The San Francisco call., 1897-01-20

| ties were quite sufficient for lmmeolate
pur poses and that the railway company
already had belt-lIne road at the north
ern portion of the City, to which its cars
could without difficulty be trans ported
from the southern end of town.
| Julian Sonntag spoke of the proposed
| line as the most important matter upon
| which the chamber could act at the pres
ent time. 1t was a well-known fact that
a bill would be introduced into the Legis-
lature during the present session to estab-
! lish q free market in San francisco.
Fruit-growers and other producers had
hitherto been everlastingly taxed by
| middIemen and merchants, with the re-
suit that they had generally come out at
the small END of the horn.
The bill would pro baby receive favor
! able consideration at the hands of the
Legislature, and in that event bel:-line
| road would be necessary, lnasmuch as 1T
was provided that the market must be
| located where water craft could reach it,
| and also that there must be facilities for
rail and other methods of conveyance.
The producers of California who would be
materially aided by this measure could
not permit their produce to be carted
away from Third and Townsend streets
over cobbestones, to be ruined before
reaching the market.
James McNab repeated his previous ar
| =
at the north end OF the town without ad-
ditional delay. There was belt-iine road
at the north end, connected by both broad
and narrow gauge tracks, and the delivery
of cars might easily be arranged for. To
cut up the present limited wharfage facili-
ties would be great disadvantage to the
shipping interests OF the entire water
front.
K. G. Sheath reminded the ham ber that
Mr.. McNab's drays and wagons were
largely employed Tor freight delivery pur-
poses under the present system.
The resolution and report had been
drafted on general principles and there
was no question but that If from half
million to million could be saved an
nually by the extension OF the road busi-
ness should be done with that object in
view. The present system was very old
fashioned, and it would be as reasonable
to revert TO the omnibus on Market street
as to encourage the continuance of the
present method of wagon hauling. AS it
was, manufactures could not be estab-
ished at the north and south ends of the
town outside the carriage limits, because the
expense involved was too great. Accord
ing to a carefully made estimate upward
of II, 600, 600 tons of freight we're moving
in aud out of the City every year, and if
they saved only a few cents per ton upon
that quantity it represented a large
| amount of money.
THE Southern Pacific" Mr. Sheath
concluded. had formerly objected to
/ putting on boat to lake cars round by
water, because they feared there would
not always be sufficient freight to warrant
that action"
James McNab said that Mr.. Sheath had
tried to make 1t appear as if he-McN alb
was personally interested in this ques ton,
owing to the nature of his business.
"It appears so to him." continued Mr.
McNab. because he has mag1ified ide a
of the amount of transportation across
town. l don't know where he gets his
basis for the number of tons conveyed,
but from my personal knowledge | can
state that SO per cent of it is imaginary"
Mr.. McNaD, replying to a question
raised by Mr.. Sheath, affirmed that cars
could be carried to the north end of the
City from the Oakland pier direct, and
would never have TO go near Fourth and
Townsend streets. He further stated that
the railway company actually made appIi-
cation to the Harbor Com missioners a lew
months ago for permission to deliver cars
at the north end of town, but were op-
posed by some shipping people in that
vicinity.
Mr.. Cornwall directed attention to the
| fact that there is now slip at the north
ern end of the City-Vallejo street. where
the railway company lands 10th broad
and narrow gauge cars. The railway had
secured quite a large piece of property
there from the Harbor Commissioners,
upon which they stored quantities of
freight every day. All freight from the
Sacramento and San Joaquin valleys
could be brought to the north end of the
City, landed and distributed.
On division the resolution was lost by a
vote of 10 to z.
The remaining resolutions referred to
| in Mr.. Sonntag's motion were adopted
without debate. This concluded the reg
ular business of the chambe r.
DR.. Stallard, the author of series of
articles upon municipal government now
being pu blished in the Overland Monthly,
was then introduced by the president. and
delivered a ;houg htful and interesting ad :
dress, in which he urged some powerful
reasons why the present system Of harb
management by Commissioners must al
ways prove unsatisfactory. For a more
extended discussion of these questions he
directed the attention of his hearers to his
published articles.
AS the only economical and efficient
substitute for control by commissioners,
DR.. Stallard advocated the municipal
ownership of such utilities. He stated
that Glasgow had thereby secured the
! most successful harbor admniStraJ Jion in
the world. The great dockyards, shipy ard s.
and harbor railways OF that city were all
the property of the municipality, and he
insisted that in no other way could San
francisco acquire properly managed
belt-Iine road, which he admitted was
serious necessity.
The meeting then ad diourned.