The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-03-21

should believe in our own ability to do so, and
10 DO SO we must have the pride of the old fell
low who, when asked II he was a grammarian,
answered, tNo, l am a Missourian and don
give a - who knows it," So it must be with
The Californian; we must uphold the State
pride; we must be Californians with all the
other by patronizing the State industries.
A long address was delivered by George
W. Dickie. He said:
When your committee on programme asked
me to address you on some subject affecting
directly the objects of this convention at first
thougnt II an easy matter to do so, but after a
careful study OF what you seek to accomplish
by this gathering you are to endeavor. as I
take IT,, the resurrection of dead industries the
strengthening and encouraging of weak ones
and the creation of such new industries for
which the conditions here would warrant sue
cess. II these, gentlemen, are the objects of
this convention it is not such an easy task to
Try and.direct you as to how some of them NAV
be accomplished. The work TO be done means
years OF struggle, the forming of new habits
and the practice of new economies.
The details OF how this work is to be accom-.
plished need not be touched by this conyen-
ton, but the determination that this thing
shall be accomplished may be emphatically
declared, and general sentiment instilled into
general good of all that when one REQUIRES any
product OF industry, be it steamship to plow
the ocean or pillow to pillow the land, he will
find out if the thing he wants can be made as
good and practically as cheap in California as
1t can be brought here from some other State
before he decides to spend his money outside of
the State in which it is earned.
In regard to ship-building and marine
engineering as California industry Mr,
Dlckle said:
In harbor like that of San Francisco fro.
quented by steamships, the shipbuilder and
engineer are necessity. The shfpbuilding in
dustry has existed in San Francisco more or
less active for the past forty years or So bnt
iron and steel ship builders combined with en-
glneerlng as an establishment On our water
front was not an accomplished fact until the
establishment on the south side of Central
Basin at the Potrero in 1883, and lately q n
other establishment, the Fulton Engineering
and Shipbuilding Company, has Rniit en-.
gineering and shipbuilding works at the north
l am for free ships. but let them he free
US not forget that orr own State Legislature
can help US more in this respect than the Cen.
eral Government. There are other things
needed TO help the engineering and shipbuilT
ing industry here which will be presented Nv
other representatives OF these industries All
ask of this convention IS to use its influence
wherever that can be exerted for the creation
OF strong sentiment throughout this State TO
give justice to shipping in the matter of tsyes
and encouragement in the matter of mort
charges.
One of the best papers of the afternoon
was read by Oscar Lewis. 1t was as fol-
lows: ~
To every man connected with the manufac.
turing interests of the Pacific Coast, and esne
cially to those engaged in the building trades
the necessity of this convention is hut too
plainly apparent, and the varied interests here
represented show TO us all that it is not oniy
one industry that is threatened with disaster
II not humiliation, but that all are alike mass
ing through the most disastrous business de-
preston that has ever visited California. We
all, of course, expect to take our share of these
uDheaVRlS
cial circles that sweep over our entire country
but We know that aside from this manufacfnT
ing has been on the down grade for some yes re
past and each year sees greater number of
becoming importers, in part at least, OF the
various articles in which they deal
1t Is a condition not theory. that confronts
rived when not only the employer. but en-
ploye, the mechanic, the farmer, the merchant
and the real estate owner, in fact, all who have