The daily morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1883-1899, 1899-04-06

The question is asked the Astor.a0
why. a. wheag brings a dONar ton more
a, Tacoma than at Portland. as shown
IN the oregonian's statement OF Tues
day, so much more wheat is shipped to
Portland than to Tacoma? The explana-
tion IS simp.e; The railroads, being in
combination. and charging the same COM
mon rate from Interior points to PORT
land and Tacoma regardless of distances,
and dividing the Total proceeds Of the
business upon an agreed pro rata basis.
naturally prefer 10 have the wheat go
over the down grades of the o. R. 6 y.
to Portland for the sake OF the saving in
operating expenses. Then. too. by drop
ping the wheat at Portland. the railroad
combination IS enabled to get two addl-
ilonal whacis out Of II: d) in the larger
Quaurtv that must be carried from the
Portland market 10 san Francisco thhn
=o=se be TIE case II it were unloaded at
Tacoma, and C2) in the operation by the
o. r. & N. of the only steamers between
Portland and San Francisco. whereas
there are several independent lines out
Of Tacomn. But even this is no.
all the profit TO the pool in ship
ping at Portland instead Of Tacoma, The
lower price OF whsa; at Portlard-due 10
the higher charter rates demanded
by ship owners-enab.es the wheat pool
to make a greater margin on trans
shipments 10 san Francisco than Is pos
sible at Tacoma. The next question
perhaps that may arse in the minds
Of those interested in studying these
abnormal conditions is: WHY do the
people Of Tacoma and Seattle submit
to this discrimination against them In
the wheat traffic?" The answer to this
question is of most vital concern 70
every business man unconnected with the
great wheat pool in Portland. but the Ore
CONAN never makes the slightest refer
ence to it In any of its discussions OF
the Portland situation. At the last
session OF the Washington legislature
the farmers Of the eastern section Of
the state undertook 10 have law passed
requiring she railroads to exchange cars
on demand Of the shipper at any Of their
junction points The Jaw was intended to
enable wheat rafsers on the various feed
ers and branch lines of the o. r. & n.
and the other companies to transfer
wheat at junction points from the
o. r. G. N. to the lines Of the Sound
railways for shipment to Tacoma and
Seattle. 1t would seem to the casual OBJ
server that such bill ought to receive
the hearty support of all the Sound roads
as well as the people Of Tacoma and Sc
attle, but such was not the case. The
boards of trade Of Seattle and Tacoma
passed resolutions denouncing the bill. |
Every railroad In the Northwest Joined |
forces to defeat IT, and sent their strong
est attorneys and hired lobby to olym-
pia 10 defeat it. The Seattle Post-In-
fought the bill from the start,
and the Tacoma Ledger. while not hav-
ing the cue at first, was at later and
more critical stage Of the discussion of
the blH forced To suppress all comment
On It. and asper ts defeat 70 come out
and congratulade the merchants and
business men on that contamination. AT
one Of the hearings before the com
4,
mittee at olympia. the general counsel Of
the Great Northern road ridiculed for
their lack Of perception certain business
men Of Tacoma who had ventured to