of 8,000,000 tons, it would make the cost per ton $1.82. This cost is high and would no doubt be a handicap in making best and fullest use of the canal. Your committee is disposed to recommend a lower rate with the view of attracting a much larger volume of tonnage and thereby increasing the revenues of the canal.

The question of American shipping doing a coastwise tonnage passing through the canal free of tolls is a most difficult one to solve. There is a great diversity of opinion and until this matter has been definitely determined by our government in relation to the existing treaties with Great Britain and other countries your committee does not feel qualified to pass upon it.

Your committee, therefore, presents the following preamble and resolutions:

Whereas, The approaching completion of the Panama Canal will open this new trade route to the nations of the world, and to a large degree change the current of trade by water; and

Whereas, In order to make proper preparation for this great event, the subject of operation should be definitely determined at as early a date as possible; therefore, be it

Resolved, That the Chamber of Commerce of the State of New York favors a rate of toll of $1.00 per ton on all tonnage passing through the Panama Canal, and urges the Congress to take early action upon this important matter; and further be it

Resolved, That copies of this report be forwarded to the President, the Secretary of War, the Secretary of the Navy, and to the members of the United States Senate and of the House of Representatives.

MAURICE L. MUHLEMAN.-I second the motion made by Mr. RING that the report be received and its further consideration postponed until the next regular meeting.

THE PRESIDENT.-It would be a comparatively easy matter for the Government to lower the tolls without incurring any disaster, and it would be correspondingly difficult to increase them without friction. This is a subject upon which you men, as merchants and as traders, people dealing in commerce, ought to have an intelligent practical opinion, and I hope you will all be present at the next meeting prepared to give us the benefit of your consideration of the subject.

The motion to defer action until the next regular meeting was carried.

THE NAUTICAL SCHOOL.

JACOB W. MILLER, Chairman of the Council of the Nautical School of the Port of New York, elected by the Chamber of Commerce, presented the following report and accompanying resolution, and moved their adoption :

To the Chamber of Commerce:

The Council of the Nautical School of the Port of New York has the honor to make the following report: .

The conclusions mentioned below were arrived at after consultation with Mr. RICHARD B. ALDCROFTT, Jr., Chairman of the Committee on the Nautical School of the Board of Education of the City of New York, after reference to the action of the Chamber in the past concerning the Nautical School, and from information learned by the Chairman of the Chamber's Council during a recent visit to Washington.

From all of which the following has been reached :

1st. That the cost of operating the nautical schoolship NEWPORT by this city is more than even a port like New York should assume, and that a portion of the expense should either be borne by the State or by the General Government, or by both;

2nd. It will be seen by reference to Exhibit "A" attached, namely, H. R. Bill No. 24145, "being an act for the establishment of marine schools and for other purposes," which was approved on March 4, 1911; that said act authorized the expenditure of $25,000, to maintain a schoolship in this state, provided the City of New York made a similar appropriation. The City of New York has made a greater appropriation, but the United States under the provisions of the above act has not made its appropriation.

We, therefore, recommend that the Chamber use its utmost endeavors with the Senators and Representatives of New York to have the above amount of $25,000, appropriated.

In doing so, we are well aware that the present condition of our merchant marine is such that few of the graduates of the Nautical School can find desirable positions on board commercial ships flying our flag, but we are equally convinced that the opening of the Panama Canal and the present interest in the improvement of waterways will surely lead to a renewal of our coastwise and ocean traffic; and considering the fact that a Nautical School has been maintained in New York for such a long period, we trust and hope that it may be continued, as there is great danger, considering the finances of this city, that unless some early action be taken the Board of Education may discontinue a school which, in our opinion, is of vital benefit to marine interests. We, therefore offer the following preamble and resolution for such action as the Chamber may seem fit:

Whereas, There seems to be an immediate danger that the Nautical School of the City of New York may be discontinued on account of its excessive expense to the Board of Education of this city; and

Whereas, It is essential at this time to educate the youth of this port in sea discipline, system and knowledge in order to fit it for an increased merchant marine; therefore be it

Resolved, That the Chamber of Commerce of the State of New York both collectively and individually urges upon the United States Government an appropriation of $25,000, under the act "for the establishment of marine schools and for further purposes," approved March 4, 1911, and that the Council of the Nautical School of the Port of New York of this Chamber is hereby instructed to communicate with our Representatives in Congress asking them to forward in every possible manner the purposes for which the act was passed.

The report and accompanying preamble and resolution were adopted.

REPORTS OF SPECIAL COMMITTEES.

GEORGE P. BRETT, Chairman of the Committee on Commercial Education made the following report which was received and placed on file:

In accordance with the authority given the Committee on Commercial Education at the last meeting of the Chamber, the following

invitations have been sent for the Conference on Commercial Education, to be held at a special meeting of the Chamber of Commerce on February 15th.

To Mayor GAYNOR, who was asked to address the Conference on Commercial Education from the Citizens' Point of View;

To JAMES G. CANNON, for an address on Commercial Education from the Business Man's Standpoint;

To Dr. ELMER E. BROWN, on The Place of the University and the Teachers' Training College in Commercial Education;

To Dr. WILLIAM H. MAXWELL, on the Elementary School in Commercial Education;

To Dr. JAMES J. SHEPPARD, on the Place of the High School in Commercial Education; and

To Dr. JOHN L. TILDSLEY, on The Place of the Evening Schools in Commercial Education.

The Committee on Commercial Education takes pleasure in announcing that all these invitations have been accepted.

If time permits, the Chairman of the Committee on Commercial Education, proposes to read a short paper describing in a general way what the work in Commercial Education is which the Chamber of Commerce has undertaken, and giving in addition a suggested program of the committee's future plans for Commercial Education in this city.

The Committee on Commercial Education also plans to issue invitations to attend the conference to more than one hundred teachers and other residents of the city who are working for, or are interested in Commercial Education.

In view of the importance of Commercial Education to the present and future welfare of this city, the Committee on Commercial Education hopes that the members of the Chamber of Commerce will aid the committee in its work by attending the Conference on Commercial Education on February 15th in order to show in a practical way the interest which the members of the Chamber of Commerce have in this vital subject and in order to encourage the work in Commercial Education which many of our invited guests are already doing in this city.

THE PRESIDENT.-The Chamber has already fixed the special meeting for the 15th, and you will see by the program that it is proposed to have the subject thoroughly ventilated and discussed, and I hope we will have a tremendously large meeting.

THE NATIONAL GUARD.

The President announced in pursuance of the resolution passed, the following Special Committee on the National Guard and Naval Militia:

HERBERT L. SATTERLEE,

GEORGE E. IDE,

FRANCIS G. LANDON,

WILLIAM H. NICHOLS,

1

SAMUEL REA,

UNION N. BETHELL,

CHARLES T. WILLS.

WATER FRONT FACILITIES.

The President announced as in order the report of the Committee on the Harbor and Shipping laid over from the last meeting.

E. H. OUTERBRIDGE.-Before presenting the report authorized at the last meeting for discussion, I wish to state that, after its presentation at the last meeting, the committee learned that the State Commission and the New York City authorities had already entered upon the work of conference with the War Department in reference to the matter of pier head lines which was covered in the third resolution of the report; and in view of that fact that the work has already been done, it might be unwise to press that subject further at this time. Therefore, the committee desire to amend the third resolution by expunging the reference to the pier head line question, so that it shall read:

Resolved, That the Chamber recommends to the Dock Department that no opportunity be lost to transfer Sound Lines from the North to the East River.

THE PRESIDENT.-You have heard the statement of the Chairman of the committee. The resolutions as they now stand, having in mind the portion that is withdrawn by the committee, are now before the Chamber for consideration.

REMARKS OF HONORABLE JOHN A. BENSEL, STATE ENGINEER.

JOHN A. BENSEL.-While the report of the Committee on the Harbor and Shipping shows a painstaking effort to start a new procedure in the administrative treatment of the interests of the harbor, a critical examination leads one to wonder whether the business people of this city are yet in a position to put aside the results of evolution in trade and "jump from the frying-pan into the fire" by trying to cure the ills that are complained of and by experiments with the city's water front.

In the report it may be found that stress is laid upon the isolation of Manhattan from the mainland, and the question arises as to what this means, taking into consideration the fact that the railroads connect with Manhattan Island on the north and on the east side by means of bridges and tunnels, and the only thing which resembles