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January, 1910 FACSIMILE OF CERTIFICATE OF MEMBERSHIP the American merchant marine in such form as will advance the mer- cantile and other interests of the United States, and that copies of this resolution be sent to the senators and representatives of Louisiana in con- grss, with the request that they pres- ent same to the senate and house of representatives, and support such bill or bills having the above purpose in view, and as may best cause laws to be enacted on the subject." The Musical Industry Merchant Marine League is a most progressive 'body. Organized by the New York piano trade at the Hotel Astor in October, its membership has rapidly spread throughout, the entire United States. It has been organized to further the wpbuilding of the Amer- ican merchant marine in foreign trade, the specific complaint being that piano 'TAE MARINE. REVIEW THE MuSICAL Sent To MEMBERS OF Inpustry MrrcHANT MariINE LEAGUE. ' manufacturers cannot reach South American markets with their instru- ments. Since October a most prog- ressive campaign has been carried on through its secretary, George W. Gittins, who has sent to every piano manufacturer in the country an appeal for membership The responses have been amazing, for while the Musical. Industry Merchant Marine League is only two months old, it has several hundred members. The league has also issued. a pamphlet of eighty pages entitled, "The American Ship," in which the entire history of the American merchant marine is review- ed from .the historical standpoint. Everyone who desires to familiarize himself with the rise and decline of the American merchant marine has but to read this pamphlet. Over 4,000 of these pamphlets were mailed by the league to the musical industry, 37 both wholesale and retail, throughout the United States. Copies of the Humphrey bill have also been sent to the trade in order that they may be familiar with what is contemplated in the way of legislation. Every musical trade paper in the country has taken up the subject and indorsed it heartily. Secretary Charles Nagel, of the De- partment of Commerce and Labor, earn- estly recommends in his annual report for 1908 the rehabilitation of the Amer- ican merchant marine in the foreign trade. It does seem surprising that with recommendation after recommendation from heads of departments and from president after president, that congress is so reluctant to do anything. Those who thoroughly understand the situation know how urgent the need is. If every con- gressman would investigate the subject upon its merits he would be in favor of immediate action. Upon this subject the Secretary of the Navy says: Our shipping registered for foreign trade on June 30, 1909, consisted of 1,633 vessels of 887,505 gross tons, but even these modest figures are an_ overstate- ment of our resources in international competition. They include a number of vessels which have outlived their useful- ness and others which, though registered, are engaged in trades from which for- eign ships are excluded. For effective. competition in foreign trade any one of several of the great British and German steamship companies is better equipped than the entire steam fleet in that trade under the American flag. If a change in our policy of restricting the national reg- ister to vessels built at home alone would remedy this situation, few would oppose such a change. It is significant, how- ever, that during the past year three of our trans-Atlantic steamships, built re- cently in the United States, were trans- ferred to the Belgian flag. At the begirining of the current fiscal year we had only four American steam- ships regularly engaged in European trade, only five in trade with Asia, and none with South America below the Caribbean, or with Australia or Africa. Under existing conditions the number will not increase and may decrease. Last year our exports and imports by sea in round numbers amounted to $2,721,000,- 000, of which only $258,657,000, or 9.5 per cent, was carried in American ships. The Commercial Secretaries' Asso- ciation at its convention held in San Antonio recently, adopted the follow- ing resolution: "We declare in favor of the passing of a bill similar to the Humphrey bill for the rehabilitation of the United States Merchant Marine."