El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1900-12-18
The Subject Of a Talk With
the Secretary Of the
Chamber.
DISCRIM MINATION
Is Practiced, and Excused BY
Spacious laIk about Wa
ter Competition That
Doesn't txISt.

At the meeting of Ell Paso shippers
Monday afternoon at the chamber OF
commerce. General Freight Agent
Shepard of the Southern Pacific re-
quested that the secretary of the cham
Der prepare a statement of the griev
ances of Ell Paso shippers, the obstacles
which they believe lie in the way of
their securing the traue of the coun-
try tributary to Ell Paso, and the spe-
cific remedies which they think should
be applied. Mr. Shepard said that if
such statement were prepared and
laid before him he would give it careful
consideration with a view to granting
such relief as is practicable without
sacrificing the interests of the South
ern Pacific company.
In accordance with Mr.. Shepard's re-
quest, Chairman Browne of the trans
portation committee asks that every
Ell Paso shipper give the question of
freight rates careful consideration from
the standpoint of his own particular
line of business, and furnish to the
secretary of the chamber such informa-
tion and suggestions as may help in the
preparation or : statement such as Mr..
Shepard desires.
Speaking of this matter Secretary
Russell of the chamber of commerce
said to a Herald reporter:
AT the conference Monday after
noon the question was asked Mr.. Shep-
ard, Would IL be unfair to ask that
freight originating from Mississippi or
other eastern points be dropped off
at Ell Paso at the rate charged for
carrying the same freight eight hum
dred miles further to Los Angeles or
twelve hunured miles to San FRANCIS
co? Mr.. Shepard said emphatically that
it could not be done; that it would
demoraiize all the freight rates west
of the Mississippi. AS the case stands
therefore. Los Angeles gets lower
through rates in from the east than
does Ell Paso. while Ell Paso and Los
--ngeles have the same distributive
mileage rates out. This operates as
a discrimination in favor of Los An
geles and against Ell Paso, enabling Los
Angeles jobbers to come far over into
the territory the trade of which, but
for this discrimination in rates, would
be controlled by Ell Paso jobbers. This
is the way in which water competition
benefits Ell Paso.
Mr.. Prudential gave an illustra-
noon of the manner in which Ell raso
is shut out of Mexico business. A gen.
tleman about to go into business in
Aguas Calientes was discussing with
Mr. Prudential the question whether
he could not buy stock in Ell Paso as
cheaply as in Chicago. On figuring out
rates it was found that the same goods
could be shipped from Chicago to
Aguas Calientes for $40 per hundred
pounds. while from Ell Paso. to Aguas
Calientes the rate was $3.50. This is
another case where water compel,Lion
browns the Ell Paso jobber.
'Is it not time that this incubus of
water competition was rolled off the
diate points? Let the Ell Paso merchant
ask himself. when he sees double
header freight train starting out west
ward. why the railway company cannot
afford and should not be required to
drop one of those carloads of freight
mere for the same price that it charges
for hauling it eight hundred or twelve
hundred miles further. The interstate
commerce law prohibits the railway
company from carrying freight to a
given point at a rate that involves loss:
the reason for the prohibition being
that to carry freight for one man at
a loss would compel the company to
charge another man an exorbitant rate
in order to make good the loss. and
that it is against pubic policy to per-
nit common carrier to rob Peter in
order to give something to Paul. And