The San Francisco call., 1897-11-03

north this season has either left Seattle d.
rectlv or touched there as the last port.
Sixtv-hve vessels left for the north during the
mast season il sixty-elght days Furthermore,
Ssaitle is the only point on the Pacific Coast
which is directly reached by three OF the COM
peting trausconIinental railroads.
Speaking of the Information thus scat
tered broadcast by the most widely cir
culated of trade journals, Mr.. Mills said:
THE information is all m sleading. In
the first place the freight rates are the
same. Both Seattle and San Francisco
are terminal points, ana the railroads all
quote one price, whether the goods be
shipped there or here. But there is a
deeper failacy back of it than this. 1t is
the fact that the man going to the Yukon
basin from the lar East or middle West
has practically no freights across the con-
lnent. San Francisco or Seattle would
be the outhtting point in either case. San
francisco has many great advantages,
from the TACT that this has always been a
pioneer INNING country, whereas Seattle
Is place new to such things. Here our
manufacturers make the best mining
goods IN the world, the best picks. shovels
rockers, and general line of goods l
reaily thlnk what We neeo m ost is grand
general pie store or cooperative sup
ply depot, wherein ali the merchants of
the city would exhibit their samples, or
possibly own stock in the concern. If
there were some such store as this, where
Inc stranger could see and price every
thlng from needle 10 a quartzmilI, it
would be worth the tendertoot's time to
come this way and buy his outfit.
Ihls is the metropolis of the coast and
there can be no question about our ability
to make the best of everything the miners
need. This being the case why should
they go to Seattle. where they have to buy
Eastern goods? II our merchants are
vide awake ey will have some sort of
an organization perfected and have their
advertising all over the East within a
month from to-day. 1t is high time for
them to be up and doing. We cannot re-
main quiet longer without serious loss.
am led to believe there will be fully 100, 900
people on their way to the Yukon Bas II
next spring. Our local people should
organize agencies in the East and in the
ukon country at once and eSta blIsh
bank. OF exchange In the far north. This
thing cannot be done we'll in a slipshod
way, but there must be board OF direC-
tors and thorough organization. The
company of allied merchants might well
have great warehouses in the north also
and carry on tie business with the utmost
freedom as regards the shipment OF goods,
for their agents would keep them informed
Just when to ship and how much OF any
given quality TO send. ="
Labor Com missioner Fitzgerald agreed
With Mr.. Mills. and said his experience
showed him that the labor and supply
metropolis of the coast is San Francisco.
+. W. Dohrmann said: Mr.. Mills has
expressed our idea very we'll. 1t might e
hard to start the cooperative store, but
there can easily be united effort in the
advertisement of the city and its advan-
tages. Unless we do something IN joint
way, it is evident to the most casual
observer that Seattle will reap a great
advantage from the travel. Her merchants
have been very active in getting the trade
thus far, and the only way for US to re-
trace our steps and get new business is TO
organize at once and work as one man for
the success of he city"