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"TRE MarRINE REVIEW December, 1909 ~ Merchant Marine League of California eeRIRE - account:..of the-.or- ganization of the Merchant Marine League of. California was published in the No. vember issue of THE 'Marine REVIEW. rapidly acquire prestige and a power-ments of coal to the Pacific coast. ful influence. As previously published, the Mer- chant 'Marine League of California was organized at a dinner given at FRANK B. ANDERSON, PRESIDENT MeRCHANT Martine LraGue or CALIFORNIA, We are now able to present a more complete report of the interesting pro- ceedings at the. time of the organiza- tion of the California League, together with illustrations. It was finally decided that the new league should be called the Merchant Marine League of California, not the Merchant Marine League of San Fran- cisco as originally suggested. The annual dues were reduced to a nom- inal figure ($2.00 per year) in order 'to give the league weight of numbers. With the scope of the original plans thus enlarged members will be re- etuited from all over the state of Cal- ifornia and the new organization will the Fairmont New. 1, U.. §. -Senator Geo. C, Perkins was the first speaker introduced by Gov. Gillette. Senator Perkins has had wide experience in shipping affairs and in a telling speech the pointed out how 50 years ago there were ten American ships on the high seas to one foreign, while now there are prac- tically no American vessels engaged in the world's trade; he showed by what a narrow margin the Japanese are kept out of the Hawaiian trade and paid his respects to the abominable policy of the navy . de- partment with respect to its Hotel San Francisco, carrying ship- 'San Francisco to -Yokohama! Col. John P. Irish, who followed Senator Perkins, stated that during the Crimean war England was forced to: charter American ships. to. carry troops and supplies. This costly and dangerous experience taught England a lesson which she has not yet for- gotten. She immediately adopted the policy. of subsidizing her merchant shipping until today conditions are reversed and the United States would have to go.to Great Britain. for ships. "We have lost our seafaring charac- ter, we are no longer a nation of Satlors,"- declared 7 Gol. Irish. "We must, therefore, act, and first of all we will have to educate the public to a proper respect for shipping and for seafaring commerce. If talk could build a merchant marine, we would have so many ships that we could walk on their decks dry shod from What we need now.is work, action, hust- liye aid: tots "of 16." Address by Geo. W. Dickie. Geo. W. Dickie, marine engineer and naval architect, read a carefully prepared paper of great interest. Mr. Dickie has 'been a prominent advo- cate of a rational merchant marine policy for a great many years, having made his first address on this subject in San Francisco over 36 years ago. Mr. Dickie's remarks were an excerpt of his paper read at the recent meet- Mr. C. C. HeEnion, SECRETARY, MERCHANT MArINE OF CALIFORNTA. LEAGUE