The morning call., 1893-04-15
TRAFFIC TROUBLES
Stubs Reductions Cut No
Figure Yet.
NAVIGATION PEOPLE CALM.
The Panama Railroad Wants Only
Patronage-An Empty Pacific Mail
Steamer Arrives.

"All this bluster about freight wars to
come and big reductions to be made seems
to me to be very much Of a bluff on the
part of the Southern Pacific Company"
said Traffic Manager Leeds yesterday aft
ernoon in discussing the trans sentimental
rate situation with n CALL reporter, and
then in his own characteristic way he went
on to explain what he meant.
You have doubtless noticed" he said,
that Mr.. Stubbs has telegraphed his re-
dueed rates on wool, borax. etc, to Chi
cago In order to have them confirmed b.
the transcon tinental freight committee.
Now, it may be Just possible that this
committee will not approve OF the cuts Mr..
Stubbs proposes TO make, and they are
quite likely to tell him to leave things as
they are and not to provoke a war OF rates
"Ihe Southern Pacific cannot very well
afford to act contrary to such advice, il it is
given, because by doing so they would an
tagonize the other roads, and would put
themselves into the position of having to
pay local rates to Chicago. while all the
Eastern competitors would combine against
tnem and carry freight 10 Chicago at re-
duced rates.
TINS is probably the reason why Mr..
Stubbs wisely put a fifteen days saving
clause to his reduced tariff.
1T makes heap of difference whether
man who says he will jump off a over does
IL right oil, or whether lie only announces
that he will do 1t in Il few weeks time.
There is many slip 'twixt the cup and
the lid, Is the old saying, and as far as we
are concerned we shall simply wait and see
what Is going to happen. before we take
action in the matter"
In room 46 of the same building in which
the Iraific Association has its headQuar-
ters very quiet stranger recently opened
an Office
his name is E. q. Hinton, and ho is
neither more nor less than the Panama Rail-
roads duly accredited local agent, sent out
mere Tor the express purpose of representing
the interests of that concern in this city.
Mr.. Hinton is not much given to talking,
ana when IHE CALL man intervie wed him
yesterday be preferred TO deal largely in
negatives to making any disclosures.
Ihe Panama road Is here to solicit all
the business IL can get, and that Is what
they have sent me here for" is all Mr..
hinton had TO say, stating at the same time
that all other information that may be de-
sired ought to be sought in New York,
where bis companY's headquarters are
located.
Captain Merry. the president Of the
North American Navigation Company,
SAID his company was In a very prosperous
condition and that the North American
Navigation Company was not looking for
war, but for patronage only.
we are carrying all the freight our ships
are able to load. Our road lies on the deep
blue sea, where costly railroad tracks need
~
chased, said he, and with a smile he added,
we also have no wateTed stock and no
bonds with per cent interest to carry"
The Pacific Mail C0mpany's steamship
City OF Panama arrived yesterday from the
isthmus with total cargo of 51S TONS 1000
tons less than her registered capacity, and
three cabin and two seerage passengers.
No more striking object lesson than this
can possibly be offered OF how the fOrmer
monopoly has degensrated and how little
tina neUDln lOnppr n
since the North American Nav gat on Com
pany has started TO do business.
SIX months ago if Pacific Mail steamer
had come into port with less than 600 tons
of freight there would have been no end of
conferences among the directors of the
company. But matters have changed con-
slderably OF late since the North American
Navigation Company began 10 get In its
work on freight rates.
The Mall Company seems perfectly will
ing to accept the inevitable, feeling assured
that its ally, the Southern Pacific, will pull
II out of the deep hole into which they have
recently fallen.
II is very serious matter when steamer
comes in with few tons of coffee, few
bundles Of old copper and last but not
least one sack OF ordinary white BEANS as
the Panama did this time from ports which
are shipping thousands Of pounds of mer-
chandlse to San Francisco by water.
There Is nc doubt that the Central Amer
leans are holding over their coffee, sugar
dye woods, fruit and hard woods to ship by
tile rival line in spite of the fact that the
recent reduction of rates by the Pacific
Mail were cabled all over South and Gen.
tral America.
Another remarkable fact Is the absence
of any goods from South America via the
City of Panama. Heretofore the Pacific
Mail has been getting a large tonnage via
the Chilean Navigation Company's steamer,
but even this source of supply appears to
have been cut off.
One year ago this month the Mall
steamer brought on an average twenty-five
cabin and fifty s;eerage passengers every
trip. The Panama brought total of five.
The steamer City of New York. which
sails to-day, will take down about 1900 tons,
nearly all Of which Is practically the over
flow from the Keweenaw.
The Traffic Association will at once take
steps TO carry the pro visions of the Griffith
resouton-which asks for the building of a
narrow-gauge road from Bakersfield to
St0ekton-into effect.
A preliminary survey of the field made by
some of the members of the executive com
mittee resulted in the pleasing discovery
that there are lots of capitalists ready to
back the enterprise. so that there will be
little difficulty about raising the necessary
money.