RETURN OF SHIPPING AND TONNAGE THAT PASSED THROUGH THE SUEZ CANAL DURING THE YEAR 1888, ETC.-Continued.

YEARLY RETURN OF SHIPPING AND TONNAGE THAT PASSED THROUGH THE SUEZ CANAL FROM ITS OPENING UNTIL THE YEAR 1888, TOGETHER WITH THE TRANSIT RECEIPTS.

Several bills in Parliament propose alterations in the laws relating to merchant shipping, to wit: the pilotage bill, tonnage bill, bill to legalize an advance of a month's wages to seamen, and the bill to amend the law relating to the use of flags in the British merchant service. This bill declares that the red ensign usually worn by merchant ships, without any defacement or modification, is the proper national color for all ships and boats belonging to any subject of Her Majesty (except in the case of Her Majesty's ships and boats, or in the case of any ship or boat permitted to wear other colors by royal or ad

miralty warrant); and it enacts, under a penalty of £100, that every ship belonging to a subject of the Queen shall, on a signal from one of Her Majesty's ships and upon entering or leaving any British or foreign port, hoist the proper national colors, that is, the red ensign.

As originally draughted the pilotage bill contained this clause:

The liability of the owner or master of a ship for loss or damage occasioned by the fault or incapacity of a pilot acting in charge of the ship shall not be affected by the compulsory employment of the pilot.

Ship-owners objected strongly to being held responsible for faults or incapacity of pilots, and with such good reason, and with so much weight and influence, that the president of the board of trade gave way. In the new bill the clause does not appear.

OFFICIAL BUSINESS.

The facts and statements below, relating to the business in the offices of the shipping commissioners, have been collated from reports received in answer to specific interrogatories:

NUMBER OF VESSELS FOR WHICH CREWS WERE ENGAGED AND OF SEAMEN SHIPPED DURING THE YEAR ENDED JUNE 30, 1889.

PROPORTION OF THE NATIVE AND OF FOREIGN BORN PERSONS ENGAGED.

NUMBER OF VESSELS BOUND ON FOREIGN VOYAGES AND OF MEN SHIPPED THEREON.

NUMBER OF VESSELS BOUND ON FOREIGN VOYAGES FOR WHICH THE STATUTORY FEE WAS CHARGED AND THE NUMBER OF MEN SHIPPED THEREON.

NUMBER OF CREWS AND MEN PAID OFF FROM VOYAGES ON WHICH THE MINIMUM

NUMBER OF CREWS AND MEN DISCHARGED FROM FOREIGN VOYAGES ON WHICH THE MAXIMUM FEE FOR SHIPMENT WAS CHARGED.

AVERAGE NUMBER OF MEN, INCLUDING OFFICERS, FIREMEN, AND STOKERS, το 100

TONS REGISTERED IN VESSELS OF 200 TONS OR UNDER.

AVERAGE WAGES OF CREWS SHIPPED EACH MONTH ON COASTWISE AND ON FOREIGN VESSELS, RESPECTIVELY.

The shipping commissioner at New York reports as follows:

OFFICE OF THE UNITED STATES SHIPPING COMMISSIONER,

New York City, July 20, 1889.

SIR: In answer to the several interrogatories of your communication of the 16th instant, the following statement, embodying a report of the business of the office of the shipping commissioner at the port of New York during the twelve months ending June 30, 1889, is respectfully submitted :

• Seamen reshipped without charge Vessels for which crews were engaged Seamen engaged

Of these, excluding masters, there were :

Officers

Firemen

Stokers

Seamen

3, 197 2,048 14, 100

1,453 562 448

11,637

The proportion of native to foreign born seamen shipped was nearly as five to eight,

viz:

The aggregate tonnage of the vessels of 200 tons and under for which seamen were engaged was 92,748 tons, and the number of seamen shipped on such vessels, including officers (not masters), stokers, firemen, cooks, stewards, et al., was 1,350, averaging a little less than one and a half men (1.456) per 100 tons.

The aggregate tonnage of the vessels of over 200 tons for which seamen were engaged was 802.017 tons, and the number of seamen shipped on such vessels, including officers (not masters), stokers,, firemen, cooks, stewards, et al., was 12,750, averaging a little more than one and a half men (1.590) per 100 tons.

The act of June 26, 1884, prohibiting the payment of advance wages undoubtedly caused the seaman to receive better treatment at the sailors' boarding-house because he had more money at the end of the voyage, and for a brief period (at least while his money lasted) was free to leave any boarding-house where he did not receive good treatment.

This condition of things, favorable to the sailor at the end of the voyage, was somewhat changed by the operation of the act of June 19, 1886, which allows him, when shipping for a long voyage, to make an allotment of $40 to his landlord.

Of course at the end of that voyage he is practically in the same position as if he had received $40 advance wages, because the balance of money due him as wages is diminished by that sum.

Under the law allowing advance wages to be paid to the sailor he was undoubtedly fleeced out of a good part of the sum charged to him.

Under the law allowing the sailor to make an allotment to a creditor in liquidation of a debt før board or clothing it can hardly be questioned that he suffers similar spoliation.

The only important advantage gained by the sailor under the later law is to be found in the fact that it limits the amount of unearned wages which he may receive (and be cheated out of) before he joins his ship to the maximum sum he may allot to a creditor, namely, $40.

In this aspect of the matter it would be better for the sailor if advance wages were again legalized under proper restrictions, provided the amount thus payable should never exceed one month's wages. This would probably limit the sum of money he. could use, waste, or lose before joining his ship to $25 at most.

Of course, it follows that the law providing for allotments to creditors should be repealed if advance wages were made lawful, and at the same time the provisions of the act of June 26, 1884, requiring certain vessels to carry slop-chests, should be extended to all vessels bound for foreign ports.

The general health of the seamen arriving at this port, so far as is known at this office, has been good.

No serious cases of insubordination have been reported. No complaints of bad provisions have been made.