user register page not showing $tabs

The tabs are removed in template.php of the base theme (line 267 in version 7.x-2.8).

So it's by design.

    /*-
      USER ACCOUNT
      Removes the tabs from user  login, register & password
      fixes the titles to so no more "user account" all over
    */
    switch (current_path()) {
      case 'user':
        $vars['title'] = t('Login');
        unset( $vars['tabs'] );
        break;
      case 'user/register':
        $vars['title'] = t('New account');
        unset( $vars['tabs'] );
        break;
      case 'user/password':
        $vars['title'] = t('I forgot my password');
        unset( $vars['tabs'] );
        break;

      default:
        # code...
        break;
    }

I noticed that in template.php... I feel like this is far too specific a customization to be in a general theme framework like Mothership. Can we make this optional?

Just realized they can be added back in a Mothership sub-theme, by adding the following to your theme's hook_preprocess_page():

<?php
  switch (current_path()) {
    case 'user':
    case 'user/register':
    case 'user/password':
      $vars['tabs'] = menu_local_tabs();
      break;
  }
?>

This is now set to be part of the goodie pack where you can get a (imho) better login page (/user) - by using that the tabs is not used.

The settings is hidden in " MOTHERSHIPS MISC GOODIE BAG" -> alternative (better) user login block