xxxviii INTRODUCTORY PROCEEDINGS. 



line. I have urged in the past that our Society should take active steps to secure action from 

 Congress looking to some encouragement of our shipbuilders in this regard, but thus far we 

 have done nothing. 



It looked at one time as though a scheme, championed by one of our prominent members, 

 was going to receive a trial by virtue of the provision of the new tariff law which allows a re- 

 duction of duty on goods imported in American ships. It appears, however, that the diplo- 

 mats of other countries were more clever than our own in the drafting of commercial trea- 

 ties, and that our hands are tied unless our government denounces nearly all such treaties. 

 This is, of course, a very serious matter, and one requiring careful thought before action is 

 taken. It does seem, however, as though statesmanship could not find a better field than action 

 which would build up a great industry and give employment to a large number of our citizens. 



I have just learned from one of our members who has given this subject very careful 

 study that the foregoing statement is rather too inclusive. It appears that the status of the 

 treaty question is such that the law can be enforced to a limited extent, as not all countries 

 have treaties to prevent it. The benefit which would come from' even this partial application 

 of the law would be very helpful to the creation of an American built commercial fleet in the 

 foreign trade. 



Years ago, when our principal exports were the product of the farm and the plantation, 

 and when, indeed, the proportion exported was equal to, or greater than that consumed at 

 home, there might have been ground for the old theory that each country should confine itself 

 to what it could produce cheapest ; but circumstances have changed and we are now facing the 

 question of possibly importing food stuffs ourselves. 



It now costs more to build and to operate vessels flying the American flag than those of 

 other countries, for well-known reasons, among them the high scale of all American wages. 

 But it certainly does not follow that this will always be true. If we had never assisted prom- 

 ising industries because their unaided product would cost more than it could be bought for 

 abroad, we should not now lead the world, as we do, in the manufacture of steel and other 

 products. We believe that, with reasonable encouragement from the government, a large 

 fleet in the foreign trade will be built up, carrying our own flag, and that the general benefit 

 to the country will be so great as to make the aid seem entirely insignificant. We believe that 

 enlightened statesmanship might profitably be employed in this great constructive work, and 

 we feel, therefore, that we are not demanding anything unreasonable when we ask that 

 American shipping should receive the fostering care of the government. 



The Chairman : — We now come to the main purpose of the meeting, the reading and 

 discussion of the technical papers, and the first one on the program I am sure will give you 

 great pleasure, as it comes from a man of great reputation. Naval Constructor D. W. Tay- 

 lor, U. S. N., who is a vice-president of the Society. His paper is entitled "Relative Resist- 

 ances of Some Models with Block Coefficient Constant and other Coefficients Varied." 



Naval Constructor D. W. Taylor, Vice-President: — Mr. President and gentlemen, 

 this is a very short paper, and it is practically contained in the abstract. In order to save time, 

 as all of the members have the paper, I will simply read the abstract. 



