The San Francisco call., 1898-03-25
INSPECTION
 OF FREIGHT
 IS NEEDED Shippers Get a Little the w Orst of w est
 Bound Rates. Many Reforms Urged by the TranscOntinental
 Bureau. Canadian Pacific Asked to Co., Operate With American
Canadian Pacific Asked to Co., Operate With American
 Lines in the Work.
GRIEVANCES ARE STATED.
Prominent Merchants Appear Before the Railroad Officials and Argue
 Their Propositions.
Special Dispatch to The Call.

DEF, MONTE, Cal, March 24.-To- dav the TranscontinenIal Freight Bu- reau busied itself in considering and di- gesting the arguments presented to it yesterday by the rival factions of the East and West. Though the greater part of the day was consumed lh solns over the matter of carload and less than carload rates, yet the discussion was of an informal and general charac- ter. While many opinions were ad- yanced none were formally acted upon, and no decisive step was taken. IhlS much was discovered: That whatever the changes in the existing rates may he they will neceSSitate thorough going over of the entire tariff which is work of such magnitude that It Is thought the meeting here, which, at its commencement, was expected to ter minate with the week, will nave 10 De prolonged for anotHeI leA uoy oi peA haps two weeks.
 Another question which came before tho rneeting to-day was the inspection of west bound freight. This mat ter has the indorsement of nos only the Southern Pacific and Santa Fe peo- nIe who have practically determined to extend the present scope or thelr insnection to embrace all the import ant noints of distribution on their lines, but it meets the approval or the Norlh- ern lines as vSll. As has been before published the only points on the fa- cific Coast that have resident officials IihoSe nresence makes an inspection of incoming freight a certainty are san Francisco, Los Angeles and PortIaha. No srch officers are stationed at seat He or Tacoma, and consequently the possibilities for fraudulent classihca- tion of goods are only limited by the cnniditv of the shippers. This state of affairs. which prevails all through inc interior as well as the Puget Sound norts works great havoc With the mer- chants and jobberS of those places where inspection is an estaDlished ldcl- Consequently the advocates or sys tenn of complete inspection are all the large houses of these three centerS as well as all the reputable houses or the other cities of the coast and the East.
 When the question came up to-day the representatives of the Q. k. ana N-' Northern Pacific and Great Northern lines gave it their hearty support ana the only stumbling block in the way oI their adoption of the same measure that is contemplated by the southern Pacific and Santa Fe was the Canaolan Pacific. whose representatives are nresent at the meeting by special 1nVl- tation, as theirs, not being a western American line, does not belong to the bureau. These gentlemen would give no expression of opinion either one way or the other without first receiving ln- structions from their superlorS, and Therefore the matter, as far as the four northern lines are concerned, was laid on the table pending an answer to telegram on the matter which was drafted and sent to the Canadian Pa- cific's headquarters. Tie Canadian Pa- cific has already a very stringent sys- lem of inspection at the points of dis tribution on the Canadian side of their line hut none at all at their American tarminals on the Pacific Coast, and it Is estimated that should one be estab- Iished the amount of increased freight that would be received .ed ao6 at seattle alone
 Frank N. Johnson of the Simmons uardware Company of St Louis. in sneaking of the stand he has taken in the present matter, had this to say:
 "In May, 1897. it came to the knowl- edge of the Chicago and St. Louis houses that the Pacinc coast 1oppers, more particularly the Pacific Coast Hardware and Metal Association and the Merchants and Manufacturers As sociation of California, were dissatis- fled with the present adjustment of rates. as it gives the retail dealers of the coast an equal snow With them- selves on a great many commodities, and they then petitioned the railroad comnanies to advance the rate for the following reasons, which appear on their petition to the Transcontinental Freight Bureau.
 .First-We believe that on transcon- tinental shipments l. c. l. rate should in on instance be less than 50 cents per 100 hounds advance of c. l. rate on the same commodity. This principal should apply to class rates as we'll. Existing tariffs to coast terminals as well as to intermediate points are plainly to the advantage of Chicago and St. Louis
 
 out consulting the interests of the job hers on this coast. In proof of this we point to the frequent absence of any differential between c. l. and l. c. l. rates on commodities which members of our association import largely, and where a difference does exist between 1. c. l. and c. l. rates 1t is too frequently so small as to practically afford the iobber little or no protection. It is a well-recogniZed principle in all com mercial transactions that quantity gov erns prices and in the matter of trans portation the justification of this prin- ciple is doubly apparent Note that the present basis of rates practically af- lords the iobber little or no protection. hence they ask that the railroad com panies advance their less than carload rates so there shall be in no instance less than 50 cents per hundred pounds difference between c. l. and l. c. l. rates They name no maximum difference, and hence 1t is fair to assume in some cases they would ask $1 50 difference, as there is no limit to their greed. The effect of this would be that the retail CTS and consumers of California. in order to enrich the jobbers would be compelled to pay from 50 cents per 100 and upward over the present tariffs. and very little of this money would find it's way into the coffers of the railroad companies, as the movement of goods would be principally in carload lots. and the increased freight would go into the pockets of the jobbers
 E. l.. Cutting Of Warehouse & Les ter, and representing the wagon mate rial trade of the Pacific Coast, Is also a member of the committee of the Pa ciic Coast Metal and Hardware Asso-