with Clyde shipbuilding yards. The Blythswood Shipbuilding Co., Ltd. of Scotstown have received a _ contract from Furness, Withy & Co., Ltd., of London for four twin screw 10,000- ton motor ships. They are to be diesel engined vessels, each 450 feet Fost Diesel Ships In this interesting account of renewed activity in British ship- building it is clear that the hard headed experienced ship owner over there is now insisting upon a working speed of 13 knots and over for new freight ships. It is also significant that nearly all of the new orders recorded are for diesel ships. in length, 60 feet in breadth and having a speed of 13 knots. The tween decks of the vessels will be insulated throughout, and refrigerat- ing machinery will be installed for the supply of hot air. The propelling machinery will consist in each case of two sets of eight cylinder Harland & Wolff-Burmeister and’ Wain inter- nal combustion engines. These are to be made and installed by John G. Kincaid & Co., Ltd., of Greenock. * * & ARLAND & WOLFF have re- ceived from McAndrews & Co. orders for five ships for service be- tween Liverpool and Spanish ports. They are of the same type and size as the Pinzon and Pizarro built by William Beardmore & Co., Ltd., at Dalmuir in 1921. These are single screw vessels 241 feet in length and 1867 tons gross, propelled by the first installation made of the Beardmore- Tosi internal combustion engine. The vessels are to be built at the firm’s Govan yard, and will be somewhat larger than their predecessors, hav- ing 2500 tons deadweight, with a speed capacity of 12 knots. They are to be general cargo vessels, with very limited passenger accommoda- tion. It is estimated that they will provide work for about 5000 ship- yard and engine shop men for 18 months. (Continued on Page 56) SQM IIIA. ONSTRUCTION of a harbor at Wolf lake, on the dividing line between [Illinois and Indiana and in the center of the Calumet dis- trict, has received impetus from the refusal of the Illinois division of waterways to permit the Nickel Plate railroad to go ahead with its Lake Calumet project. The Calumet In- diana Waterways association has been organized and an effort will be made to have the Wolf lake or Indiana Harbor development made the _ ter- minus of the Gulf-to-Lakes and St. Lawrence waterways. ok Ed * HEN the Roxana Petroleum Corp., St. Louis, builds its pro- posed refinery and tank farm at East Chicago and Hammond, Ind., it will probably dredge the Grand Calumet river to give it an outlet What s Doing Around The Lakes 00 through the Indiana Harbor — ship canal into Lake Michigan at Indiana Harbor, Ind. The Standard Oil Co. now uses the Indiana Harbor ship canal for loading its Great Lakes fleet. ok oe * AJ. RUFUS W. PUTNAM, fed- eral engineer at Chicago, on Feb. 18 held a public hearing on the Chicago proposal to build only fixed bridges across the Chicago river. Federal authorities have not yet in- dicated what action will be taken but it is intimated that permission to pro- ceed will not be given in any case until the port projects in the southern end of the Chicago district have been squared away. It is: estimated that over $1,000,000 a year in bridge up- keep would be saved if the river were closed to all except barge traffic. The proposal is to leave a clearance of 31 INITIAL 16% feet. The Illinois division of waterways is on the side of federal engineers. * * * ATE in January the ALABAMA of the Goodrich Transit Co. fleet, of Chicago, crashed through the ice off Muskegon, Mich., and rescued five men on two fishing tugs which had become imprisoned in the ice. * * * T IS said in Chicago that Minnesota will no longer oppose the comple- tion of the Gulf-to-Lakes waterway, leaving Wisconsin the only state bor- dering the Mississippi river to be against the waterway. Duluth has been in opposition because of the threatened effect of the waterway on Great Lakes level, while St. Paul favored development of the interior waterway.