The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-09-05

passenger traffic for the first six months oil
1895 and Mr.. Martin suggested that Mr.
Lansing produce these figures at some
future time.
La Rue-Can you give US the terms of each
one of the leases made by the Southern Pacific
Company with the railroads?
Lansing-Not from memory.
La Rue-Where do the Southern Pacific stock
holders get their profits?
Notwithstanding they get any?
Lansing-They don't get any.
La Rue-How do they exist? They certainly
don't undertake to run large corporation
like the Southern Pacific without being COM
pensated for doing so!
Lansing-They are also stockholders in the
other companies The Southern Pacific Com
pany thus has had to run very close to the
wind ever since it has been IN operation.
La Rue-Doesn't the Southern Pacific make
the rates?
Lansing-Yes, sir.
La Rue-Then the other companies may
make money while the Southern Pacific loses
or does not make any. Is 1T, then, right for the
Southern Pacific to come here and ask that its
rates be not reduced?
Lansing-I don't know that this is done.
The whole system is operated as a system. So
far as traffic is concerned no discrimination is
practiced on any of the different leased roads
Their revenue all goes into the same general
pot.
This virtually ended the examination of
Mr.. Lansing so far as the commission was
mission to put question before the wit
ness was allowed to go. This was given
him and he asked Mr.. Lansing what the
custom was in proportioning any loss or
deficit in the revenue. He inquired
whether it fell upon the stockholders, the
tax collector or wage-earner. Despite the
fact that he made the most strenuous eff
forts to get categorical reply he was un-
able to do so. He then explained to the
,icei hot hiS nhiQrt n acHinr "a
question was to show that whenever the
revenue of the company fell off and it was
necessary to reduce expenses the burden
fell upon the laborer.
At the conclusion of Mr.. Lansing's testi-
mony a communication from Captain Rob-
erts of the Sacramento Transportation
Company was read, in which the writer
complained that the proposed reduction
contem plated by the La Rue resolution
would drive his company off the river. He
stated that the profits of the business
from 1882 had been very large, increasing
the capital from $500, 600 to 100000. But
carload rates have been fixed, causing a
shrinkage in the trade of San Francisco of
at least two-thirds of its former volume.
This, with the reduction made by the
Southern Pacific in December, 1894, has
caused the business to be improbable,
and were it not for the brick business,
warehouses and lumber interests the COM
pany would be compelled to suspend. He
showed that the gross receipts on $4,000
tons of grain for last year were $104, 332
and expenses $90,9S7 leaving profit OF
$13, 344, which, by the Is per cent reduction
in rates proposed, would be absorbed and
leave the company In debt $23O5.
Captain Roberts was not present to argue
his cause and the communication was filed
without action.
Attorney Martin asked to place Mr..
Smurr on the stand in order to correct an
impression given publicity through the
newspapers by a statement of Chairman
La Rue that the Southern Pacific had not
reduced rates on grain in the past twenty
years. Mr.. La Rue explained that he did
not mean to convey the preston that no
reductions had been made. but they were
not commensurate with the increase in
tonnage and decline in the price of wheat.
Mr.. Smurr took the stand and testified,
presenting a statement of reductions made,
showing the rates from the following
named towns to San Francisco in the years
mentioned:
Marysvine-1s73, 81 40 per ton; 1879, So %;
1881, So 90; 1894, 81 so.
Ridleyaod1s73,, So 40; 1875, "a IS; 1881,
Biggs-ls7ss So 40; 1875, 81 80: 1881,
Nelson statfonHis7s, SIS 80; 1875, So o5;
L.. q ~.
CHECKLISTS, So; 1875, SIS So; 1881, So 70;
1894, So 80.
shaws station-1s73, Sc 40; 1875, SIS As;
Norrd{@1s7s, Sc 6o :; 1875, S. 50; 1851, So rs;
1894, So 80.
cans.1s7s, So 80; 1875, S. eo;1ss1, SO 55;
1894, So 80.
Vins.1s7s. 81; 1875, SIS rs; 1881, SIS 95:
/ 1914. SO 80.
Rosson and Red Bluf-1s73, ST so; 1875,
So; 1881, $4; 1894, So 40.
Tirfo n. A :.
Goshen.1s7s, 81 60; 1874. So; 1881, 81 SO;
TowieT-1s7s. 81 20; 1881, 81 %; 1894,
Minturn-1s7s, SIS 40: 1874, So; 1881,
SIS so; 1894, So 10.
Merced-lssz3, g 20; 1881, 80 10; 1894, So
Modesto-1873, SO 90; 1881, So so.
Selida-1873. So 90: 1874, So 80; 1881,
So 80.
Morons-1S73, 81 80: 1874, 50 20: 1881, So.
Reductions from the following named sta
tions to Post Costa, which latter was estab-
lished 1880 or 1881, are here given from the
time of the establishment of the rates to the
present time, or December, 1894, the date OF
the last reduction made by the Southern Pa
cific Company on grain rates:
Marysville, So 40 to 81 %; Nord, So IS to
So 80; Chino, So 20 81 80; Cana, So 80 to
So 80.
Mr.. La Rue called attention to the fact
that the reductions to Port Costa were
made after a lapse of fourteen years, and
that in the rates to San Francisco the state
ment showed in most cases there had not
been a reduction since 1881 until that made
last December, which was period of four
teen years. He also said that the state
ment supported his allegation in part,
though he had not meant to convey the
idea that no reduction at all had been
made in twenty wears.
Mr.. Smurr continued in the same line,
showing similar reductions on similar
dates of rates on grain from some of the
same points to Sacramento, and contended
that the object of the statement was merely
to show that some reduction had really
been made in twenty years. He declared
the Southern Pacific was doing all it could
to take care of the farmer, and admitted
that the farmer was at present in bad
way-from drought and depreciation in
prices. He. then presented another state
ment, showing the wheat crop reports of
California from 1881 to 1893, maintaining
his former assertion that the average for
thirteen years was 81, la 400 centals. Fol-
lowing is the tabulated statement:
Years. Centals.
1881 20 sos $40
1882. q, 439 O6O
1883. 81 ,403, $50