The morning call., 1893-04-16

Iotal .--..s..s--.-....-----..- .........-.95.20o
The Mexico and Keweenaw OH their re-
turn trips Will get nearly all of this, rs
southern planters, except when they are
obliged to ship by the Pacific Mail, are mold
ing II for the rival company.
The republic nf Guatemala has no love for
the Southern Pacifc-Pacifc Mail combina-
ti0n. The Government OF that county,
some years ago gave A subsidy for the build
ing OF the Guatemala Central Railroad.
which line is controlled by c. 2. Huntington
ia the interest of the Pacific Mail, pra-
sumaby. In the original agreement it was
stipulated that the builders should main Ia in
"a fair schedule of rates, and this is the
way they have kept their contract:
From San Jose de Guatemala to the capt.
tai Is eighty-twO miles. part of the road be-
ing up an easy grade.
EsQuintla is half way to the capital. and
IS the principal shipping point for coffee for
that section. 1t costs more to snip sack of
coffee from Esquintla to the seaport than IL
would TO ship it from New York to San
dusky, Ohio.
Mr. Huntington does not like 10 put the
screws on California too suddenly. so in our
own fair State. and by the grace of the
Southern Pacific, said sack of coffee could
be shipped from this city to Bakersfield
900 miles) for about the same price as the
fair schedule of rates" of the Guatemala
Central would admit Of it being carried
about forty miles.
Sh ould you desire to travel from Guate-
mala's seaport to the capital. and would
do so via the Guatemala Central, SIS
American gold will be required to transport
you over the eighty-four miles of line or
nearly 18 cents per mile.
IL is a good thing for Central America
that their railroads are short or the "fair
schedule of rates" would bankrupt the
country.
Should Nj. Huntington ever take It into
his head to force matters and try to compel
shippers to ship goods straight through. via
the Guatemala Central ana the Pacific
Mail, there are mules enough In Central
America to make the biggest Kick against
high tariffs that Mr.. Huntington ever had
aimed at any of his enterprises, for coffee
would be transported by mule teams from
Esquintla for about half the price it costs
to ship ii by rail.
At this time last year every Mail steamer
arriving at this port carried merch andise to
the full limit of her tonnage.
This year Central Americans are only
willing to give the Pacific Mail steamers n
few sacks OF coffee and stray log or so of
mahogany.
Three successive vessels OF the Mail line
have entered this port from Panama prac-
tically empty within the last two weeks.
A leading shipper said yesterday that in
few months the Mail Company's pursers
could. II they we're at all expert as penmen,
break the record of the man who wrote the
constitution of the United States in a circle
the size OF a dollar by engraving the mani
fest of their cargoes on the smoothed side of
a dime.
News has been received that the Cham
perico and Retalhutla coffee planters will,
in spite of any offers made by the Mail
Company. give their coffee to the opposition
company. This is good news for the North
American Navigation people, as the dis
tricts named ship nine-tenths of the coffee
exported from the republic OF Guatemala.
From Retalhutla TO Champerico-the latter
Is tbs seaport-there is a railroad owned
and operated by II French syndicate, who
will not make any combination whatever
with the Guatemala Central
1t is understood that Mr.. Huntington once
tried to buy controlling interest in this
road. so as to charge some of his "fair
schedules of rates" for goods shipped from
the Champerico district.
What golden opportunity was lostI 1t
was very good thing for the mules of
Spanish America that he did not accomplish
his purpose, for the people of the interior
would not have patronized nor tolerated any
such opportunity, and the ever-patient and
faithful donkey would have had to do all
the work.