The morning call., 1892-03-16

1893 .-.-....---.-..-.--.--.. ifo,>%o
ISS3.................... i4S'9oo
1890. ............................. 12O,SO1
or dozen merchants who were seen by
CALL reporters yesterday, every one agreed
that San Francisco's tea trade ought to be
ten times what it is.
Not another city in America is more
favorably situated for the handling of tea.
Not another city in America is more
harshly Disseminated against by the rail-
roads and by the steamship lines.
PORTL4ND'S ADT4NT4GE.
The Rates Are Greatly in Faror Of the
Northern City.
''By long odds Portland is the best dis
tributing point on the Pacific seaboard for
Oriental imports, and especially so for tea."
The speaker was F. a. Wheeler, one of
the largest tea-dealers on the coast. The
sentiment expressed. however, voices the
opinions of fully score of large imnorters
of Oriental goods who were interviewed
yesterday.
"A great deal of the tea am now hand
ling is brought down here from Portland,
after making the trip from Yokohama by
one of the Union Pac!fic's steamer. Our
firm represents the largest teahouse in
Japan, and were the conditions favorable
We could do a splendid business right here
in San Francisco. As it is now the only
profit there is in handling tea is when it
is received at and distributed from Portland.
That is the truth of the matter, and when
that has been said all that can be has been
said"
At this point Mr.. Wheeler declined to
talk further on the subject. He didn't
dare to talk about il, he sad, for when he
got started his feelings got the better Of
him and he never knew when to stop.
But the readers OF The CALL are inter-
ested in the matter, Mr.. Wheeler, and there
is every probability that the more publicity
the thing has the sooner will public opinion
be strong enough TO find a way TO mend the
wrong"
Thus appealed to, Mr. Wheeler con Id not
but give way to the feelings that were all
but consuming him.
"Why. sir" he said, ''it's fearful out
rage. San Francisco is being despoilrd in
wholesale way by the rapacity of these
two monopolles. the Pacific Mail Steamship
Company and the Southern Pacific Railroad.
We must be a race of slaves to have stood 1t
patiently SO long We are not losing the
Oriental trade. Don't make that mistake
We have already lost it. It's gone from US
and can never be regained TIL this dscrim-
nation is put stop to by some means. L
think HE CALL is going at IL in the right
way. Ii all the other papers would but do
the same, we'd soon tnd way out of the
woods. That cartoon IN The CALL last
Sunday represents things just exactly as
they are. That picture mas been the talk Of
the street
particulars? Yes, you want some parti-
| culars Wen, let me tell you how Portla nd
| has captured the tea trade The Pacific
| Mail steamers demand $40 ton for carry
! ing tea from Japan. That is equal to about
| IA cents a pound, for there are only about
| S9O pounds OF tea in ton. 1t is shipped by
measurement, you know. forty cubic feet
i being considered a ton. When the tea is
| packed in large boxes that measurement is
pretty nearly right, but most or the tea we
/ get comes in small packages and the wood
! IN the boxes eats up the weight. Put the
| average down at Il cents pound from
| Yokohama. That is fair. Now from San
! Francisco to Ogden, Omaha or Kansas City,
! or any OF the Eastern distributing points the
| railroad charges 81 30 per 100 pounds in car
| load lots. That brings the freight bill up
! to 50 so. say 81 rs per ton.
Now what do you suppose the Portland
| importer pays TO land his tea at Ogden
| Without previous knowledge of the subject
| you could never guess. One aud three
eighths cents a pound is the total cost
| of bringing tea from Yokohama to Ogden.
! Now do you see why Portland is doing all
the tea business? Figure it out in this
style" and Mr. Wheeler put his feelings,
which were really too deep for words, on
| paper, with this result:
One pound tea from Japan TO the Mis-
souri, Rirer rid san Francisco. PA
One pound tea from Japan to the Mis-
s0ttfi Kicer rid Portland. .............. .I3s,
Tie difference. .-.I2s,
THAT difference of 1% cents pound is
| what makes 1t profitable to the Portland
| merchants to import tea and improbable
| for the San Francisco merchants.
| " But that isn't all. BY the northern
! route the importer can lay his tea down in
| New York City cheaper than the San Fran
| cisco merchant can get his to Ogden. From
| Yokohama to New York via Portland tht
rate is from u to cents pound. or from
| three-quarterS to one-half cent less than
the rate from Yokohama to Ogden via San
| Francisco"
I'D. es the fault lie with the steamship
| company or with the raIrOad?"
with both. They work hand in hand tt
| rob the people OF California and ruin bel
| commerce. If an organization were TO be
| formed for the sole purpose Of running San
| Francisco as a seaport its promoters would
! have TO think long and deep to devise a bet
ter method than the one now directed
against rs by the steamship company and
the railroad. The geographical 81 tuation o
| San Francisco should alone make this por
| the distributing point for all merchandise
from China and Japan. The steamship
company alone could not make San Fran
cisco play second fiddle to Portland. ou
with the aid of the railroad they have theil
deaths hand on our harbor
mo; we don't need a competing line o1
steamers from the Orient as badly as we dc
competing railroad. We coud and would
put ON 'sailers' TO bring our freight from
| China and Japan, ii that would avail any
| thing. la fact, we have done that already
! in several instances, but the railroad:
capacious nav swallowed up all the profits
I GU see, the railroads rate from here Il
Ogden is greater than the northern rat'
from Yokohama to New York. OF cOurS,
the steamship line kicked good deal wheI
we brought the tea over by sail and refused
us a rebate on other commodities. w,
must let them do all our business or none
Well, it wouldn't kin US to accept the alter
native. Besides, we could do as we do
great deal nOw-haye the tea brought 0vel
on the Upton steamers 10 Portland ant
then bring ii down here on coasters. Rattle
roundabout way, it; but the saving
Is considerable.
Still, as / say, the railroad is leaguet
with the steam ship company, and save as W
may o. might on the ocean freight, the over
land charges make il impossible for us Z
compete with Portland"
"Why are rates so much cheaper by wa
OF POrtland?"
Competition, competition. There ar
three steamship lines from the Orient t
Portland and Victoria. Perhaps it woul
be better to put it this way: There ar
four overland routes and each has its cor
Meeting line of steamers. The overlan
routes are the Northern Pacific, the Cans
dian Pacific the Union Pacific or the Shor
Line. The Union Pacific has a steame
service, known as the Upton line. compris
ing the Sussex, Zambesia and Batavia"
Have there been any big consignment
of tea lately 2"
by way OF San Francisco? No, ther
have not, but ! can tell you OF San Fran
cisco merchant who is handling, in Por
land. mind you. 5000 packages OF tea fr0r
Yokohama that just arrived by the Upto
line"
Mr. Wheeler is personally and pecunial
lily interested in this freight discriminate
matter and feels strongly on the mattel
Unless things are battered in some way h