The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1892-03-17
IN ORJECT LESSON.

Tie revelations in yesterdays CALL of
;he inner working Of the tea trade have
surprised the plbuc, bnt 10 those who were
posted on the course Of commerce they con-
veyed no new information. It has long
been an open secret that the tea trade,
Ike the coffee trade, is slipping cut Of the
hands Of this city, and that when the new
Tefneries are built at Vancouver the sugar
trade viii follow. More packages of tea
were landed on the wharves of San Fran
cisco SIX years ago than are landed now.
The exact figures are 154, 3j3 packages in
1891, against lIo,697 ID 1856. In 1890 only
I-G sol packages were received. The pOpu-
lalion Of the Coast and ofthe back country
which is supplied from the Coast has in
creased about % per cent in the last six
wears; bat the receipts Of tea have fallen off.
Trade which should have come to US has
gone elsewhere, carrying with it the employ
melt for capital and labor which trade
creates. Our decay is gradual. but it is
steady
When an effort is made to find what has
become Of the tea trade which should
have come here, but did not, we find that 1t
has been distributed between New York,
Portland, Oregon, and Vancouver CITY,
British steamsnip-ow have their ships
a. -AtsALNs A4l-i AABl4-f JAdil- tdis Ot even
Yokohama, carry tea through the Suez
Canal, and lay it down, via New York, at
Missouri River points for less money than
the Southern Pacific and its allies carry
it from Shanghai or Yokohama to san Fran
cisco, and thence by rail to Omaha. Again.
TIE Canadian Pacific steamers ill I'D
with tea at oa0hama, carry it &c Vanc0u-
Yer. and lay i; down over the Canadian
y scfGa nd 5tz Of g.
less money than orr carriers; and still
again, the Union Pacific with its maritime
ally, the Upton line Of steamers, carry
tea from tie same point in Japan, and lay
ii down at Salt Lake City for exactly one
half the money which the Pacific Nail. the
Oriental and Occidental line, and the South
ern Pacific Railroad exact for the same SER
vice. This is very remarkable showing
indeed.
If tie Union Pacific can carry tea from
Yokohama to Salt Lake City for IA cents a
pound how comes it that the Southern Pa
cifc cannot perform the same service for
less than %! cents? 1t is not to be sup
posed that the Union Pacific is doing the
work for sport or philanthropy. And,
again, how does it come about that English
steamship-owners can carry tea IS, 900 miles
for less money than the Southern Pacific
can carry il 500 miles?
But the principal reason Of the inability
Of the Southern Pacific managers to COM
pete with rivals is that their minds are in
tent on other things. Their thoughts are
eagrossed in politics. They have to elect,
or they think they have to elect, United
States Senators, Governors. State Legisla-
lures. Judges and Railroad Commissioners {;
with so much work on their hands they
have no time to devote to the business of
transportation. They rule the Stata d0mi-
nate elections. control Judges, Legislatures
and officials generally. But the triumph is
bought at the cost of traffic. which, if
properly fostered. would enrich them, their
city and their State. And the misfortune is
that while the people would share the profits
OF that traffic if it were stimulated they de-
rive no benefit whatever from the monopoly
Of political power enjoyed by the railroad.