The herald., 1898-04-26
COMPETITORS HOPPING ONTO
THE SUNSET RoUT1
UNCLE MEETS THEIR GAME
Patriotism and Freight Rates-Ambi-
tious San Bernardino-Still Tink-
ering With Tariffs

transcontinental routes because 1t could
make a through rate of its own and the
other lines had no way to ascertain what
charge 1t was making. For example, 1t
could give a rate from st. Louis to New
York over any road and then make a
| through rate over its own line all the way.
including its steamship lines from New
York to New Orleans. to California, and
thus underbid all competition.
But at present this very water route
which has contributed strongly to Hunt
ington's supremacy in the railway world
Is being made an object Of injury to him.
Merchants are naturally distrustful OF
sending valuable shipments by water, as
Spanish warships or privateers are liable
to gather them in, and without specific
clause in insurance policies war risks are
not paid. 1t Is also said. on, however, the
authority of interested persons, that a
number of the steamers Of the New York
New Orleans line have been sold to the gov
ernment by Huntington, so with all of
these factors used as arguments all of 'he
other transcontinental Hines are making
a serious onslaught on the Sunset route
and considerable freight is being diverted
from 1t which under other circumstances
would be sent via that route.
1t would not surprise the railway world,
however. If Huntington were at once to
commence scheme for absorbing other
lines so as to get an entrance into Phila-
delphia, If not New York, in order to main
tain the business he has had such snap
out of for so long and the power to make
his own rules. He Is not a man to be pa
tient in the door jamb very long, particu-
larly If the man crowding him shows no
desire to compromise by giving him the
best end of the bargain
Patriotism and Freight Rates
]. ]. Evans coast agent of the Grand
Trunk system, has been in the city for
some days, leaving yesterday for his Office
in San Francisco. This is the first year in
it's history that his line has got any of the
Southern California orange shipments. and
it is due to his efforts that this has been
brought about. Mr.. Evans is a most per-
suasive man, as one little incident will in
dicate. He secured from Liebes & Co.. the
San Francisco Klondike outfitters. ship
ment of forty cars of freight from the east
against the cut rate Of the Canadian Pa
cific simply because that company did not
wish to patronize the Canadian road at
the expense of an American line, even
though the difference in the rates offered
was s25 car or $1,000 the entire shipment.
Ambitious San Bernardino
The merchants of San Bernardino having
learned that the Southern Pacific company
has given or is about to give the merchants
of Phoenix jobbing rates so that they can
do wholesale business all over the terri
tory of Arizona, propose to ask the Santa
Fe to remove the arbitrary and put
that city on an equality with Los Angeles
in the way of jobbing rates. The papers OF
that place take the ground that 1t should
control the trade from Randsburg on the
west, to Yuma on the east. The arbitrary
makes it cost more to ship goods from Chi
cago to San Bernardino than to Los An
geles, and this protects the merchants of
this city against undue competition from
any interior point which might choose to
set up wholesaling. 1t Is not very likely
that the Santa Fe will grant such a con-
cession to San Bernardino at the expense
of the friendship of the merchants of Los
Angeles and the resultant loss of their
trade One San Bernardino paper thinks
that II the chamber of commerce were to
be organized in that city 1t might bring
about the desired result
In fact the Southern Pacific company has
made official announcement that 1t has
provided for an all rail route from this
coast to eastern centers, and that there
will be no change in rates and the same
time or better than was heretofore made
will be continued. The announcement is
correct, as no change from the schedule
rates will be made, but those shippers who
have had the advantage of private rate
much better than outsiders were given by
the tariff sheet will be the ones who will be
hurt by the change.
Still Tinkering With Rates
The railways evidently think that war
time Is a proper opportunity to make
changes in freight tariffs with as little loss
to the community as possible, for while
the transcontinental freight bureau re-
Gently had it's Monterey meeting and hat
monkeyed with the tariff 1t Is now an.
nounced that the bureau will meet again
at Minneapolis on the 10th of next month
to make further alterations, paDticularl.
in westbound rates. The tables adopted al
the Monterey meeting will go into effec
on the 9th of May.
The next meeting is said to be chiefly fol
the purpose of dealing with westbount
business, but the whole tariff sheet will b.
gone over, and there Is no telling where th'
thing will stop now. The main object o
the figurers is said to be to make the
work more consistent than 1t now is
Changes have been made in articles in {
class not otherwise altered and 1t is th
hope of the members to bring about a uni
formity in all of these points.
Notes and Personals
General Passenger Agent Byrne Of tn
Santa Fe Pacific left yesterday for bust
ness trip to San Francisco.
Senator Eli Denison of Alameda pay
100000 a year to the Southern Pacific TO
the monopoly of selling newspapers, frui
and truck to passengers. 1t is worth
whole lot more, judging from the price
his train butchers charge.
The Santa Fe is shipping sheep from thi
state to Arizona and New Mexico. whcr
they can get pasture. 1t has already for
warded 300 carloads and has as many NOR
in sight. 1t is probable that it will NOV
during the season 10000 sheep. One. trail
Of twenty-five cars was sent from Ventur;
a few days ago to Chicago.
HIGH AVERAGES MADE