The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-06-26
THE HARBOR COMMISSION
Economy Will Help to Equal
ize Things on the Water
Front.
SIX employees TO 60 SOON.
Tolls and Collectors to Be Abol-
iShed In the Dim
Future.
SIX employees TO 90 SOON

The era of reform has only dawned on
the City front. At the meeting of the
Harbor Commissioners yesterday after
noon no further action was taken regard
ing the raising of berth rates, but the
following mild protest was handed in by
President Colnon and read by the secre
tary:
SAN FRANCISCO, June 25, 1895.
The following is the approximately allotted
space on wharves:
Pacific Coast Steamship Company, Broad
way, 1 and 2, 124 ,010 square feet.
John Rosenfeld's Sons, Mission 2, $4,000.
+. Dunsmuir & Sons, Folsom 2, SO 900.
$4,000
oregon Coal and Navigation Company, VAL
lejo street, Is 900.
Under old rates, John Rosenfeld's Sons and
Dunsmuir & Sons paid 1925 per month, equal
to .91sc per square foot At this ratio, the
(under old rates. pays $197 so per month for
two wharves, should pay $12l2 80 per month.
oregon Improvement Company, coal-dealers,
IN u the the same line OF business as R. Dunsmufr
d Sons and John Rosenfelds Sons, who under
old rates pay $150. should pay 1854 %; or if
oregon Improvement Company does not pay
this on old rates, then R. Dunsmuir & Sons
and John Rosenfeld's Sons should pay same
proportion as Oregon improvement Company,
.576c per square foot which would make the old
rental OF K. Dunsmuir & Sons and John Rosen-
per month, SO that, instead OF being raised
r. Dunsmuir & Sons and John Rosenfelds
Sons are first entitled to a reduction to
S132 AS; then, If more revenue must be
raised, the honorable Board of Harbor Com
missioners should raise all proportionately.
The respective space OF each party as above
set forth is not accurate, but sufficiently cor
rect for the purpose of showing that other
companies are not paying anything like as
much as John Rosenfeld's Sons and R.
Dunsmuir T. Sons. Such is the case even with
q n IUh civ
them great advantage over r. DunSmuir d.
Sons and John Rosenfelds Sons.
The honorable Board of Harbor Commits
sioners express themselves as intending TO
equalize rates, and which would be very fair,
therefore we think our representation as above
should be considered.
The communication was ordered placed
on file without consideration.
1--WE could not regulate rents according
to space" said Mr.. CoInon, because it
would be unfair in many ways. We could
not charge the Berkeley ferry and other
outside steamers in the same proportion
that the Southern Pacific is taxed, for they
would be forced out of business"
State Engineer Holmes submitted two
plans for the reconstruction CT Pacific
street wharf. In one case it was propos ed
to have iron-cyclinder piers, and the other
plan to use patented piles. The difference
between the two methods was about $18,-
OOO in favor of the piles.
Commissioner Chadbourne nominated
Henry Parsons to succeed Wharfinger T.
w. Dennis, and Mr.. Colnon named Morris
Mllliken successor to John TYSON at the
ferry, and Colnon also named Gordon A
Murphy to succeed P. Callsen as Collector
while Collector ]. NJ. Nash was given a
new lease of life by Commissioner Cole.
After the meeting President Colnon
stated:
We propose to do away with three wharfn.
gers and three collectors. This of course can.
not be done at once, for the reason that the
terms OF the men now in Office expire at vari-
cussed at the next meeting. Before go out oil
office, intend to abolish all collectors. The
commissioners have been talking the matter o.
harbor income over and we think that it is toe
great. When we say that we are going tC
equalfze rents We mean what we say. 1t will
take time TO do it, but it will be done. Rent.
are too high now in some places-in many
placeS-and as soon as we can get necessary re
pairs made, we will commence the work of re
form by reducing rents to amounts consistent
with our needed income. Then we will com
mence the work OF abolishing the tolls. With
no tolls to collect we have no use for collectors
There fifteen OF the 10 tier now in the States
employ and their retirement would mean q
saving of $500 month.
There are twenty-one wharfingers, but in q
short time this number will be lesSened by
three. Their offices will be declared vacant
and no successors appointed. Another reform
OF which Mr.. Chadbourne and / have been
taking is the stopping of brokers making
per cent month out of the employees salary
Four weeks ago two men came into the office
each with an order for wharfinger's salaries
We determined then and there to put stop ia
the practice, but we have been so busy since
that we have had no time The matter will be
probably brought up at the next meeting.