The daily morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1883-1899, 1888-07-01
TOwAGE AND PILOTAGE.
Some Matters That Concern Astoria.


Some Matters That Concern Astoria.
The o. r. & N. Co. has announced
that it will put tugs ON the Columbi;
bar and river and that the schedule
of rates from the sea to Portland anC
out to sea again shall be as follows
Vessels under 800 tons register....S So
Vessels 800 to 1000 ... 90(
Vessels 900 to LOO " ... 95(
Vessels l 200 to 1,4C0 I" ,00(
Every 200 tons over 1,400. 0....... 81
The announcement states that this
will include towage and pilotage.
This is, to Astoria, an important
announcement in every respect. As
toria is left completely out of these
calculations; the matter of bar and
river pilotage is put as a matter too
insignificant to be noticed; the change
does not place Astoria nor the Co.
lumbia river on equal footing with
the Sound; the plan is not in CON-
plete harmony nor in consonance with
the promise made by the eastern rail-
road magnates last January to the
visiting delegation from Portland;
the ability to do all that the o. r. &
n. Co. promises in the above an
nouncement under present circum-
stances except at financial loss, is not
apparent.
| Take the last vessel in-the NGtlCn0,
Of 1,106 tons register, drawing 13 feet
coming in and, say 20, going out.
The o. r. &. N. company announces
that it will take that vessel from out
side the bar to Portland and out
again for $3.50.
While this would be a big reduc-
tion over present rates it would leave
| comparatively little for the company.
As business proposition the COM
pany wouldn't play even on the work.
The Ndtu7ld'S 13 feet coming in
would be $40 for bar pilotage and
S52 for river pilotage; the pilotage
going out would be $50 river pilotage
down here and $50 from here to sea,
on the basis of that vessel drawing
90 feet when she leaves the river.
Here is 1922 pilotage, leaving $52S to
the company.
The bar pilotage rates are fixed by
law and can not be interfered with
except by the legislatures of Oregon
and Washington. Unless the COM
pany can secure lower bar pilotage
and modify or do away with river
pilotage, it cannot make any money
at its figures. To lower bar or river
lnt - 4 ,r,kh@,,k
branch of the service would be to get
the same class of service that poor
pay always secures.
1t may be that the o. II. & N. Co.
doesn't want to make any money out
of this lower river and bar business;
it may be that it will put this on as
an adjunct of the whole system of
the railroad, the same as a grocer
puts on horse and wagon to deliver
purchases, but if it expects to make
profit out of this branch of the bust
ness its expectations will not be real
lied. 1t will no more than pay ex-
penses, let alone the establishment of
a sinking fund for replacing of boats,
etc.
Here arises the old question of the
relative cheapness of loading vessels
OF Portland or Astoria. In this sched-
ule Astoria is ignored, as though it
were of no import, when the whole
strength of the situation, the whole
force of the o. r. & n. Co.'s effort,
rightly lies in the recognition of AS
toria as the suitable and proper place
to load the grain vessels, and that at
Astoria is the only point that can
safely and squarely compete with the
Sound on the basis of cheap loading
of grain foreign.
On this topic the Portland Neicy
of June 29th, says:
Our reporter visited one of the leading
shipping houses of this city, and to the
question, "Does the rate of towage and
lighterage established by the lessees of
the o. Il. d N. Co. from Portland to the
sea, permit of as cheap rate on the Co
lumbia river to the ocean as via Puget
SOund?' received the following reply:
"Take ship of from 400 TO 1,G00 tons.
The cost at this Iort is $l,050 for pilot
age and towage. At Tacoma the same
vessel can be piloted and towed for from
S400 TO 5000, SO there is from $400 to
$500 difference in favor of the latter
port"
1t is such well founded principle of
business competition, that the cheapest
III transportation always wins, and Port
land is left TO the unpleasant predica-
ment of discovering from the testimony
adduced. that the other route has the ad-
vantage over us.
Unless Portland is put on full parity
with Puget sound by the common carrier
that comes in competition with those
railroad connections tributary to Puget
sound, it is foolish to expect the business
of such competitive territory. With the
difference of even q cent n ton in favor
of Puget sound, Portland will therefore
lose large part of the territory east of
the Cascades, the grain shipments of
which, by the unerring law of the cheap
est, will 90 that way.
The chief cost in the long list of
port charges to vessel in the Co
lumbia river, will arise from the fact
that the vessels go to Portland for
their load. The usual answer of the
Portland press is that it is cheaper
to take the ship to the cargo than the
cargo to the ship. This has been
shown to be not universally the case.
This is the question for the o. r. &