board to act in behalf of the United States in consultation with this board in all matters which might affect the interests of interstate commerce. Acting upon this request the President of the United States appointed Commodore Daniel Ammen, Chief of Bureau of Navigation; Major Gouverneur K. Warren, United States Engineer; Captain Carlisle P. Patterson, Superintendent U. S. Coast Survey, to be members of the board. Subsequently Prof. Henry Mitchell, Chief of Hydrography in the Coast Survey, became a member in place of Captain Patterson. The board made lengthened personal examinations in Rhode Island waters and made valuable suggestions to the State Commission. The advisory board continued in occasional consultation with the State board for several years, but later communications between the two boards ceased.

In December, 1903, it appeared to this board to be desirable to renew relations with a United States Advisory Board, and therefore a request was sent to the President of the United States asking that he designate three officers of the government to act as such board in relation to the State board. The receipt of the communication was promptly acknowledged on behalf of the President and attention to the matter was promised. Under date of April 22, 1904, a response was made to the request of this board, of which the following is a copy:

WHITE HOUSE,

WASHINGTON, April 22, 1904.

MY DEAR SIR:-Referring to your letter of December 30, 1903, requesting the appointment on behalf of the United States of an Advisory Board of three members to confer with and advise the State Board of Harbor Commissioners of Rhode Island, I would state that the President brought the matter to the attention of the Secretary of the Navy, a copy of whose report is enclosed herewith for your information.

[COPY.]

NAVY DEPARTMENT,

WASHINGTON, April 20, 1904.

SIR: On December 31 last, Mr. Loeb, by your direction, asked me to send you a report upon the matter referred to in the accompanying communication from Honorable J. Herbert Shedd, Chairman of the Board of Harbor Commissioners of Rhode Island.

2. As the Honorable Mr. Shedd says, in December, 1876, the President of the United States, at the request of the Governor of Rhode Island, appointed an Advisory Board of which the Chief of Bureau of Navigation of the Navy Department was chairman, and the Superintendent of the Coast Survey a member. The Engineer Officer of the Army stationed at Newport was made the third member on the recommendation of the Chief of Engineers himself, who had been named in the Governor's request. The purpose of this Advisory Board was to aid the State Board of Harbor Commissioners in the consideration of such subjects as are of national interest in the treatment of Rhode Island waters. No law then existed to cover the case. Since that day the protection and preservation of the navigable waters of the United States and the improvement of rivers and harbors have been placed by law under the control and supervision of the Secretary of War and the Chief of Engineers of the Army. All the functions of the former Advisory Board are now performed by the Board of Engineers for Rivers and Harbors. The appointment of a new Advisory Board, therefore, would be of doubtful legality and a needless duplication of administrative machinery, and if done at all ought to be general and not local. I have the honor to advise you, therefore, on the recommendation of the Joint Board of the Army and the Navy, to whom the subject has been referred, that the request of the Board of Harbor Commissioners of Rhode Island should be declined.

3. But there is a broader question of national policy suggested by this request, which has been brought to my attention by the General Board of the Navy Department,-namely, whether it would not be advisable to establish by law such a composite board, upon which the naval and commercial maritime interests of the country should be represented, which should be national in scope, adding to its permanent membership local representatives when considering particular places; or, since the business is now in the hands of the Board of Engineers for Rivers and Harbors, whether it would not be advisable to add to that Board one or more naval officers and perhaps representatives of the coast survey and of local commercial and maritime interests. This question is still before the Joint Board and a further report will be submitted.

4. From the naval point of view there is much to be said in favor of the

suggestion. For example of a similar case, a naval officer has been added, at the request of the Secretary of War, to the Board of Engineers on Fortifications, whenever the fortification of naval stations is under consideration. The Light House Board is an instance of an official body charged by law with public work in which both the army and the navy are concerned, upon which both naval officers and army officers are represented. Its work is analogous and even closely related to that of the rivers and harbors. Both affect commerce and merchant shipping. In both, in fact, the work of the engineers has much to do with the navy.

5. In England the improvement of river and harbors is in the hands of similar mixed boards. The Board of Conservators for the river Thames, for example, is composed of twelve regular and six elective members, as follows:

Regular-The Lord Mayor of London.

Two Aldermen.

Four Common Councilors.

The Deputy Master of the Trinity House.

Two appointed by the Admiralty.

One appointed by the Board of Trade.

One appointed by the Trinity House.

Elective Two elected by owners of shipping, registered in London.

One elected by owners of river passenger steamers.

Two elected by owners of lighters and steam tugs.
One elected by dock owners and wharfingers.

6. In this country the local commercial and maritime interests are customarily consulted either by interview, letter, or public hearings, but the decision rests with the Board of Engineers, to be reviewed by official superiors up to the Secretary of War. There is neither a local nor a naval vote on the Board. In such a controversy as that between the city of New York and the War Department over the extension of the North River piers, for example, the gist of which was the convenience of shipping mooring at the piers, and the convenience of shipping navigating the river, it would appear that an educated sea officer would be a valuable addition to the Board of Engineers for Rivers and Harbors.

7. There is another reason for giving the navy a voice. By the present practice the initiation of any improvement to rivers and harbors depends upon the local claim being presented in Congress. Now there are many harbors of great military value to the navy, but of no commercial importance and outside the district of any congressman. No congressman is concerned in straightening a channel at Culebra, in building a breakwater in the Aleutian Islands, or improv

ing a harbor used only by the navy in the Philippines. There is no commercial or local influence to make itself felt, and the army is only indirectly interested. The navy has not the facilities for doing this kind of work for itself so well as if it had a voice in the body legally charged with it.

I have the honor to be, sir,

THE PRESIDENT.

Your obedient servant, (Signed)

WILLIAM H. MOODY,

Secretary.

The matter has not yet been pursued farther, but may be revived. later.

OBSTRUCTIONS, ENCROACHMENTS, AND DUMPING.

The usual experience in relation to complaints of obstructions, encroachments, and injurious dumping has continued during the past year. Dumping of mussels to the injury of the oyster industry has been specially complained of. Prompt attention has always been given to just complaints, and it is believed that the interests of all parties have usually been promoted. Renewed complaints in regard to objectionable matter said to be discharged into the public waters by the Providence Gas Company have been made to the board, and these complaints were strongly supported by the Shell Fish Commissioners. Extended public hearings were given by the Harbor Commissioners, covering many days, parties being represented by counsel. Finally the board voted to present the matter to the attorney-general with the request that he proceed against the Providence Gas Company for violation of the law in relation to the defiling of the public waters. Complaints have been received in regard to the draw in the footbridge crossing Bullock's Cove from Crescent Park, and orders have been issued providing for its widening.

LICENSES, ETC.

Licenses have been granted during the year, for structures in the public waters, as follows:

No. 465. March 30, to the Rhode Island Yacht Club, to rebuild wharf to replace the one carried away by ice and to extend the same about fifteen (15) feet further east, in the town of Cranston.

No. 466. March 30, to the Standard Oil Company, to make repairs, as per petition, so as to strengthen old dock situated on the easterly side of the Seekonk river in the town of East Providence, just south and close to Red bridge.

No. 467. April 6, to the Providence Steamboat Company, to rebuild wharf by replacing old piles with new ones without changing present lines of said wharf; said wharf is located on South street, north of Old Ferry slip, foot of James street, in Providence.

No. 468. April 15, to Estate of Ebben Simmons, to strengthen the seawall at the inshore end of the slip near Point street and to replace fender piles at the dock occupied by Manchester & Hudson, and to replace six fender piles at the dock occupied by James C. Goff, in the city of Providence, all to be done in accordance with petition.

No. 469. April 15, to the Providence, Fall River & Newport Steamboat Company, to drive piles to replace five old ones at the foot of Hay street, three piles to replace old ones at the foot of Power street, and three piles, to replace old ones at the Crawford street dock, in Providence.

No. 470. April 15, to Providence, Fall River & Newport Steamboat Company, to drive three new piles to replace old ones at the company's wharf at Silver Spring.

No. 471. April 15, to Providence, Fall River & Newport Steamboat Company, to drive twenty new piles to replace old ones, and to replace one hundred and twenty-five feet of capping and cover same with plank at its dock in Riverside.

No. 472. April 27, to Estate of Thomas J. Hill, to pull out and replace one dozen piles at Hill's wharf in slip about two hundred feet back of harbor line, on the west side of the river, in Providence.

No. 473. May 4, to Hope Land Company, for a temporary erection in imitation of a wrecked vessel southerly from the Crescent