The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-10-29
TEA TRADE GONE NORTH,
THE PACIFIC MAIL COMPANY LETS
IT SLIP AWAY TO COM
PETITORS.
SAN FRANCISCO LOSES THE COM
MERGE THROUGH CORPORA
TON APATHY.

San Francisco, the metropolis of the
| Pacific Coast, that once received all i'm
ports from the Orient, has at last lost it's
grasp OF one prominent line of commerce
between China, Japan and America
that is, the first American port on the
Pacific Ocean has been outdone in inter-
national carrying trade by its younger
rivals in the Northwest in the important
business of receiving and distributing tea.
Any tea merchant in San Francisco will
say without hesitation that this is serious
loss. For tea is over and above all the one
great staple of Oriental commerce that
eclipses other factors in the trade of China
and Japan, and one which for its i'm
portance has been sedulously watched by
all western nations interested in the
worlds carrying business. Because of
San Francisco's position-a seaport placed
upon the very uttermost verge of " estern
civilization set down by various causes on
a highway of the world, and nearest of all
Western ports to the Orient-the me-
tropolis Of this coast became by right
stepping-stone for commerce passing from
China and Japan to all America.
AS San Francisco grew in opulence and
importance as an American port her trade
with the Orient developed correspond
ingly. But then there was no ambitious
rival, no sturdy youngster of port backed
by wlde-awake and enterprising railroad
and steamship corporations, and the only
port sending ships after the wealth and
commerce lying beyond the vast ocean
thrlVed apace.
These times have changed, and quite
suddenl Y withal, even while the people of
San Fra ncisco could hardly think it worth
their while to trouble about competition
from such places as Tacoma or ew West
minister. The times have indeed changed,
and nowadays two lines of steamers and
two railways carry nearly all the tea for
Canada and the United States-the 15O,-
600, 900 pounds, or Whereabouts, that used
to pass through San Francisco-from
Oriental marts to New York and other
great Eastern distributing points by new
routes far away from the Golden Gate.
This business is practically lost to San
Francisco, and the dignity, the influence
and the Importance it possesses have gone
whit also.
The secret is told about the wholesale
business part of town, and it is this: The
Pacific Mail Steamship Company, by its
apathy, has either allowed the tea bust
ness to slip away or driven it from San
Francisco by system of tariffs that in
presence OF competition are prohibitory
Traffic Manager Curtis of the Traffic
Association, who was mentioned by
member of one of the leading teahouses
as fully informed on the subject, explained
the reasons yesterday. Said he:
"The Northern Pacific has six
steamers plying between Tacoma and the
Orient, the Canadian Pacific has about the
same number OF ships, and the Occidental
and Oriental and Pacific Mail of San Fran
cisco have only about six steamers in
actual service. The local companies have
large local market and better-paying
freight than tea, and consequently don't
make an effort to get overland business,
In fact, they haven't the necessary ca
pacity to accommodate all the trade that
offers. This is another striking example
OF the needs OF the port of San Francisco.
From our natural position we should
be the distributors of the larger part OF the
tea consumed in America.
SIN the through business San Francisco
is affected indirectly. Any aggrandize-
ment OF the port in any direction benefits
the merchants of San Francisco. For
illustration, if there were forty lines in
stead of one line OF steamers running out
of San Francisco 1t would be easy to
imagine the increase of business in nearly
any line you can mention. There would
be increased trade in provisions and sup
plies, more men employed, repairs would
keep shipyards busy and the increased
commerce add in thousand and one ways
toward the ports greatness. This would
be an indirect benefit to all.
"How can the northern lines take the
tea business from San Francisco?" was
asked the traffic expert. "Rather, why
can't the Pacific Mail compete with other
lnes?"
This business is done through bills of
lading at through rates from the Orient to
destinations in the United States. The
Mail Company would need more ships to
meet all demands. Even then, however.
this would not give the same impetus to
commerce of the port as would two COM
peting steamship lines, which would be
ln1 - 81
their northern competitors. The tea con-
sumption OF the United States is about
106.000,000 pounds a year outside the
Pacific Coast, and of that consumption
only II to Is per cent comes through the
port of San Francisco, whereas at one time |
it nearly all passed through here
'The ports to the north of US are BUILDING
up their overland business all the time |
while that particular business here is
practically at standstill. San Francisco |
at one time was the only port through |
which that business passed on the Pacific |
Coast. Now fully three fourths of il goes
through northern ports"
Commenting on the tea trade the |
Journal OF Commerce said last week:
1.-THE importations for the first six |
months OF the resent year have been the |
lightest since 1892, and have, in fact, been
the smallest for nine years past.
1.-The Peru, which arrived April 8, had |
not a single package of tea. The Belgic
on June |, had the first large overland |
shipment-in long time"
The Pacific Mail Company would not
charter more steamers than are actually
needed on the line to keep up its custom
airy sailings, and as the through tea bust
ness has not proved quite as profitable as
freighting for the home market the COM
pany has preferred to let the importing of
millions and millions of pounds of tea Slip
away to more enterprising rivals than 90
to the expense of employing sufficient
ships to carry the tea to San francisco.