provided. In the case of commodities which are dangerous because of their inherent character a general classification, according to the nature of the risk, is set forth and the contracting governments are to prepare detailed regulations covering the various categories. A large step forward toward improved safety is the adoption by the Conference of the present United States principle of requiring the shipper accurately to describe a shipment of dangerous goods and requiring the ship to carry a special manifest listing goods. The Conference adopted two resolutions and 23 recommendations covering the following subjects: (For the text of the resolutions and recommendations see appendix 6.) Resolutions Carriage of passengers in excess of convention limits Recommendations Denunciation of the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea Special application of convention standards Amendments of the convention provisions relating to construction Report on the Construction Committee The work of the Construction Committee was confined to the consideration of articles 1 to 10 and regulations I to XXIII plus XLIII of the 1929 Convention. In its consideration it used two basic subcommittees and several small working panels to insure that all the recommendations of the participating nations were thoroughly examined and evaluated. Beyond minor modifications of the 1929 Convention to take cognizance of improved shipbuilding practices it gave particularly thorough study in panels, subcommittees, and in full committee to the following major questions: 1. Criterion of service formulation 2. Stability of ships in damaged condition 3. Increase in minimum length of compartments 4. Special standards of subdivision for ships permitted to carry a number of passengers on board in excess of the lifeboat capacity provided 5. Pumping arrangements 6. Electrical installations 7. Fire protection in accommodation and service spaces 8. Fire detection and extinction 9. Applicability of construction rules to cargo ships Items 1, 2, 3, 6, and 7 were not only United States proposals but also included all the major structural recommendations of the United States. Except for item 1 final committee agreement was reached upon all points, incorporating safety standards not less than those proposed by the United States. Failure to secure an improvement in respect to the criterion of service did not reduce the new convention below the 1929 Convention standard or impair the increased standards obtained by the agreements on the other items. The regulations of the new convention will be an advance of safety standards as compared to those promulgated by the 1929 Convention and will bring the practices of the maritime nations into closer agreement. In order to appraise the effect of the final agreement on the national standards of the United States it is necessary to differentiate between United States statutory requirements and current practice. The 1948 Convention contains certain standards above those which are specifically detailed in existing United States statutes. However, the existing Coast Guard regulations, which are based on broad authority contained in the statutes, and the present practice in the construction of United States merchant vessels, both of which formed the basis of the United States proposals for the convention, will require almost no change as a result of the construction regulations adopted in the 1948 Convention. The new and amended regulations included in the construction chapter of the 1948 Convention especially those covering damaged stability, minimum length of compartments, fire protection, and electrical installations will call for better compartmentation design, more extensive services, and better equipment, all of which will have the ultimate effect of increasing the safety of United States nationals irrespective of the flag of the vessel on which they are embarked. United States proposals covered (1) minor changes to the 1929 Convention to take cognizance of modern practices and developments or to clear up ambiguous portions of the 1929 Convention, and (2) major changes to incorporate regulations on subjects not covered or inadequately covered in the 1929 Convention. In all cases except criterion of service numeral the United States proposal or an acceptable and adequate substitute was incorporated in the new convention. In the case of the major improvements sought for the following results were obtained. The United States proposed a change in the formulation of the criterion of service numeral in order to assess more equitably the passenger character of vessels and thereby increase the standard of watertight subdivision within the same limits established by the 1929 Convention. A thorough analysis of the practice prevailing in the countries represented at the Conference showed that most of these countries designed vessels to meet the 1929 regulations with little or no margin and were not prepared to agree to any increase of subdivision standards without prior investigation of the import of such change for their particular maritime conditions. It was recognized, however, that the question of watertight subdivision deserved continued study and a recommendation to this effect was adopted by the Conference. The United States proposals to increase the minimum length of a compartment permissible under the rules in order to reduce the chances of damaging more than one bulkhead were adopted. The 1929 Conference considered the problem of stability but could agree only on the requirement that a stability test for passenger vessels should be made and that sufficient information should be supplied to the operating personnel as necessary to permit efficient handling of the ship. For 1948 the United States Delegation advanced a complete proposal concerning damage stability; only one other nation had a proposal on the subject. The 1948 Convention is substantially in agreement with the United States proposal. It establishes the assumed conditions of a ship before damage, the extent of damage to be withstood, and the allowable condition after damage, the desired result being to insure that a vessel will have stability adequate to withstand the extent of damage contemplated by the subdivision regulations. The adoption of this regulation is a major step forward in the matter of safety of life at sea. It must be noted that the requirements for damage stability and increased minimum length of compartments may in practice lead to a better spacing of bulkheads, thus partially accomplishing the improved subdivision sought by the United States Delegation through the adoption of a modified formulation for the criterion of service numeral. The new convention includes regulations for fire protection in accommodation and service spaces on passenger vessels; the 1929 Convention contained only rudimentary provisions on this matter; the 1948 Convention recognizes three alternative but acceptable methods of fire protection: Method I: Regulates on the basis of all internal divisional bulkheading made of essentially incombustible material. (United States practice and proposal.) Method II: Is based on the adoption of an automatic sprinkler and firealarm system generally with no restriction on the type of internal divisional bulkheading. (U. K. practice and proposal.) Method III: Regulates on a system of subdivision forming a network of fire-retarding bulkheads enclosing limited areas together with the installation of a fire-detection system. (French practice and proposal.) All three methods require the same basic fire-zone subdivision, enclosed fire-escape stairways and enclosures, and protection to prevent drafts and the spreading of fire to vertical trunks for elevators, electric cables, et cetera. The decision to adopt three alternative methods was necessitated not only by a desire to permit the systems of defense against fire which the respective countries considered equal but also by the practical consideration that the materials required by the United States system are not at the present time internationally available in sufficient quantities. The incorporation of regulations detailing definite requirements for defense aganst fire is considered to be one of the outstanding accomplishments of the convention. The new regulations dealing with electrical installations on passenger ships insure that services essential for safety will be maintained under various emergency conditions and thus increase the safety of passengers, crew, and the ship itself from electrical hazards. At the beginning of the Conference there was considerable opposition to the inclusion of an electrical section, but it was agreed unanimously that the proposals of the United States Delegation were of such importance to safety that they should be adopted. An important feature of the new convention is the inclusion for the first time of regulations on several important subjects applying to cargo ships. Within the scope of the construction committee proposals were adopted to require that all cargo ships, 500 gross tons and over, engaged in international voyages shall be inclined upon their completion and the elements of their stability determined and furnished to the master as necessary to permit efficient handling of the ship. The new convention also regulates fire-extinguishing appliances in cargo ships of 1,000 gross tons and over. Various other constructional proposals for cargo ships were presented by other nations, but the committee took the view that except for the above two items other regulations are available and sufficient to insure an adequate degree of safety of life at sea on cargo vessels. The adoption of the regulations noted above was based on the fact that there are no requirements on these outside of the 1948 Convention. Apart from items specifically referred to in the foregoing the most -important constructional item contained in the proposals of the United States and meeting special opposition was that dealing with cargohandling gear. At the first meeting the committee decided not to consider this subject on the grounds (a) that it was dealt with in a convention of the International Labor Office and (b) that the Conference was restricted to safety of life at sea and should not take up port safety matters. The arguments of the United States Delegation in the matter were unavailing. The provisions for safety of life at sea are predicated on the basic assumption that the requirements imposed upon the ship, its construction, and its operation must be reasonable and practicable; this qualification occurs constantly in the text of the regulations. The limits of reasonableness and practicability are demonstrated in the actual practice of ship design, construction, and operation, and therefore the most convincing argument in favor of a proposed standard is its substantiation by actual practice. Some standards such, for instance, as watertight subdivision standards, have far-reaching effects upon the economics of ship construction and operation. These effects cannot be visualized and ap |