The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1896-05-27
Result of the Campaign Mapped
Out by Traffic Manager
Curtis.
CAN COMPETE WITH THE EAST.
The New Rates Will Go Into Effect
on the 18th of Next
Month.

4uIOuSn the JOINT e-IOrIs Oh w. d. OuT-
tbs, manager of the Traffic Association,
and ]. G. Stubs, traffic manager, and c.
f. Smurr, general freight agent, OF the
Southern Pacific Company, California has
has been placed in a position to take a
great stride forward in her commercial re-
letions with Utah and the intervening ter
ritory.
Until within comparatively short time
for some unaccountable reason California
has been handicapped in her efforts to place
goods in the Utah market against COM
petition from the East. This was due to
the discriminative rates forced upon the
Pacific Coast by the action of the roads
entering Utah from the East. They were
enabled to hold the West in thrall owing
to the fact that the Central Pacific Rail-
road ran to Ogden and thence had no dis
tributing facilities except ever the roads
entering Ogden and the surrounding ter
ritory from the East, and the local rates
out OF Ogden were made virtually prohibit
tive to California freight as the Eastern
roads were DESTROYS of securing the long
haul from the East into Utah and averse to
taking only thu short haul out of Og den.
They were allowed to have their way I'M
til Traffic Manager Curtis of the Traffic
Association conceived plan by which to
force the Eastern roads to do justice to
California. He claimed that California
shippers were entitled to the same rate
per ton per mile into Utah as was en- joyed
by the merchants of Chicago, but his de-
mand made at a special meeting of the
trans Missouri roads held at Salt Lake was
refused.
His efforts have in all cases been warmly
seconded by the Southern Pacific people,
and when the Salt Lake meeting resulted
in temporary defeat the Southern Pacific
Company began to cut rates to such an
extent as to permit goods to be landed at
Ogden and to be distributed under the
heavy and unfair tax imposed by the local
rates out OF Ogden at much less than the
rates in force from the East.
Last week there was another meeting of
the trans Missouri lines at which this
matter was again discussed and the con-
cessions asked for by California represen-
tatives was there granted.
Traffic Manager Curtis thus outlines the
situation and IT'S significance to local job
bers, importers and manufacturers:
when class rates from the Missouri
River to Utah were 81 so for first class,
81 Is for second. 81 rs for third, 81 45
fourth, 81 % fifth, 81 10 for class A, 92c
for class B, SIC for class G, 72c for class d
and &c for class E, rates from San Fran
cisco to Utah were 85% per cent of the
same, as follows: First class 81 ii, sec
ond class 81 81, third class 81 So fourth
class 81 "a, fifth class 81 o., class A 94c,
class B 79c, class G zoe, class D &c and
class Z SIC.
"These rates were so made upon agree
ment between the lines operating west of
the Missouri River and the Southern Pa
ciic Company, operating between San
Francisco and Utah. The lines leading
west from the Missouri River later arbi-
trarily reduced their rates without giving
the Southern Pacific Company due Motif
cation, to the following figures: First
class 81 IS, second class 81 IS, third class
81 55, fourth class 81 33. fifth class 81 Is,
class A 81 o., class SIC, class c 75c,
class ID Csc, class SIC.
THE Pacific Coast had long felt that
this adjustment of rates into Utah was
not one calculated to stimulate trade from
here. In fact the increased number of
lines entering Utah from the east and the
disposition of those fines to hold hard and
fast to all possible business irrespective
OF our rights, served to well nigh strange
the last vestige of Pacific Coast trade in
Utah.
1.-The arbitrary action of the lines lead
ing west from the Missouri River in re-
ducing their rates to the figures named
served to open negotiations looking to
better basis for rates from the West as
compared from the East to Utah.
I'm my opinion the consistent basis
would have been that San Francisco rates
should be 20 per cent of the Missouri
River rates to Utah.
AT the time the Eastern lines put In
the 81 o5 scale all rates from San Fran
CISCO to Utah common points were virtu-
ally nullified in that the original basis
had been abolished, and the Eastern lines
refused to agree for the time being upon
what we considered a proper basis.
AT the recent meeting at Denver on
the 2lst and 22d inst. the matter was
fully canvassed by the ns-Misseuri As
ISOLATION, every line interested being rep
resented. At this meeting q new agree
ment was entered into by the lines inter
ested in Utah traffic by which the rates
from San Francisco to Utah should be rs
per cent OF any rate made from the Mis-
souri, River to Utah, and it was also agreed
that the rates from Missouri River to
Utah should be advanced to the following
hgures: First class 81 30, second class 81,
third class 81 20, fourth class 81 43, fifth
class 81 Is, class A 81 0S, class SO cents,
class G IS cents, class d 20 cents, class e
81 cents.
"Seventy-five per cent of these figures
makes the rates from San Francisco to
Utah as follows: First class 81 70, second
class 81 so, third class 81 IS, fourth class
81 O7, nth class SO cents, class 81 cents,
SAS.So ~ ~ CeIltS, Class " Oh CeuJS, CidSS ~ DO
cents, class AZ cents"
The new rates will apply from San Fran
cisco to Ogden, Provo, Sprlngville, Span
ish Fork and points intermediate thereto,
and also as far north as Pocatello. Idaho,
and will also apply to all intermediate
points on the Southern Pacific road, San
francisco to Ogden as maximum. This
application of the new figures will reduce
rates from San Francisco to White Plains,
New, and east. To White Pans, for in
stance, the present rate of 81 on first-class
freight will be reduced to 81 70, and the
rate OF 50 cents on class e freight will be
reduced TO AZ cents.
Commodity rates will be reduced on the
same basis, and westbound business from
Utah 10 California will also benefit by :he
new arrangement, as it will be charged
only 20 per cent of the rate eastbound
from Utah TO the Missouri River The
same rates will also apply between Port
land and Utah.
Heretofore San Francisco has not done
70 exceed 70 per cent of the business into
Utah, and under the advantages of the
new rates 1t is said she should do not less
than 90 per cent of it. as she is now in bet
ter condition than she ever WAS IN com.