The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1891-10-30
LAND AND WATER ROUTES.

If there is any truth in the report that the
Traffic Association c0ntemplates taking
$4,000, 600 in bonds to insure the cOnstruc-
ton of competing railroad to this city we
NAV assume that the committee will make
their offer conditional upon the mainte-
nance of whatever line it gives financial as
sistance to, independent of the TranSeoa-
tinental Association. The amount of bonds
report says the committee propose to sub
scribe for will not give the California bond
holders any considerable voice in the man
agement of any transcontinental railroad.
1t is probable, however, that with tie
amount of freight the California Traffic AS
ISOLATION will nave the routing Of, it Will be
able to provide against railroad comblna-
ton against the State. Meantime, good
deal may be done in the way of atfording
relief to our producers. Not much time nor
a very large amount of capital would be re-
Qured to establish water routes which
would carry our heavier products to their
Eastern market. The value of water routes
should not be estimated by the influence
these routes have had upon freight trans
portation in tie recent past The policy of
the railroad company, as is well known. has
been To buy off opposition lines and add tile
cost to freight and passenger charges. But
any line the Traffic Association may
establish Will not of course be for
sale. The principal object of its existence
will be to get our products to market at the
lowest possible cost. The streams of this
State might be used to much greater eN-
tent than they are. Tie cost of restoring
them to their original condition would be
made up by one years use under man
agement that made the interests OF pro-
ducers its chief consideration. With proper
representation there should not be much
difficulty in getting an appropriation from
the General Government. Water routes are
the cheapest means of conveyance known
TO men when equally as direct as land
routes. Vessels even make the crcuitouS
and dangerous trip around Cape Horn and
underbid land transportation companies
on all kinds of freight that are not affected
by the lapse of time. Certain products,
such as fruit in its natural condition, VIII
seek the quickest route at whatever cost,
but the bulk Of freight can be carrled to
market more cheaply by water than by land.
1t is not suggested. OF course, that railroads
may be dispensed with. The proposition
before the public is to take from these land
transportation companies the power to Tx
freight rates on both land and water. On
all products which the railroads can handle
to better advantage than water transporta-
ton companies they will continue to fix
rates. Even with a railroad working in the
interests of our producers the cost of land
transportation per mile would be greater
than the cost of water transportation. 1t is
quite time that the State should put itself
in a position to reap the benefit of its
natural channels of transportation. They
have been partially closed for many years
by the policy of the land transportation
companies In buying off opposition. Hav-
ing found what monopoly leads to we
should now be ready to adopt means to pre-
vent railroad dictation in the future