Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1884-04-14
EXTRAORDINARY OCCASION NOTES.

airy Committee the Barry Dill was taken up for
consideration. The first witness examined was
! NJ ]. Donahue Manager of the North Pacific
Coast Railroad, between Donahue and Clover
dale, SonOma county.
To questions asked by Senator sullivan, Mr..
Donahue said Our road was built. so far as !
know by my fathers money. Our freights usu-
ally consist OF general merchandise and farm
products We have competition by water for
forty-two miles This Barry bill, as We under
stand it, would compel us 10 give up the opera
ton of the road. Without the authority To
classify freights We could not afford 10 operate.
We do not charge a regular rate per ton Per
mile for freights. We do, of course, charge more
from Cioverdale TO san Francisco than from
Santa Rosa. to the latter place, but not
the same rate per mile. Under Section of the
! Barry bill we could not operate year
longer and compete with the steamers. We
have low rate for cordwOod, which enables
parties 10 conduct the wood business at idle
seasons of the year. Ii We had to take all
freight al the same rate we could not afford 10
run the road We have no special contracts
with shippers; have heard OF such contracts,
| but have no personal knowledge of Such. The
provision OF the bill concerning the dispatching
/ of freight j. impracticable. Railroad coInpa-
MES must Use some discretion, but il would be
fair enough TO require them to use reasonable
| dispatch. The result OF this bill would be TO
pass all the small roads i'll the state over 10 the
control of the largest corporation within three
years. Our company has been Obliged 10 ab1n-
don about two miles of parallel track including
some high trestlework. This bill would require
! the operation and maintenance of this track at
Il useless expense, and great liability 10 acct
dents and loss Of life \ track might be
/ constructed for Il few miles INTO forest for
the transportation of wood After the wood was
( exhausted there would be no further for the
track; and yet, under this bill. that track would
have 10 be maintained ana kept III repair Tor
/ the purpose for which it was constructed. sec
| tionS and would work forfeiture of Il road
for any trifing violation of the provisions OF this
/ bill. Servants of Il road should, perhaps, be
punished for such violations, but do not think
it right for the company TO forfeit its charter in
! consequence. Do not think the bill would be Il
/ good one even with Sections and eliminated
1t will cost us 81 0J0,000 TO complete certain eX-
tensions that we must make northward in order
! To save the property we now have. We wish To
run our road eventually through Il fine tbut now
unsettled country 10 Eureka humboldt county
| To do this we must sell bonds, but if this bill
! were 10 become Il law no man would invest Il
| dollar in our bonds. If permitted 10 carry
out our projects. large section of country would
/ be developed and brought to market. our road
| has never paid anything like fair profit on the
investment.
/ To senator KeIogg-The author of the bill did
inform that the effect or this bin would be to
| compel uniform rate per ton per mile, for all
/ distances. If this were 50, we could not operate
under it.
| To Senator McClurc-It is not always possible
! to give 10 every shipper the particular accomno-
! dation desired by him; we do the best we can
| 10 accommodate all, with such facilities us we
have.
To Senator Spencer-Where we have compe
/ tition by water we must, of course, come down
| in passenger rates. Am not aware that the cltl-
! zens of Cloyerdale subscribed any money toward
/ the building of our road in that section. Our
road is not Ones0f the est-paying properties III
! the State. We have but four freight classes ON
our road, except Il few kinds that are handled
] in large bulk, such as lumber. etc. We DO not
| ship cheaper for one man than another simply
/ because his business is greater than that of
/ others
| To Senator NrOOman-On the completion of
! our road from Pctdllma to san Rafael, the
! branch from DOnahue 10 Petaluna would be
left comparatively useless, but under this bill We
would have 10 operate II.
| To Senator Whtney-It is to the interest of a
railroad company to reduce its freight and fare
rates as often possible. In short, the interests
of railroads and the people are closely identified
/ with one another.
/ classifying treights. The products of the coun
try, such wool, wheat, live stock, etc. now
| carried ut the minimum rates. If this bill were
! Il law, and we had a parallel competing road
| such company could afford TO bride any agent of
ours to do an act that would compel us To forfeit
| our charter, we have to allow agents consider
| able discretion in the management of the bust
ness of their section, for which We are respon-
! sible.
TO Senator spencer-Under this bill do think
! that any willful or malicious act on the part Of
! an agent would work the forfeiture of the com
panyS charter
! The next witness examined was Marcus C.
| Hawley, an importer and dealer in hardware
/ and agricultural implements san Francisco.
| To Senator McClurC-Wc import our goods by
rail 10 the extent of about 500 900 per year for
/ frcights. We are now operating under verbal
special contract with the railroad company
/ When we were impOrtin" around the Horn the
railroad folks asked us what would consider
Il fair rate to ship all our goods by rail! We made
an estimate covering all classes OF goods import
/ ed by Us by water, and gave our figures 10 Mr..
Stubs, who was not satisfied with them. He
/ was allowed to further consider the matter and
10 consult with the Union Pacific folks, who then
/ had control Of overland ireightS Owing to de
Inv fI..iV .TNTr chi
/ one year but subsequently entered into con
! tract verbally with the railroad company, under
/ which we are now operating. The arrangement
/ is perfectly agreeable 10 Us, and there Is no com
| pulSon about il. There is considerable dissatis-
| faction among some merchants with the railroad
people, but the trouble in many instances arises
/ from breaches of contract, on the part of ner
chants.
| To Senator Del Valc-Somctimcs it j. ucces-
/ sary to have our goods brought across from the
/ East in hurry. but much of them could come
! by water BY our present arrangement with the
railroads We must give them all our freights
/ which amounts to $4,000 10 1900 per month
DO not think the system is to any extent, detri-
mental to the shipping Interests of the State
1t may be. III some particulars 50 l. 1t detrimen-
tai to the Ship-oWuerS for farmers TO send their
! wheat by rail 10 New Orleans, and thence 10
/ Europe, instead OF by ocean freight from san
Francisco.
/ To Senator Nctiure-Our firm feel perfectly
! free to get our freight by water when We con-
/ slider II to our interest to do 50 We may make
: inc tidliSt ANY Unit htI'ildlIlN art Ltt tb-
creed into these special contracts. They make
/ them voluntarily. and may throw them up when
( they please.
/ classes of freight We get no different tariff
/ from Others who do not deal in agricultural i'm
plemcnts. Baker II Hamilton think they could
/ do better by shipping around the Horn. yet they
/ have Il special contract. HolbrOOk, Merrill II
StetSOn ship by water because they say they can
| do better than by rail, even under special con
tract. If il costs the farmer 10 shilingS per ton
/ to ship his wheat To Liverpool by water. and
1 the railroad company will take it by way Of New
/ Orleans for = shIllings. every farmer having
/ wheat to send viii ship il by the latter route.
/ Human nature il about the same among farmers
| a. among merchants. The special contract sys-
Z TEN i more in favor OF the interior merchants
/ than those of san Francisco The country mer-
/ chants demanded the privilege of having such
| contracts, which they considered to be IN their
/ interest. Am told there j. IL difference III rates
J in favor of the SAN Francisco merchants but, on
! the whole the system ttvorS interior merchants.
Mr.. Hawlcy examined AZ great length by
/ MeSSrs. Whitney, Mcclure, Nrooman, Sullivan,
| Murphy and other members Of the committee
! concerning the workings of the special contract
system The general tenor of Mr. HaWlcys evil
/ dence to the effect that the san Francisco
merchants generally preferred the special con
tract system. although they would like to have
it confined u Themselves. He said it was posi-
bl" for certain interior cities 10 take nom san
! Francisco tuHtlrr the contract system the larger
/ share of imports as they could reach interior
/ communities earlier and at les expense. In
/ this particular they would like to have the sys
/ TEN amended
/ At the conclusion Of Mr. HuwIcy's testimony
/ the committee adjourned until 10 O'Clock this
4 morning
And now comes another large wholesale
! dealer of san francisco. Marcus G. Hawlcy,
/ who-althougH he likes the special contract eys-
| TEN acknowledgements with Mr.. Harrison that
! the large importers of the metropolis should
/ alone enjoy its benefits. He says 1t j. building
up the business. Of Sacramento stockton,
( MurySvii!c, and other interior wholesale