The morning call., 1891-04-23
PILOrAGE CHARGES.

Things have come to a pretty pass when
the Chamber of Commerce of San Francisco &,
by practically unanimous vote, proposes
that this port shall abdieate its right of self
government, and resign it into the hands of
the Federal authorities. That is what the
chamber has done. Referring to the Pilot
age Act of last legislative session, which
goes into operation in spite of the protests of
the mercantile community, the chamber de-
nouuced the measure as one which was cal
culated to decrease the foreign commerce of
the port for the benefit of a few pilots, and
besought the Federal Government to take
charge of the business of piiotage, on the
ground that the pilots by the use OF money
controlled the State Government ami the
State Legislature.
The act in question provides that coasters
may OF may not take pilots and pay for
them, as they please; but that all other YES
sells shall, if they take a pilot, pay fee
which is regulated by tonnage and draught,
and if they do not take pilot shall pay half
that Zee. In other words the act imposes
on foreign vessels coming to San Francisco
an arbitrary tax for the emOlument of a
score of pilots, who, it is said, now make
$4,000 year each. a large proportion of
the sea captains who come here in search of
cargo or laden with coal from Australia,
tropical merchandise FROM the south, or coal
or lumber from the north,'are perfectly
competent to bring their vessels safely into
port The entrance of the harbOr is easy.
There is no tortuous channel nor hidden
rocks, nor shoals that are rot marked on the
charts. The bar is not dangerous, and there
is plenty Of deep water all round. Any able
seaman who has entered the bay two or
three times and has kept his wits about him
is as well able to bring a big ship from the
FarallOnes to the anchorage off Meiggs
Wharf as the most experienced pilot. Why
should he be forced to pay for what lie
does not want?
The object of the new law-Which, by the
way, makes San Francisco the dearest port
in the mercantile world to enter-waS to
enrich men who are rich enough already. A
San Francisco pilot is in receipt of an in
come about three times as large as that of
the master Of 40OO-ton steamer. They d.
vide among themselves about S230,00O a
year. But the effect of the law will be to
drive foreign ships away from port where
they are so outrageously robbed. Tacoma
is keenly alive TO the blunder we have
made, and is bestirring herself to make it
an object to foreign ships to enter her
waters instead of ours.
The main objection 10 the new law, how
ever, is that it is wrong in principle. San
Francisco lives, to large extent, on her
foreign commerce. Everything which adds
to that commerce adds to the business of
San Francisco increases her wealth and ex-
tends her capacity to consume labor.
Everything which tends to diminish that
commerce takes business from us and swells
the army of the unemployed. Every new
line of steamers should be tempted to make
this lis terminus, or at least place OF cali.
When the London docks were built it was
proposed to charge high rates for storage in
the admirable warehouses which surround
them. But the city of London said: Not
so. Let Us put the warehouse charges so low
that all the merchandise in the world shall
be tempted to come here" This was done,
and the consequence is that every imagin-
able non-periahable commodity can to this
day be found at the London ducks. and mer-
chants all over the world send there with
confidence for the merchandise they want.
Much of the commercial activity of the
great English port arises from this fact.