DEAR SIR: 2 EAST 91ST STREET NEW YORK, April 14, 1911. The beautiful certificate of honorary membership in the Chamber of Commerce has come to hand. Pray, convey to the members my deep and grateful thanks for the great honor conferred upon me. I know of no body of men in the commercial world which exerts so great and beneficial an influence as the Chamber of Commerce of New York. I think I can say truly I have never known it to be wrong in any action it has ever taken. regard to reciprocity and in regard to President TAFT's proposed treaty of arbitration are added proofs of its wisdom and humanity. I am very proud indeed to be an honorary member of the Chamber. Always very truly yours, Its recent action in (Signed) ANDREW CARNEGIE. Letters endorsing the proposed arbitration treaty were also received from the Chamber of Commerce of Dundee, Scotland, the Board of Trade of Montreal, Canada, the Board of Trade of Toronto, Canada, the Chamber of Commerce of Pittsburg and other similar organizations. BANQUET COMMITTEE. WELDING RING on behalf of the Executive Committee reported the following resolution which was adopted: Resolved, That the President be and is hereby authorized to appoint a Special Committee with power to make arrangements for the One Hundred and Forty-Third Annual Banquet of the Chamber to be held at the Waldorf-Astoria, Thursday, November 16th next. The President announced as members of the Banquet Committee: JOHN CLAFLIN, R. FULTON CUTTING, GEORGE T. WILSON. Mr. RING on behalf of the Executive Committee also moved that the President be authorized to appoint a member to represent the Chamber at the opening of an exhibition of the Metropolitan Sewerage Commission at the American Museum of Natural History. This was carried. COMMERCIAL EDUCATION. Mr. RING, on behalf of the Executive Committee also presented the following report and moved its adoption: To the Chamber of Commerce: The Executive Committee, to which was referred the resolution moved by Mr. LEWIS NIXON, requesting the Mayor to instruct the Board of Education to take necessary steps to make the study of Spanish obligatory in the higher courses of the public schools, respectfully report: To make the study of Spanish compulsory would be inadvisable, but your committee believes that every proper measure should be taken to encourage its study, as well as the study of other commercially important modern languages. No one can doubt the commercial value of Spanish at a time when this country is endeavoring to expand its trade with Spanish America, and at a time when the Panama Canal, which is destined to promote Pan American unity, is nearing completion. What is true of Spanish is, in less degree, true of Portuguese which is the language of the great Republic of Brazil. Your committee has been in communication with WILLIAM H. MAXWELL, City Superintendent of Schools, and with JAMES J. SHEPPARD, Principal of the Commercial High School in Manhattan, an excellent institution, the establishment of which was largely due to the interest taken by the Chamber in the subject of commercial education thirteen years ago, and to an address delivered to the Chamber at that time by Superintendent MAXWELL. Mr. MAXWELL informs us that in all of our High Schools the students are required to study at least one foreign language which may be Latin, Greek, French, German or Spanish. There is also opportunity for taking a second, or even a third, foreign language during the four year's course. In the two great commercial High Schools the choice is given only of modern languages. German is the most popular language and there is little demand for Spanish. Mr. MAXWELL also says that German, French, Spanish and Italian may also be taken as elective studies during the last year of the course in the elementary schools. In the Commercial High School in Manhattan, 70 per cent. of the pupils take German, 20 per cent. French and 10 per cent. Spanish. Principal SHEPPARD regards the study of Spanish as very important, from the practical commercial standpoint and is endeavoring to impress this fact upon the students as they enter the school; but most of those who have entered have had one or two years of some other language in the elementary schools and are inclined to continue the language already selected. A large proportion of the students are of German parentage and from sentimental and literary reasons naturally desire to learn that language in preference to one which may be more immediately important in the extension of our export trade. Your committee believes that the Chamber of Commerce can perform no better work than to aid in increasing the efficiency and usefulness of the schools of commerce. The London Chamber has during the past two or three decades devoted a large part of its energies to such work, with the result of promoting greatly the efficiency of young men entering the commercial career. Our own schools of commerce, admirable though they are, nevertheless do not yet equal those of Germany, especially in the ability to teach modern languages. The Executive Committee believes that the New York Chamber may be able to perform a useful public work by appointing a special committee to inquire into this subject, with the view of co-operating with the Board of Education in advancing the efficiency of the schools of commerce, and by encouraging the study of modern languages by offering medals as rewards for proficiency, and by other appropriate ways. In this connection, we quote from the address delivered by City Superintendent MAXWELL before the Chamber of Commerce on November 3, 1898, the full text of which will be found in Volume 41 of the annual reports of the Chamber, pages 38 to 45. Mr. MAXWELL said: "I hope to see a vital connection made between the Chamber of Commerce and the Board of Education. We have in the examples of foreign capitals abundant precedents for the union of the Chamber of Commerce with the state authorities in the management of commercial high schools. I would suggest, therefore, that the performance of the following duties may reasonably be expected from the Chamber of Commerce: 1.-Commercial High Schools should be regularly inspected by members of the Chamber appointed for that purpose. The inspectors should periodically report upon the efficiency of the work. 2. The course of study should be at least once a year submitted to a committee of mercantile experts appointed by the Chamber of Commerce, so that it may always be suited to the necessities of commerce. 3. The Chamber of Commerce might appoint one or more of its members to assist in the examination for the licensing of teachers to teach in the Commercial High School. Particularly is this necessary in the case of those who are to teach technical mercantile branches. For my own part as the head of the licensing department of our public school system I should welcome. any and all assistance of this kind.” The Executive Committee, therefore, offers the following resolutions and moves their adoption: Resolved, That the President of the Chamber be authorized to appoint a committee of five on commercial education, to promote the efficiency and usefulness of schools of commerce; and be it further Resolved, That this committee be instructed to devise a plan for encouraging the study of commercially important modern languages by the distribution of medals to deserving students and by other ways. The report and accompanying resolutions were unanimously adopted; and the President appointed as the committee the following: WILLARD V. KING, GEORGE P. BRETT, ROBERT A. C. SMITH. TARIFF CHANGES. EUGENIUS H. OUTERBRIDGE on behalf of the Committee on Foreign Commerce and the Revenue Laws, submitted the following report and moved its adoption: To the Chamber of Commerce: At the last meeting of the Chamber of Commerce the following resolution was referred to your Committee on Foreign Commerce and the Revenue Laws: Resolved, That the Committee on Foreign Commerce and the Revenue Laws be requested to bring to the attention of the Congress, the desirability in its enactment of tariff legislation, of making any changes in rates of duty apply so gradually as to allay apprehension of severe shocks to values that might result from sudden changes immediately applied. Your committee feels that as the Chamber has placed itself definitely on record in favor of placing the Tariff Board, or Commission, upon a permanent basis to furnish accurate information to Congress upon which to predicate tariff changes, and as such expert information will enable Congress to determine upon what lines purely administrative features of any tariff bill should be laid down, it would be unwise, if not indeed inconsistent, for the Chamber to memorialize Congress upon this question at this time, and, therefore, the committee recommends that no action be taken upon the resolution. MANHATTAN FREIGHT TERMINALS. ROBERT A. C. SMITH on behalf of the committee on the Harbor and Shipping submitted the following report and moved its adoption : To the Chamber of Commerce : At the last meeting of the Chamber, after discussion by Dock Commissioner TOMKINS and Comptroller PRENDERGAST, the question of the Manhattan freight terminals on West Street was referred to the Committee on the Harbor and Shipping for investigation and report. Since then, your committee has held two meetings at one of which the representatives of the leading trunk lines, the engineers of the Board of Estimate and Apportionment, and the Commissioner of Docks and his engineers, were present and presented their views. A member of your committee has also attended the hearings held by the Board of Estimate on this subject. The committee fully realizes the importance of the removal of steam railroad tracks from the street surface and that this should be accomplished at the earliest possible time for the safety of the public, and it believes that more effective means could be employed in the meantime for the protection of life. But the whole subject is so difficult and intricate and involves so many different interests, all of which must be considered and harmonized for the common good of the commerce of the port, that it is impossible at this time to do more than report progress. Your committee is so much impressed with the vast importance of this matter to the prompt and efficient handling of the traffic of New York that it urges that no hasty action shall be taken by the authorities of the city. It has been only about a month since the opposing plans for freight distribution on the North River front of Manhattan Island have been presented. There has not yet been time enough to arrive at a clear judgment of the problems involved. Your committee, therefore, offers for adoption, the following resolution: Resolved, That the Chamber of Commerce of the State of New York urges the Board of Estimate and Apportionment to delay action on the different plans for freight distribution on the North River front of Manhattan Island until full opportunity shall be afforded for a more thorough investigation of the respective plans than has as yet been possible. Respectfully submitted, R. A. C. SMITH, PHILIP A. S. FRANKLIN, EBEN E. OLCOTT, EDGAR F. LUCKENBACH, EMIL L. Boss, NEW YORK, May 3, 1911. Of the Harbor and |