The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1906-02-01
SCHWERIN SKINS
SECRETARY TAFT
General Manager of the Pacific Mail
Steamship Company Before
Senate Committee.
MADE STRONG STATEMENT
TAFT EITHER MALICIOUS OR
IGNORANT.

Washington, D. c., Jan. 31.-Robert p.
schwerin. general manager Of the Pacific
Mail Steamship company, was before the
Ferate committee on interoceanic canals
today. His attention was called TO
statement made by Secretary Taft crit
clsing the service between Panama and
San Francisco for its part in contributing
20 the congestion Of freight at Panama
Secretary Taft's statement was made
either through malice tending 10 lntuTe
an American industry or through ignor-
hGce Of the causes of the difficulties OF
which he has complained.
Continuing, he said that the Pacific
Mail Steamship company operates nine
which steamers sail on schedules APP
proved by Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua
and other countries whose ports are en-
tered. The schedule provides for conneC-
tions with the steamers Of the Panama
Steamship company from New York by
means of the railroad across the isthmus.
The schedules require the companies 10
make connections and exchange freight,
said Mr. SchWerin.
Why Freight Accumulated.
A description Of the conditions Of the
ssthmus since the canal commission took
charge Of the Panama railway was given
by Mr.. Schwerin. He said that freight
had accumulated on the WharVeS, ali
commercial shipments having been held
up by the movement Of canal materials,
and the difficulty, Mr.. SchWerin assert
&d, Was UuG 10 CUlpdDiC le6llSCLACC UAA
the part of the managing officials of the
Panama railroad and utter indifference
TO their obligations as common car
rier''
He explained this to some extent by the
statement that that the equipment of the
railroad had deteriorated greatly during
the two years prior to the sale OF the
property TO the United States.
las soon as control Of the road passed
10 the United States" said Mr.. Schwerin,
''the conditions described began TO grow
worse.
Wages Were Cut.
The railroad company cut the wages
of men who worked on the docks, which
caused q strike. AS a result we are both
paving higher wages than we were be
fcre, for he poorest labor in the world.
1t became the understanding that the
United States had bought the railroad TO
build the canal and cared nothing for
the commercial business across the 18th
and it was said by Secretary Taft, Mr..
" allace. Admiral Walker. the former
chairman of the commission, and others
connected with the building of the canal
that commerce was secondary to the
movement of canal material Ii was that
indifference that brought about the con-
EeStiOn. It is shown just the same IN
shipments by steamer from New York. A
steamship may be loaded with commercial
business and a rush order be received tOr
canal material. The commercial business
would be removed and canal material
substituted, but we would be notified OF
western ports ana receive papers for the
BUSINESS. The resi- is that we would re-
%CeiVe bills of ladiEg and manifeStS for
goods that could not be found, and our
found il impossible TO segregate the ship
ments for particular lOadings, all of
which was due to the inefficiency Of the
officers of the Panama Railroad COM