COMMERCIAL
EDUCATION.

Nothing is more fundamental to national success in commercial enterprise than commercial education by which a specially trained class of workers may be provided in the field of international business. This is recognized not only by all theoretical economists but also by the most enlightened merchants and statesmen. The able and exhaustive report made by the special committee on this subject at the November meeting of the Chamber, showed what large attention Germany and Great Britain, our two strongest commercial rivals, are giving to the advancement of commercial education, and the report strongly urged that the New York Chamber of Commerce should take up the subject in a practical and aggressive way. As is well known Germany has brought commercial training to the point of a science, and is much in the lead of other countries in its facilities for such education. England some time ago awoke to the pressing necessity of action in this matter and the London Chamber of Commerce has been a leader there, as the New York Chamber of Commerce seeks to lead here.

The movement started in the New York Chamber is largely the result of a visit made by President HEPBURN abroad, and especially of his examination of the activities of the London Chamber. He was much impressed by the work that Chamber is carrying on for the better training of boys for the commercial career; and he actively supported the plans started here for creating a practical interest in the subject in the United States which has developed into one of the great commercial nations competing for the trade of the world, and particularly in New York through which one-half of the commerce of the country passes.

At the meeting of the Chamber of Commerce held April 6, 1911, LEWIS NIXON moved a resolution urging the Mayor to instruct the Board of Education to take necessary steps to make obligatory the study of Spanish in public schools. This resolution was referred to the Executive Committee which instructed the Secretary of the Chamber to communicate with the Superintendent of Public Schools and to visit the High School of Commerce in Manhattan, and ascertain the facts as regards the study of languages in the public schools.

This he did, and at the meeting of the Chamber held May 4, 1911 the Executive Committee made a report which concluded with a resolution that was unanimously adopted instructing the President of the Chamber to appoint a Committee on Commercial Education "to promote the efficiency and usefulness of schools of commerce" and "to devise a plan for encouraging the study of commercially important modern languages." In accordance with this resolution, President HEPBURN appointed as the committee WILLARD V. KING, Chairman, THOMAS W. LAMONT, GEORGE P. BRETT, LEWIS NIXON and R. A. C. SMITH.

This committee made an investigation of considerable scope and at the meeting of the Chamber held November 2, 1911, presented a report which gave an account of the conditions of commercial education in Boston, Philadelphia, Chicago, San Francisco, London, Berlin and other places, and concluded with a number of recommendations and suggestions. It recommended that a permanent Committee on Commercial Education be appointed by the Chamber; that such committee invite subscriptions to a Commercial Scholarship Fund to aid meritorious graduates of the public schools in taking courses in foreign languages; that it establish examinations for candidates for its certificates of proficiency; that it establish a free employment bureau for holders of certificates; that it co-operate with the Board of Education and other educational authorities for the furtherance of commercial education and the establishment of special courses in foreign languages.

This report was unanimously adopted, and at the December meeting of the Chamber, President HEPBURN announced the appointment of a permanent Committee on Commercial Education composed of fifteen prominent members.

This committee held a number of meetings, and on its recommendation the Chamber for the purpose of stimulating interest in the subject ordered that a special meeting be held on February 15th, to be devoted to a Conference on Commercial Education.

This conference was held at the date named, over four hundred members of the Chamber being present, as well as a large number of

teachers. Addresses were made by President HEPBURN; F. V. THOMPSON, Assistant Superintendent of Schools of Boston; Chancellor BROWN of New York University; City Superintendent of Schools MAXWELL; Dr. SHEPPARD, Principal of the High School of Commerce of Manhattan; Dr. TILDSLEY, Principal of DeWitt Clinton High School; JAMES G. CANNON and GEORGE P. BRETT, the Chairman of the Commercial Education Committee.

The Chamber on recommendation of this committee and with the approval of the Executive Committee, adopted a method of aiding the extension of commercial education in the United States, to be known as " the Commercial Education Council of the Chamber of Commerce of the State of New York," the management of which shall be vested in the Committee on Commercial Education of the Chamber. The plan proposed that membership in the Council shall include regular members paying dues of $10, per year, and associate members, who may not be members of the Chamber but who may be interested in commercial education, who shall pay $5, a year; and subscribing life, or foundation members, who shall give a sum of $1,000. It was provided that the Council shall be established as soon as fifty subscribing one thousand dollar members should be obtained. The objects of the Council, it was provided, shall be the increasing of the facilities of commercial education, among the most important possibilities of which were mentioned the providing of facilities in the elementary schools for commercial education, the establishment of evening schools of commercial education, arranging for additional facilities for commercial education in the secondary schools, the establishment of a College of Commerce, the establishment of a free employment bureau and the establishment of a Commercial Museum.

FREE SHIPS.

In his banquet address President HEPBURN spoke of the effect of the navigation law of 1792, which denies American registry to foreign built ships, and pointed to our vanishing merchant marine as proof that this law had been a

failure, inasmuch as under it our merchant marine had been driven from the high seas. Later in the year, the Committee on Foreign Commerce and the Revenue Laws presented a report in favor of the repeal or amendment of this ancient navigation law, in order to permit Americans to purchase foreign built ships and sail them under the American flag. The debate upon this report was one of the most interesting which was held by the Chamber during the year.

The Chamber has repeatedly discussed the problem of the decline of the American merchant marine, and it is significant that it has at last arrived at the conclusion that it is only through a change in our laws, that will permit of the admission of foreign built ships to American registry, that we can hope to bring about a restoration of the American flag on the ocean, from which it has rapidly disappeared since the catastrophe of the Civil War. What gives additional interest and significance to this question is the fact that the near approach of the opening of the Panama Canal constitutes an invitation to the United States to take advantage of this supreme opportunity to create a merchant marine.

In another debate the Chamber, on a standing vote, decided by a substantial majority in favor of fixing the tolls upon the Panama Canal so as to give certain advantages to American vessels engaged in the coastal trade.

RAILROAD
CREDIT.

A report adopted by the Chamber which has attracted wide attention, and has had an extensive circulation throughout the country, was presented by the Committee on Internal Trade and Improvements. This report called attention to the immediate need of strengthening the credit of the American railways, in order to enable them to provide adequately the facilities which the growing trade of the country demands. The report estimated that the railroads in the next five years would need to spend the enormous sum of $8,500,000,000, in order to maintain facilities of transportation equal to the growing traffic of the country; and the report urged upon the Interstate Commerce Commission and the State Railway Commissions the importance, for the future, of so

carefully weighing and considering the effect to be produced upon the railways in the making of any readjustments of freight rates, that the same may be accomplished without further curtailing the total revenue of the railways, upon which their borrowing credit depends.

DIFFERENTIAL
RATES.

The action taken in the differential rate case by the Chamber of Commerce of the State of New York, The Merchants' Association of New York,

The New York Produce Exchange, and other commercial organizations against the trunk lines and their connecting roads, is really not a hostile proceeding against the trunk lines, but a proceeding to put the Port of New York upon an equality, as regards rates, with rival Atlantic cities. The railroads have necessarily been named as defendants in this case brought before the Interstate Commerce Commission, because only in that way could the matter be brought officially before that tribunal.

As a matter of fact, however, those trunk lines which are primarily New York roads are not indifferent to the claims of the Port of New York to equality of rates. New York does not ask for any favor. It does not solicit any discrimination. It simply asks to be relieved of discriminations granted other cities.

Not only did the commercial organizations named join in this proceeding, and engage BENJAMIN L. FAIRCHILD to represent them before the Interstate Commerce Commission, but the State and the City of New York, through the Attorney General and the Corporation Counsel, also united in the action in behalf of this port, and Governor Dix in an address to the Chamber and Mayor GAYNOR in various utterances have spoken strongly in defense of the New York position.

When the differentials in favor of Philadelphia and the other Atlantic ports discriminating against New York were established, or confirmed, by the THURMAN Commission twenty-five years ago, it was understood and was so stated by the THURMAN Commission, that they were in the nature of a temporary adjustment of a dispute which threatened to throw the entire railroad situation of the country into a state of chaos. The conditions which then existed have disappeared;