Daily Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1876-1884, 1883-07-14
The same old Experience.

The fashionable thing has been to look
to the building Of transcontinental rail.
ways to the Pacific Coast for that whole
some competition in freights and fares
for which we have all prayed 30 de-
youtly. First, ten years ago. great
hopes were built upon the advent OF
Col. Tom Scott with his Texas Pacific
Railway. Those who knew the history
Of the Pennsylvania Railway King
laughed in their sleeves at this fond an d
delusive expectation. In succession,
hopes were built upon the Atlantic 4
Pacific and the Atchison, Topeka &
Santa Fe railways, and yet the Southern
Pacific had no difficulty in making pool.
ing arrangements with them both The
last hope was built upon the Northern
Pacific, with tho result that that COM
pany announces that the fare for pas
sengers from st. Paul to Portland will
be 500. The Chicago Tribune, com.
menting on this development, saysi
There can hardly fail to be some dis.
appointment in the public mind as to
the rates which ii Is announced the
Northern Pacific will charge travellers
over It's line to the Pacific. In recent
interview in st. Paul the General Traffic
Manager, Mr.. Muir, stated to our re.
porter that the rate for frst-cass pas.
sage TO Portland from st. Paul would be
300, and that for intermediate points
and for second class proportionate fig.
urcs would he made. Tho distance BIO.
tween the two termini OF the Northern
Pacific being l,0l6 miles, this charge OF
500 is at the rate of more than five and
ono.third cents mile. This, IL must be
remembered. is simply the charge for
hauling. Sleeping.car accommodations
will BIO an extra and heavy one, and the
cost of meals and incidentals will
make tho whole cost quite as much
as sail twice as long across
the ocean to Europe. At these prices,
after n man OF moderate means had gone
with his family Of say one wife, which
is the full allowance this side OF Salt
Lake, and four children, and had enjoy
cd tho seductive pleasures of sleeping
cars and dining cars and parlor reclining
ua's, n1 wou'u 'ha ni'"soii ous =. poY IN,
spvss ~, Nv eou ~ , sa'o N IN se" p.a;se
an'u l'n'ase' ~ y. s sue aNo' ~, aens
seehs W 'nahe .ne oha.ges ne "hho .a
.ooN ieaso ai ~ COMPARISON u %.ni
ae,,, 's''o ,nuse y, .no e.ioi anu oea'i ~
isou. These roads are mannped bv men
who have made themselves and the cor.
porations they represent odious by eX,
.u.s,oh '.ai .ies"ie MI VI sno pe a!Pge
enee which he shows to exist In favor of
the moderateness of the charges of the
Northern Pacific is by no means
iass enou y Vae i nv =, sI ,ha
difference should be enormous. Worse
yet for Mr.. Muir's comparison, informa-
ton has Just reached us that the hali-
rod u .ha ua,na y, tha %antro, anS
Southern Pacific to four cents a mile on
all their system. except where they
cross mountains ami deserts ana on one
cisa .a,oa Vs. ~" ,han .,;st, s nar con,
HIGHER than those of the Central Pacific
and that, too, in the face OF the fact tof
when ,he Northern racine IS never ,
nj t' . mia as das "s. . nna thai their
mountain passes are thousands of feet
lower than those of the other transcon-
uhehtai lines.
Inc HERALD mas aiwaysfegaraea COM
peeiuon' honest ana enduring eompea'
''on, between railways as th'hg very
uhnNely 70 % Witnessed IN region 80
sparssy se'.ieo Us .he iac'ne oooS''
ne 'emp'ai0h'o pooiihs 'ne'r earnings
OF 70 some sor. Oh coinoihatioh' IL a'nios.
i'fesissioie' we can reaoily understand
now IN compact ana weaithy eommuni-
YES wnefe there Is enough trahspof.a-
aoh ana passenger movement Tor seSefai
great trunk lines, competition would
arise But where there Is Just enough
70 go rounu at mgh rates. under suoh
circumstances, high rates are almost GER
tam to prevail, This is q novel view OF
this matter, but it is one that sustains
scrutiny. OF course, in common with