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August, 1923 Lakes for the month of June, 1923, are: Lakes Feet above mean sea level May June BMGGHIOL 3... vis. os 601.65 601.67 Michigan-Huron 579.60 579.86 MR AGIAIN. . oats bie 574.55 574.71 Me yililc oki sia be 571.87 572.02 MAIO. cic ee sh ee 245.62 245.93 USTOMS receipts at Baltimore for the fiscal year ended June 30 totaled $9,781,435, exceeding by $4,000,000 the high record year of 1907. Including the receipts at Washington, which is in the Baltimore district, the figure goes well over $10,000,000. June alone showed an increase of 400 per cent over the like period of 1922. * K * Entrances of overseas vessels at Balti- more for the first six months of 1923 totaled 357 of 987,202 net tons. Clear- ances totaled 426 vessels of 1,170,256 net tons. These figures compare with 319 vessels of 915,976 net tons entered during the last six months of 1922 and 262 vessels of 705,346 net tons cleared for that period. ee ae Marked advances are shown in Balti- more’s coastwise and intercoastal trade. During the half-year just ended, 1,116 vessels of 2,764,410 net tons entered in this. business and 1,244 vessels of 2,850,- 030 net tons cleared. The last half of 1922 produced entrances of 860 vessels of 2,164,582 net tons and- clearances of 1,058 vessels of 2,515,089 net _ tons. Twenty lines are now in the port’s coast- wise and intercoastal trade. * * * For the first five months of 1923, ex- ports at Baltimore are valued at $48,- 097,349 and imports at $37,270,834. These figures are opposed to exports of $48,- 597,575 and imports of $29,747,174 in the final five months of last year. | * ok * Coal exports from Baltimore for: the first half-year of 1923 amounted to 928,- 863 tons. This far exceeds the total overseas shipments during 1922 of 99,473 tons and nearly equals the 964,836 tons exported for the first half of 1921. Total 1921 coal exports were 1,451,871 tons and it is believed this figure will be sur- passed before the ele of the year. * The first half of 1923 produced grain exports at Baltimore of 32,998,165 bush- els, against 37,273,338 bushels in the last _ six months of 1923. Rye leads all other grains followed by wheat and corn, Last year corn was far ahead. Flour ship- ments from the port this year have reached 215,277 barrels and were placed at 376,220 barrels in the last half of 1922. a ie Efforts are being made to have Balti- More act as a port of transshipment for exports originating in territory served by the ports of Savannah, Jacksonville and Charleston. It is believed the frequency of overseas sailings to United Kingdom WARTNE’CREW ITE AV Lake Superior is 0.02 foot higher than last month, 0.47 foot lower dias a year ago, 0.76 foot below the average stage of June of the last 10 years. Lakes Michi- gan-Huron are 0.26 foot higher than last month, 0.71 foot lower than a year ago, 1.09 feet below the average stage of June of the last 10 years. Lake Erie Late ie Fiasn Atlantic Seaboard and Continental Europe from Baltimore will greatly increase the service rendered to shippers of this territory. Service to Baltimore from the southern ports will be by the present excellent coastwise vessels which in most cases offer two sailings weekly. Equalization of the through rate via Baltimore with the di- rect overseas rate from the southern ports is being sought. ae ‘Passenger business on the Porto-Rico American line from Baltimore to Porto Rico is booming and the company is considering increases in the passenger carrying capacity of its vessels. Two vessels clear monthly on this run. ee Salvaged army goods from the former American zone of occupation on the Rhine are now reaching Baltimore via the Black Diamond line, transshipment at Antwerp. The shipments are coming in 1,000 ton lots. iia ae. Appealed to by the export and import board of trade of Baltimore, most of the ports seem favorably inclined toward a conference for mutual protection of their terminal interests in the event of radical changes .in routes and services under the new plans of the shipping board. Nor- folk is considered the logical port for such a conference, as more nearly equi- distant to all the interests concerned. ok ok * Although Baltimore still maintains a slight export balance in her foreign trade, imports are increasing weekly in both dutiable and free charges. Large quantities of ores, sugar, fruit, wood- pulp, oils, chemicals, toys, manufactured articles, straw goods, copper, potash and other bulk and prepared materials are arriving. ee ee Vessels of the North German Lloyd are now in active operation through the port of Baltimore, under the local agency of A. Schumacher & Co. A few pas- are being carried and it is sengers | hoped to develop this business. a Bees The Cape Oil Co. Boston, has been incorporated for $3,500,000 by Oscar W. Haussermann and Henry F. : Greger, Cambridge, Mass., and Robert Cutler, Brookline, Mass. _ «os ' Capitalized at $50,000, the Bridgeport Steamship Co., Inc.,: Bridgeport, Conn., has been formed to own and operate vessels. Reuben K. Hagarty and George 319 is 0.15 foot higher than last month, 0.85 foot lower than a year ago, 1.00 foot below the average stage of June of the last 10 years. Lake Ontario is 0.31 foot higher than last month, 0.82 foot lower than a year ago, 0.95 foot below the average stage of June of the last 10 years. Low water has cut ship capacity. A. Bradford, Bridgeport, and Hetty C. Lees, Fairfield, Conn., are the incor- porators. > gee The Eastern Steamship Co., Boston, has acquired control of a majority of the stock of the Old Dominion Steam- ship Co. * *€ + The new Cunard liner FRANCONIA ar- rived in New York on July 3 on her maiden voyage. She is the latest of the Cunard, one funnel, 20,000-ton oil burner type. The FRANCONIA was designed and built especially for world cruising and transatlantic service. Like all of the principal steamers of the Cunard com- pany, she is navigated by the Sperry gyrocompass. ae ca The seasonal slump past, labor trou- bles actually occurring in the Canadian fields and the threat of similar diff- culties in Britain by August looming clearer, the outlook for the latter part of July is for more coal business out of Hampton Roads. The Dominion Coal Co., operating in the Cape Breton-St. Lawrence trade, diverted a dozen colli- ers to Hampton Roads for coal for Canada, aiding the local situation con- siderably. Canadian business is likely to be temporary but while it lasts each of the 12 colliers out of there will carry approximately 7500 tons into the new field. OR eS The Virginia, Norfolk & Western and C. & (0. railroads. ins spite or 10 pickup in dumpings, have ample sup- ply on their piers at Hampton Roads and local exporters are well prepared for handling this extra business which comes at a time when the business is in need of a spur. The market had been dull for several weeks. This new move- ment will result in giving the year’s total to date of more than 8;000,000 tons, a boost toward the figures for ‘the cor- responding period last year of about 8,500,000 tons. x * x Survey of the idle vessels of the ship- ping board at anchor in the James river, which has been in progress for the last four months, has been completed and nothing now remains except for the report to be consolidated and forwarded to the commissioners, according to an- nouncement just made in Washington. While the survey was in progress at Camp Eustis, similar inspections were made throughout the country at all places where idle vessels are at anchor. The consolidated reports show that of