The San Francisco call., 1899-03-08
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A special committee of the Manufacture
! ers' and Producers Association was al
| work yesterday upon a matter that
meant the gain or loss of millions OF
| dollars to this city and State. Some time
ago Colonel Long of the quartermaster' S
department, whose special business for a
year or more has been to furnish supplies
| and fit out the Government transports
! for Uncle Sam, requested of the State
! Harbor Commissioners a suitable place
/ for the docking of vessels under his
! charge. He represented that suitable
| docking facilities are absolutely necessary
! in order to meet the demands of the Gov
| ernment in dispatching the transports
| that carry provisions munitions of war
! and soldiers to the Pacific squadron in
! Manila as well as the other parts of the
! Western ocean.
| Colonel Long called particular attention
| to the fact that in the past he has fitted
out these expeditions at great inconveni-
ence to himself and the department. That
was during the emergencies of the late
war, when it was necessary to make the
| best of everything.
Recent developments indicate that the
| United States will continue to hold many
or possibly all of the new Pacific posses
sions and that there will be a large
amount of shipping by the Government
! from this side of the continent to the
I
are an absolute necessity.
! The officers OF the Manufacturers and
! Producers Association We're stirred TO
| quick action yesterday by the information
! that Seattle is making an effort to draw
! the Government supply department away
! from San Francisco and install it in the
| Puget Sound city. short time ago the
| Seattle Chamber of Commerce held a
meeting and discussed the request of Col
| onel Long made to the California State
! officers. The result of that meeting was
/ fataorra nhad 10 the 6enartment at WASH
! ington and to Colonel Long. 1t was moth
! ing less than an offer to the Government
! of free dockage and the granting OF
| every concession that the department
! would ask if the Pacific base of supplies
would be moved from San Francisco to
| Seattle. Attention was called to the hne
/ harbor of the north and to the railroad
| facilities of the northern route over which
| munitions and supplies obtained in the
! East could be shipped to that port.
| The local manufacturers determined that
the advantage already gained by San
| Francisco could not properly be allowed
| to be lost. A meeting was therefore held
oughly discussed. The argument was pre-
! sented that this port Is the best adapted
to the shipping of supplies in the Pacihc,
being centrally situated. The department
| is already located here, and the benefits
to the State received during the past few
| months show that during the late war
supplies of various kinds amounting to
about two and half million dollars were
purchased here, and since then much more
| Government money has found its way into
the pockets of local manufacturers. With
purchases already made and goods sent
| from the East, aside from ammunition,
the Government has shipped from the
port of San Francisco cargoes valued at
over eight million dollars.
To permit such a trade to go elsewhere
would be commercial suicide, and a COM
mittee, consisting of ]. w. Kerr and
Manager Goodwin, started out for Colonel
Long with whom conference was held,
and later a visit was paid to the Harbor
! Commissioners The result of their efforts,
as shown by the foregoing, was most sat
! isfactory and at the next meeting they
will report that the patronage of the
! Government has been saved to this city
! through the timely action of the Manufac-
! turers' Association and the Harbor Com
! rniSSinnerS.