Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-12-09

peated efforts were made and everything
| that could with propriety be done by
representative of the government was
done to bring about settlement of the
difficulty. but these efforts proved en-
| tirely fruitless.
Cooperation With Trade Bodies.
In connection with the promotion of
foreign commerce. should like to see es-
| tablished closer relations between the
Department of Comme&ce and Labor. ana
especially its bureau of manufactures,
| md the various commercial bodies, cham
bers of commerce and boards of trade
| throughout the country. While such re-
lations could not be close as those
existing between the Handelsminister of
Germany and the chambers of commerce
of that empire, which latter are semi
official bodies whose functions and ac-
tivities are strictly regulated by law.
there should be a closer relation than
now exists between this department and
the commercial bodies referred to. Such
| a relationship would certainly be to the
| advantage of the bureau of manufactures,
as we'll as to these commercial bodies, in
| furthering their joint and several efforts
for the advancement of the foreign COM
merce of the country. and would aid the
| bureau in making Investigations along
most practical lines and covering SUBJ
| jects that are most needed in promoting
| our trade abroad.
| Much valuable information was collect
ed during the year by the bureau in con-
| nection with opportunities for charging
| our sales abroad. Through the daily con-
sular and trade reports publication is
| made of information supplied by consular
| and other officers regarding individuals
| and firms contemplating purchases in
| the United States or desiring to be placed
| in correspondence with American manu-
| facturers or merchants.
America as a Dependent.
| By comparison with our rank in any
| other of the great divisions of industrial
| and commercial endeavor, the position of
| the United States as an ocean carrying
| power is insignificant. 1t is humble by
| compa rison with the commercial sea pow
| er of other leading nations, with which In
| nearly every other respect we are classed.
| Even in the discharge of ordinary func-
| lions of government We have put our
| selves under the protection of foreign
flags Not many months ago it became
| necessary to dispatch small force of
| American troops to Cuba: they were sent
under the British flag. More recently 1t
| was decided to transfer a powerful fleet
| of warships from the Atlantic to the Pa
| cific, and the coal for this fleet is under
| the shelter of foreign flags. a situation
| which could not be afforded in actual war
| fare. Our malls to the republics of South
| America are carried almost entirely In
| foreign steamers. and to Australia and
New Zealand they are now en.rely SO
carried I have alluded to the fact that
in the performance of its plain duties the
federal government had to resort to for
| eign agencies and foreign protection.
There is not today another nrst-ciass
| power in a similar position. There Is not
| another. I believe, which IL 1t found Itself
/ in that position would allow such condl-
tons 20 continue longer than until by suf-
ficient expenditure they could De corrected
| in the shortest possible time
Within the past two years the steamboat
inspection laws have been greatly
strengthened and improved by amendatory
| legislation, and few changes in the SUD-
| stance of the present requirements appear
| to be needed.
During the last few years, and espe-
| cially since the investigation and report
of the commission appointed as a result
| Of the Slocum disaster, there has been
| steady and uninterrupted progress to-
| ward reform In the methods OF the serv-
ice During the spring months there will
be no backward step in this matter. In
| my opinion an owner or an officer OF
| MISUNDERSTANDING craft of the United
States who will take on hoard passengers
when the vessel is unseaworthy or is not
| fully equipped with life-saving equipment
or fire-fghting apparatus, as required by
law, Is guilty of crime and should be
severely punished
i Oysters and Terrapin.
The effort to develop a commercial pro-
cess for fattening oysters artificially has
now but one important problem awaiting
solution. namely. that OF materially in
creasing the output of the experimental
claire The oysters fattened by this
method are as fine as any on the market.
Experiments in louisiana for the devel-
opment of the oyster beds, undertaken at
the request of the Louisiana shellfish
commission, have been continued with
success in one instance resulting in the
establishment of an industry which al
ready yields rentals exceeding the total
expenditure of the bureau in the entire
state Assistance has been rendered also
in a survey OF the oyster beds OF Mary
land, in accordance with an act of Con-
gress and the request of the governor.
and this survey, in which the coast and
geodetic survey Is cooperating, Is ex-
pected to be most complete, and an i'm
portant step toward the restoration of
, Maryland to her original position as the
first oyster producing state.
The experiments in terrapin culture
record little progress because of the slow
rate of growth of the animals.
l earnestly recommend that Congress
provide a suitable public building for this
) department. large enough to permit of
5 the concentration under one roof of all
5 its scattered bureaus. with the exception
; of the bureau of standards, which Is al
ready occupyinp buildings sDacia1lv de-