The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1890-07-19
THE WAR IN RATES.
Victoria to Be a Steamship
Port Of Call.
STATEMENT or THE SITUATION.
Manager Rice, Of the Pacific Mall,
Tells why the Competition
May Begin.

May Begin.
Mr.. @. Fl. Rice, who for the past fifteen
years has had charge Of the traffic of the
Pacific Mail and Occidental d Oriental
line of steamships at sar Francisco. has
been on the Sound for several days and has
now gone to Victoria His visit here Is an
important one in many ways, as il heraids
q probable war Of rates on Trans-Pac1flc
steamers, and also is the forerunner Of
scheme which viii make Victoria the
northern headquarters possibly Of two lines
OF ocean steamers, whose dates OF arriving
and leaving would be so near that hardly
q week would eIapse without az ocean
racer being anchored somewhere on the
Sound.
At Victoria Mr.. Rice was interviewed by
o reporter OF the Victoria Times, and large
amount of mountaineering information was
obtained. In this interview it il stated
that primarily the reason of Mr. Rice's
visit to Victoria Is to sound the leading
business men Of the city upon the prog
poets Of business here for the lines OF boats
he represents. and also to appoint local
agents to act for the company. The Times
then gives the following interesting and
probably accurate statement Of the situa-
ton:
This action of the Pacific Mail has been
caused mainly by the request of the Canadian
Pacific that they be paid bonus Of fI44.ooo per
annum 70 keep away from San Francisco. For
some mouths past agreement has been IN
force between the two companies providing that
the Canadian Pacific railway boats should have
sil the Oriental trade north of the state line OF
California, and that the Washington and Ore
gon trade should be theirs, as well ~ the
British Columbia Lately. however. the Cans
dian Pacific has announced that their next
steamer from the Orient, the Abyssinia. would
carry passengers and freight from Hong Kong.
Yokohama and Oriental ports 70 San Francisco,
via Vancouver. and that the same vessel would,
on her return 10 japan, call at Frisco for freight
and passengers. She II expected TO arrive at
San Francisco about August %, and viii be fol-
lowed by the Batavia. Bell isle, Parthia and
Sussex.
The Pacific Mail have anticipated this move
by invading the territory hitherto occupied by
the Canadian Pacific railroad. and that 10 Just
what Traffic Manager Rice Il here for. Through
the agency here the company win endeayor to
get q part OF the heavy -four shipments from
Oregon TO the Orient, and agencies viii also be
established in China and Japan, where IL win
bid for business to Vancouver and northern
ports, beside its regular overland carrying trade
70 New York of tea and silk. The Canadian Pa
cific has been a bold bidder for this trade for
some time. and with the help of their trans
continental road have already handled large
amount OF IT,
Manager Rice says that when the demands OF
the Canadian Pacific railroad for the bonus OF
sl440C0 were first made, he recommended
ANAL subsidy. He also supported by
George Gould, president of the Pacific Mail
line, but the latter's displacement from the
presidency followed soon afterwards, and upon
the demands OF the Canadian Pacific railroad
for either fight or . bonus. Mr.. Rice answered
for his line. I'VE will give you all the fight you
want Mr.. Rice further states that Ii d the
present intention OF the Pacific Mail to run all
its China steamers to this port Until the outer
wharf 10 finished they viii anchor Just OF IL
The China feet of the company now consists of
the China. City of Picking and City of Rio de
Janeiro, all Of which are magnificent vessels of
1000 tons carrying capacity, and speed OF six
teen knots can easily be obtained. The China
is scotch built vessel the others American.
The China. which ID said to be one OF the finest
ocean passenger vessels In the world, il a CON-
paranvely new boat and cost over 81 100000.
The boats win stop of the outer wharf, and
win not for the present 60 to Vancouver or Ia
coma, and an effort will be made 30 concentrate
the whole volume of the Sound and Oregon
trade at Victoria, slthough Mr.. Rice says this
win depend largely on the action of local steam
boat lincz, who viii have 10 act as feeders for
the ocean boats. II the former work in har-
mony with the latter. Victoria will be the cen
fral point OF transhfpmenf, but II they are arbi-
trary, the ocean liners will have to 90 TO VAN
couver and Tacoma, and a struggle for the trade
is to be made.
II has not yet been decided fully whether the
boats Of the o. & o. line viii come north or not
This viii greatly depend on the volume of trade
Offering, but this company and the Pacific Mail
sre in harmony and viii assist each other in
everything, and il the competition of the c.
r. X. steamers Is so great that the whole force
OF the two lines needs to be put on IL
win be done The C. p. B. line claims that
save some Oregon -four shipments ii gets very
little western-bound freight, while annually
100000 tons, representing revenue OF $780,
000 is taken by the American lines from San
Francisco. and 1t argues that a money compen-
safion must be paid 10 IL or IL will enter San
Francisco for business On the other hand the
Pacific Mail people assert that the Canadian line
isoniy tramp line, and has nothing in common
with the Canadian Pacific railroad, which will
dispense with the boats as soon as the charters
are expired, as its own new steamers viii be
ready by that time, and in view of the fact that
these boats are soon to be dispensed with by the
G. p. X. they are endeavoring TO make a bride
payable for good behavior In the matter OF rate
cutting
The war, II once started. will no doubt be
bitter one. and prices are almost certain to go
down in freights 10 the Orient from the s. they
are now TO e., or perhaps $3.50, and Chinese
steerage westward from s5l to $3.50 and east
ward to s25 Mr. Rice, the gentleman who is
now here to conduct the preliminary business,
is q veteran manager. and has been identified
for the past twenty years with the freight traffic
OF the Coast, having come from Chicago twenty
years ago to take charge of the Southern Pacific
railway traffic After FIVE years In that CON-
pany he took service with the Pacific Mail and
Occidental and Oriental lines, which position
he has since held His stay in Victoria viii be
for q day or two, during which time he will
look about as to the prospects. Miss Rice, his
daughter. is with him.