The San Francisco call., 1896-01-22
COMPETITION BY WATER,
It Plays an Important Part in
the Commerce of San
Francisco.
Traffic Manager Curtis Preparing a
Table of Rates to Oregon and
Washington.

No means that will aid San Francisco in
maintaining her position as the metrop-
oils of the Pacific Coast is being neglected
by Traffic Manager W. B, Curtis of the
Traffic Association.
AS an outcome of the present deter
mined three-cornered rate war between
the Southern Pacific Company, the Ore
gon Railway and Navigation Company
and the North Pacific Steamship Com
pany the rates by water to Portland have
been forced down TO 81 ton, and under
these conditions a favorable opportunity
exists for San Francisco to compete with
Portland for the trade of Eastern Oregon,
Eastern Washington and other sections
that are ordinarily tributary to Portland.
1t is also claimed by Mr.. Curtis that San
Francisco would be able to secure larger
portion of the trade Of the southern part
of Oregon as against Portland were it not
for the position taken by the Oregon Rail-
way and Navigation Company. whose pol
icy is and has been, so il is claimed by Mr.
Curtis, to build up Portland at the ex-
pense of San Francisco. This it accom-
pllshes, it is asserted, in two ways. The
first and most important is by entering
into an agreement with the Northern Pa
citic Railroad Company by which rates are
in Eastern Oreqon ana Eastern Washing
ton from San Francisco than they are to
the same points from Portland This
naturally gives Portland a considerable
advantage over San Francisco in securing
the business of the sections named.
Another way In which the Oregon Rail-
way and Navigation Company assists the
Portland merchant to rhe detriment of
the merchant of San Francisco is by max
ing a 81 per ton rate from Portland to
Coos Bay instead of maintaining the reg
ular rate of So per ton.
The North Pacific Steamship Company
has two steamers-the Empire and the
Alice Blanchard-now plying between
here and Portland via Yaquina and Coos
bays, and they are carrying freight north
bound to Portland for 81 ton, maintain
ing, however, the regular rate of So a ton
from Portland to Coos Cay.
Recently the Oregon Railway and Navi-
CATION Company put on the steam
schooner South Coast, il is claimed to
drive the Empire and the Alice Blanchard
from this route.
In view of these facts the Traffic Asso-
citation is preparing a table of compare
tive rates from San Francisco to the inte-
rior points of Oregon and Washington to
show the merchants of San Francisco the
advantages of shipping to those points via
Portland on the steamers of the North
Pacific Steamship Company. The local
merc chants, in the circular to be sent out
from the Office of the Traffic Association,
will be urged to patronize the North
Pacific Steamship Company for two i'm
portant reasons. 1t will be claimed that
this company is local organization and
working directly and continuously in the
interests of San Francisco, and that
by supporting it the merchants will
at the same time be cutivating
an influence that will effectuallv
prevent restoration of the high rates
that previously prevailed to Portland from
this City, and which acted as an effective
bar to the trade of the Northwest. 1t will
not be long, it is expected. before the
Southern Pacific Company and the Oregon
Railway and Navigation Company will
patch up the differences that now exist be-
tween them, and which brought on the
present bitter rate war. When they do, it
is claimed they will endeavor to put all
rates back to where they were before the
fight began. But with the existence of a
competing water route, such as that now
being operated by the North Pacific Steam
ship Company, this will prove an impossi-
biIity.
The steamer Empire leaves to-day for
the north, and will be followed six days
later by the Alice Blanchard. They will
then alternate every six days.