The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1891-06-10
ALONG THE RAIL.
Discrimination Claimed In Rates
on Tea.
The Southern Pacific Will Contest Recent
Ruling = Computing Mileage
Overland Travel.

The Southern Pacific Company is about
to contest recent ruling of the Interstate
commerce Commission before the highest
court in the land. 1t is about little tea,
and unless favorable decision is received
at the hands of this body Vice. President
Stubbs says that the company will go out of
tea with an alacrity as marvellous as marked
that corporations retirement from the po-
litical field. About year ago number of
tea importers Of this city found fault with
the railroad companies handling overland
traffic were, in the matter Of rates on tea,
aud charged that they were violating the
fourth section of the interstate commerce
law governing the long an short haul.
The merchants complained Of alleged dis
elimination in rates on teas shipped from
San Francisco to transcoutinental points,
as compared with rates from and to the
same points on teas shipped on through bills
Of lading from China and Japan. One of
the strongest examples given by the tea
men to prove the business of their claim is
the one that, under existing conditions, an
Eastern house can import tea from Yoko-
hama and ship-it as far west as Kansas City
and compete with San Francisco merchants.
This they are enabled to do because the
rate on tea from Japan to New York is / y
cents a pound, and from this city to the
same point cents pound.
EFFECT OF THE COMBINATION.
By this strange combination San Fran
cisco merchants could ship teas from here
to Yokohama and back again on through
bills of lading TO New York for less than
20 per cent of what it costs them to ship
from San Francisco to New York direct. As
the through rate from China or Japan to
transcontinental points is IL cents per
pound, and the steamship companies re-
ceive 1878 per cent of this, the railroad COM
panies actually are paid only / cent per
pound, or one-third of the amount which
they charge San Francisco tea importers for
the same service.
The tea people claim that this diserimina-
ton is so great as to entirely cut off San
francisco merchants from the tea business
east of the Rocky Mountains, and the ques-
ton they raise Is this: Should not the rail
ROADS, as common carriers. accept freight
from the merchants of San Francisco on the
same terms as they accep; ii from the steam
ship companies? With this explanation the
tea men HE'D themselves to the Chamber Of
commerce, and that body esD0uSed their
cause with vig0r.
memorial was addressed the Interstate
Commerce Commission, setting forth the
facts above noted. This was about one
year ago. A few months since the Commits
soners decided the case in favor of the
merchants, but the company has taken no
step to revise the rates in accordance with
tile decision, and the case will soon have an
airing IN the Supreme Court.
COMPUTATION OF MILEAGE
A special committee of eighteen members
of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engi-
neers Is in the city for the purpose of arriv-
Ing at some understanding with the Southern
Pacific Company as to the methods of COM
putting mileage. A conference was held yes
day afternoon with MeSsrs Fillmore and
Pratt, but nothing definite resulted and it
may be week before the matter is settled
Since the adoption Of the last wage-schedule
there has been considerable friction between
the company'S officials and engineers as to
the Interpretation of this agreement with
reference to mileage.
TALK OF NEW ROAD.
1t is reported that the Santa Fe road, in
San Diego County, via Temecula Pass, is
about to be abandoned AMI new road hav-
Ing an easier grade constructed. The Es-
condido division will intimately be ex-
tended to San Diego via Bernardo and
Poway.
Following is the report of overland pas
sengerS East and West via the Southern
Pacific lines during the month of May,
1891: =