The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1903-10-29

| A recent issue of the Fairhaven Her
aid contained communication from
G.. S. Rice, of Doe Bay, a former we'll
known resident Of Fairhaven and an
experienced newspaper man, III which
he urges the view that "The CONNER
cal clubs of the bay might more profit
ably take up the question Of transporta-
ton to and from the islands and aid in
securing better, and fairer, steamboat
service. From an island. point of view
it seems much more important and
urgent than verbal communication be-
tween the islands and the bay"
! Continuing, Mr. Rice says:
"Ereight and passenger rates are al
most prohibitory. The prices paid for
fruit, which is the main product of the
islands, justify the shipment ofvery little
of It. More than half of the fruit on
Orcas island annually goes to waste. 1t
costs So to ship a COW or horse from
Whatcom to the nearest point on Crca5
island. Other freights are in proportion.
If a resident of the islands purchases a
number of articles from as many stores
in town he is pretty sure to get the limit
on each bundle-asort progressive eX-
tortion, which may reach 800 a ton.
| Passenger fares are no less eXtOrtionate,
being as high as 10 cents mile between
some points. For the five miles between
Doe Bay ana Olga the fare is so cents.
Between Olga and East Sound--ahout the
same distance, the fare is % cents This
is a sort OF neighborly discrimination
which may be safely INDUCED because
there is only one, boat running between
the points first mentioned"
With all due respect to Mr.. Rice's
views and with no disposition to un-
derestimate the importance of over
coming the disadvantages of which he
complains, the ISLANDER ventures to
record its dissent from the opinion he
expresses that improved steamboat fa-
cilties are Of greater Importance to the
Deople of the islands at this time than
j the establishment Of an efficient cable
telephone system, covering ana con-
Meeting the islands and extending TO
4 the mainland. If the latter is secured
the former will soon follow in response
TO the demands of increased business.
In fact IA new steamer is already build"
ING which may reasonably be expected
TO furnish the better service needed.
Doe Bay people have less reascn n
than those of any other locality in the
county to complain of "extortionate"
steam boat fares, the rate between there
and the bay cities being only 80 cents,
or approximately 3 cents mile. Ten
years ago it was twice as much, and
The service was much less satisfactory.
1t is not because of high freight rates
Orcas island annually goes to waste. "
! # the steamers would take fruit from
Orcas points to Whatcom for nothing
;, there would be little reduction in the
percentage of waste, for the Whatcom
market-for fruits not good one
and never has been. Steamboat freight
rates between Seattle or WhatcOm and
island points are said to be materially
lower than rail freight rates for the
same distances between mainland
points that do not have the advant-
ages of steamboat competition. While
SO may be a high rate for shipping a
horse or cow from Whatcom to Doe
Bay or Olga, Mr.. Rice would find that
if he were to ship the same animal
from Sumas to Whatcom by raiI-a
;. distance of twenty-four miles-it would
cost him more than twice as much, as
n gentleman now resident here ascer-
tanned upon inquiry few weeks ago.
He led his COW from point near
Sumas to Whatcom rather than pay
the high rate demanded for rail ship
ment. The waking not being good
from Whatcom "a Friday Harbor, he
cheerfully paid 23 fare for his cow
; AS to the "progreasive extortiou" OIL
small packages, il is quite true, as he
saws, that ''if resident of the islands
purchases number Of articles from as
many stores IN town he is pretty sure
to get the limit on each bundle" but il
is the minimum limit, AID if the pur