The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1894-03-17
ALL ONE : SIDED.
Coffee Cargoes for Last
Month.
Nine Times More Coffee Goes to
Panama for TranShipment Than
Comes to San Francisco.

The exact ignres of the amount of coffee
shipped from Central America via Colon
In Pacific Mail wayport steamers were re-
ceived yesterday. and must draw the
serious attention OF the business COM
munlty OF this city to very important
question. one which it is not too late to
remedy.
San Francisco is losing her grip on the
Central American coffee trade-that is,
that part of it that she formerly con-
trolled. and this seasons crop is nearly all
going 10 Europe via Colon or to New
York.
In the face OF reduced freight rates over
the line of the Pacific Mail Steamship
Company this statement seems hardly
creditable, but nevertheless 1t is true.
Four different lines Of steamers running
from Colon to Hamburg, Havre and Lon
don have. during the month of February,
carried, in transhipped coffee alone, 81, 1913
sacks of coffee beans, transferred to the
Panama Railroad by three Pacific Mail
steamers. and 42.62S sacks which were IN.
loaded from vessels belonging to indie
pendent lines.
This city has received for local distribu-
ii on and traDshipment 16,901 sacks of
uring that period one steamer more
arrived here of the Pacific Mail line than
there did at Panama during the same
month. In other words about nine times
as much coffee was shipped to Panama for
transnipment from Central America dur
ing the month of February than there was
shipped from Central America to San
| Francisco,
| 1t must be remembered that coffee
shipped to Europe from Guatemala or San
Salvador by Pacific Mail steamers Is sub
/ lected to seven separate taxations, viz.
Export tax, Mail Company's freight
charges. cost. of discharging at Panama.
| cost or wharfage q the same port, freight
charges of the Panama Railroad Com
pany, cost of Tightening at Colon, freight
charges to European port of destination
In spite of all these charges this same
coffee, which is sent to Europe over the
! roundabout route mentioned, is laid down
| In Western Canada and British Column ba
at cheaper price than ii could be sold at
| If it were shipped there via San Francisco.
! Why this is possible no one seems able to
discern.
Last season nearly three times as much
! coffee was shipped TO San Francisco up TO
March 10 as has been received here so far
this year. The prospects seem good for
gradual decrease of the trade until this
port shall handle absolutely none of the
| traffic.
Following are the cargoes of the Pacific
Mail wayport steamers for last February,
| showing the amount OF coffee transhipped
| at Panama for Colon. to- be sent TO New
York and Europe: Steamer San Juan ar
| rived at Panama on February q with
1864 sacks; steamer StarbucK arrived
February %. %, 400 sacks; steamer Colon
arrived February II, 1924 sacks. One
more steamer of the February fleet was
due the latter part of that month, but did
not arrive as expected
| San Francisco received by four vessels
| the following small shipments during the
same period: Per san Jose, February 20
/ 4124 sacks; per Acapulco, February II,
1857 sacks; per Saturn, February z, 1888
sacks, and by the San Bias, February 2,
4432 sacks.
The necessity of maintaining an opposi-
| ton line Of steamers between this city and
Panama that will stop regularly at inter-
walls of at least twice month at Central
American ports is obvious.
The one great fault. or rather misfor-
| tune, of the North American Navigation
Company's line, was It's inability to send
steamers regularly TO every Central Amer
lean p0r. on their up-trips. thus affording
the southern planters the opportunity to
take advantage of cut-freight rates for
shipments 20 San Francisco as well as 20
Panama.
Something should be done to save our
coffee trade before Hamburg, New York
and London take it away from us alto
gether.