The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-11-26


Trade That Gotham Has Lost.
President James J. Hill. of the Great
Northern, entertained as his guests yes
terday the subcommittee of the New
York state commerce commission. APP
pointed by the legislature Of that state to
investigate the export trade Of the No tn
west and devise means to restore to the
port of New York her former prestige as
an export point.s1The committee consists
of Charles A Sehieren. formerly mayor
of Brooklyn; Benjamin f. Fairchild,
counsel. Pelham. N. Y; Andrew H.
Green, Alexander r. Smith, Hugh Kelly,
g C. Shayne The subcommittee appoint
ed to visit Western cities consists Of
Chairman Schieren, and Messrs. Smith
and Fairchfld.
The subcommittee spent Friday in Min
neapolis, gaining information regarding
the Northwestern grain trade. It's visit
In st. Paul was for the purpose of in
vestigatlng the resources Of Northwest
ern roads. examining terminals, facilities
and partly 10 feel the pulse of North
western roads with reference to export
shipment Fer several years New York
has not received its usually heavy bulk
of the export trade and the special object
CT the committee is to learn the reason
why and seek some means of remedying
this defect. 20
Competition has gradually lessened New
York export trade and has made Mon
treal, Boston. Philadelphia and other
ports almost New York equal. Newport
News, fostered especially by the Chesa-
peake & Ohio and kindred interests,
though no city at all, has an advantage
of two and one-half cents over New York
on export rates, a harbor with all con-
veniences, large elevator facilities, has no
port charges AMI the rates to this point
are as low from the West as to any Of
the other Atlantic Seaboard ports. For
this reason the large bulk Of North
western shipments have been DETECTED
from New York and exported from New
port News.
1t is this condition which the committee
seeks means of meeting. Conferences
with Minneapolis grain men developed
the fact that at present the Erie canal
Is not considered an important factor in
the export business. transportation has
been worked out as fine problem, and
rates are now made to other points as
cheaply as via the old canal route. The
lack Of terminal facilities and elevator
storage in New York has reacted against
the port, think Northwestern millers, and
the consensus of opinion was that the
Eastern city able to furnish the best IA
ciiities Cor export, with the lowest rates,
would get the, business. It is not thought
that any amount Of Improvement Of the
cid canal waterway could enable it to
compete with the. railroads. ALL the At
lantic ports are nearly equally distant
market points ofathe Northwest, and the:
conditions at present present little evil.
dence of Discrimination in freight rates
1t remains for Eastern cities to improve,
their ports and make them attractive to.
Western shippers. ra
The conference of the zcomrditteemen
with President Hill lasted two hours.
During the afternoon the New York men
were his guests at the Minnesota club.
where they met number of prominent
railroad men, No formal session was
held in st. Paul, though the greater part
of the afternoon was spent In discussing
New York's problem and gaining the
opinions of ST. Paul railroad men on the
means to be taken to insure New York
a better share of Northwestern trade.
Speaking Of the visit of the subcommit-
tee to the cities and the result Of the con-
ferences with St. Paul shippers and rail-
road men, Chairman Schieren said yester-
day, when@seen~ at the Minnesota club:
1--WE will return etosthe zEast>with much
valuable information concerning North
western trade. Our especial object mas
been to devise means to give New York a
larger share of export trade and regain
her lost prestige. We met President Hill
this morning in his office at the Great
Northern building, and, in an informal
chat of two hours, thoroughly discussed
the question. Mr.. Hill has been able to
give us informatin of immense value.
He has considered the proposition from
our point of view and has suggested
remedies which, if they can be applied
will no doubt be effectuals Though it
was a part of our plan to visit Duluth,
we shall go there now with the especial
object of considering the city's terminal
facilities and methods Of handling snip
| ments routed via the lakes. Mr.. Hill is
| of the opinion that nothing but improved
terminals and elevator facilities can I'M
| prove our trade.
t'In Minneapolis we conferred with the
| principal grain and flour shippers at the
! chamber Of commerce. The city IS re-
! garded as the flour metropolis Of this
| country, if not of the world, and her ship
! ments to the seaboard are very extern
! sive. New York formerly received a very
! large proportion of her foreign trade, out
| during the past six or eight years this
!
| on account of what is alleged to be the
! excessive port charges of our city. An
| other reason assigned is the differentlal
rates made by the railroads on through
| shipments to New York, which are row
| in favor of Newport News, Baltimore
! and Philadelphia. New York is anxious
to place herself in a proper position to
regain this important business. AL
! things being equal, New York will get
| the preference on account of her financial
| eminence and other favorable conditions
| There are more lines Of steamers enter:
| ing New York and the sailing of vessels
| is more frequent than in any other port
1.-THE package freight, via the Erie ca
nal, has been substantially abandoned
! largely on account of lack of facilities al
Buffalo and storage facilities at New
! York Since the creation of Greater New
| York, which covers a territory embracing
! 367 square miles, the conditions seem tc
| be favorable for the provision of facilities
| similar to those existing at Newport
| News, for instance, where car can come
| right upon the dock and it's contents
| may be transferred to a vessel If the
| merchants of New York shall in the near
| future establish such facilities there is
| no doubt that we can obtain large pro-