Los Angeles daily herald., 1873-12-27
The ia. on our commerce.

people of Los Angeles and the large
area of fertile country the trade OF
which centers here, is how to get rid
of the enormous tax upon our COM
merce, levied by the present clumsy
system of lighterage. How great that
tax is, few have any idea. The HER
AID, believing that the true policy is
to remove all obstacles, Instead OF COW
ering them up and pretending they
do not exist, has opened this discus
sion, and Is determined to keep 1T up
till the nature of the case is fully un-
derstood, and some decisive action
taken to better our condition. AS one
step toward placing these facts before
the people, we have made some inqui-
ries about the actual amount OF this
lighterage tax, and find that it costs
the trade Of Los Angeles more every
year, than the entire expense OF build
ing narrow gauge railroad to deep
water, and constructing the necessary
wharves for the accommodation OF
vessels like the Pacific Mail steamers.
This steamship line runs a passenger
and freight vessel regularly every six
days, or sixty in the year. In addition
there are extra vessels run occasion
ally, carrying freight. The regular
steamers bring from sixty to seventy
passengers down, and take from fifty
to sixty up, say an average OF one
hundred and twenty to the trip. Each
and every one must pay Sl.5O lighter
age tax, or $3.50 for every trip for get
ting ashore. This for year is over
$4,000 on passengers alone that is
levied on the business of Los Angeles,
to say nothing of loss of time, expos
ure to the weather, and general dis
comfort. The average amount OF
freight received and discharged by
each steamer will not fall short OF 500
tons measurement, or say 225 tons
weight. The cost of lighterage is
about So per ton, or 1915 for each trip,
little over $4,000 year. Including
the passengers $4,000 a year, nearly
$1,000 a week, is what it costs Los An
geles to transfer business between the
railroad and the steamers. All our
immense lumber trade, our coal, as
phaltum, etc., is gouged at a still higher
rate. Lumber pays 81 thousand from
the anchorage to Los Angeles, three
fifths Of which, or S4.2O is for lighter
age. 1t is perfectly safe to asume, that
the business transacted by sailing ves-
sells is equal to the steamer trade, and
that tax of ONE HUNDRED THOUSAND
DOLLARS is paid every year by our peo-
pie to sustain and perpetuate a hateful
monopoly. The real friends of this
city are called on to reflect upon this,
and to remember that this large sum
of money il not only drain upon
their pockets, but that it is virtually
acting as y bounty for rival ports.
Commerce win always seek the
cheapest and most convenient chan
nels. If we throw obstacles in its
way, it will find other ports. These
may be unpalatable facts to those
who believe in glorifying ones To-
cality, at the expense of truth, while
they are content to sit still and do moth
ing to improve their condition. They
are extremely unpleasant to the little
clique who are intent on making
money for themselves at the expense
Of the whole community, and who
don't care how much the trade of Los
Angeles is injured, provided their pock'
cts are we'll lined. They are doubtless
such facts as the mercenary organ o.
the lighterage monopoly will denounct
as damaging to our interests, but they
are facts, and the people must know
them, before we can hope that any eff.
fective measures for relief will be
adopted. We can avoid paying this
onerous tax only by bringing rail ant
ship together. A few spectators wan
US to wait an indefinite but certainly Q
long period, while they are obtaining
a large sum of money from Congress
to dredge ort the channel between the
harbor and the present terminus of the
railroad ut Wilmington. The people
demand that some means of commu-
nication with deep water, either by
extending the present road as original
ly contemplated, or by building anoth-
er one, shall be secured as soon as
possible. The commerce of Los An
geles and the vast territory surrounding
it, demands this improvement, and we
will not be deferred from agitating the
question by the Misrepresentation OF
interested parties. II the demand is
not satisfied the energetic men that in
a few years have elevated this city from
an obscure town to its present high
rank, will organize company and
build another road. that will deliver
their freight at deep water.
Shipments to New York.