The daily morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1883-1899, 1889-02-06
A FEW FIGURES.
That May Be Of Some Interest
To the Members OF the Legislature.


Anything that tends to throw of
the incubus Of high charges is a glad
J relief in the effort to compete with
other places where these shackles
have not, as yet, been forged.
"If pilotage remains what it is,'
pathetically pleads the OTegOnian,
"towage and lighterage must be done
for nothing"
i But as bill has been introduced
into the senate lowering pilotage %
per cent; as the pilot commissioners,
and pilots themselves favor this bill,
it is fair to suppose that the pilotage
will be reduced, and the dreadful al
Tentative not be occasioned Of forcing
the o. r. & n. %. into bankruptcy.
To dispose of that let us presume
that pilotage will be, reduced, and
that, so far as that is concerned, the
o. Il. & n. Co., will be kept out of
"the grasp Of the Northern Pacific"
But how about some other charges,
all OF which are paid by the pro-
ducer," the dear producer, over which
the Portland press and people shed SO
many tears?
Let us have
FEW FIGURES
In addition to those which are furn-
ished by our astute Portland contem.
porary.
The German bark J. II. NicOldi,
1,03S tons, sailed from here, grain
laden, last month. Her master fur
nishes the following:
Draft of water, inward bound, 13
feet.
Draft of water, outward bound, 20
feet, 6 inches.
Custom house fees at Astoria. S 4 90
Towage from sea to Portland
and to sea, INCLUDING PI-
| LOTAGE $50 90
Use Of hawser, inward 500; out
Waro ................... ~ UU
Lighterage, 5S8S sacks OF wheat. 1856 90
Dockage in Portland. ....... 10 90
Dockage in Astoria. ........ 10 10
Moving from dock to stream. 10 90
Brokerage and attendance at
custom house, Astoria. 80. 25 90
Stevedoring 420 tons of ballast
and 1,474 tons of wheat. 49,. 1852 90
Lining, including lumber and
labor ...............3 $50 90
Surveyors, Portland and As
toria ....................... 30 90
Hauling ballast in Portland. . 126 90
Escorting captain to custom
house in Portland. ....:..... 80 90
COMMISSIONS FOR. CHAR
TER GROSS FREIGHT Of
1,474 tons at per cent. e.
685.2:10 at $484 per E, IN
PORTLAND. 1896 At
In these figures Captain Dress
either lies or he tells the truth. (This
is statement that it is believed will
not admit OF successful contradiction
He says these figures are exact and
truthful.
The full significance of the charges
on this little vessel are not apparent
at first glance. This bark of 1,038
tons paid for towage and pilotdge
$3.50. and paid to Portland for cleri-
cal duties S945. The $3.50 for tow.
age AND PILOTAGE was just
awful. The 0. r. & N. Co. got the
most of it; true the pilotage and tow
age was an absolute necessity, but
then the money received didn't all,
every last cent of it go to Portland.
Hence these steers. What difference
il the pilots and tug boat men did
have to brave storm and sleet and
wind and rough weather, tossed on
the billows and up at all hours,
catching food and sleep as they could.
That's nothing. Serves 'em right for
not living in Portland.
But the S945.
"Oh that's all right. That went to
Portland, don't you know"
What fort
Clerk hire.
That's ALL
"Get bottle OF ink and chair and
a desk, and a pen. collect S945 from q
vessel, for clerical labor; that's all
right-so as the S945 is kept in Port
land. Addition, division aud silence,
you know. For Gods sake don't
give it away. It's too good"
But so long as the money is col
lected in and for Portland the "bur-
dens on Columbia river commerce."
over which the OregO7ltdR grows so
fearful, are ignored. The OregoniaR
is too busy looking down the river
this way to see what burdens" are
imposed and what jobs are put up
on Front street.
This is only "a mere generality"
"Men and brethren" as the Ore
CONTAIN would say, let US be honest.
Quit playing the bypocrite. We Of
Astoria are with you in an honest, all
round effort to help matters, but
don't suppose you can keep back
facts or hoodwink the people.
| One story is good till another is
told.
| We charge the Oregoatan with
deliberate suppression OF q part OF
the facts and a deliberate attempt to
create prejudice and present a biased
and interested statement to the leg
islature while prating piously about
"the necessity for taking the burdens
Of commerce off the Columbia"
We concede to the paper its stead,
fast advocacy of Portland's selfish
and narrow interests. That's bust
ness. 1t probably has to do it, and
does it we'll.
But we appeal to that broader view,
that less limited horizon, that liberal
appreciation of fact and circumstance
that should characterize So great a
| journal, and should canGa IL IN dis