The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1906-02-01
Big Demurrage Bills.

Mr. Schwerin said that lumber ship
ments from New York were held up so
long that there were bills for demur-
rage amounting to SlS,6lI between Aug.
and Nov. 3. 1895, and the Panama rail-
road Will have these to pay. he said
that the Pacific Mail steamships We're
held at Panama for long periods and that
there was no way this company can en-
force demurrage charges. He charged
that the railroad company had further
delayed the Pacific Mail Steamship com
panys ships by refusing to furnish them
with coal, as they are required - do
under a contract, and that no complaint
was made TO Superintendent Humphrey
of the railroad company. He said the
fault lay with higher officials. Mr..
Schwerin said he had resOrted TO every
means to bring about improved cOndi-
tions, even making protest to the state
department TO induce IL to appeal to Pan
ANA. Mr.. SchWerin complained also that
the Panama railroad had arbitrarily re-
duced rates from New York to ports on
the Pacific coast, where the haul was
divided between the Panama Steamship
company and the Pacific Mail. He said
he was informed that the reduction was
a concession To the steel trust, which
former chairman Of the canal commits
sion, that the rates were cheaper from
Europe TO Central America than from
New York TO the same ports. Secretary
Taft had then taken the matter up, said
Mr.. Schwerin, and authorized a reduc-
ton Of the rates.
contract
the rate could not be lowered except by
mutual consent and the adjustment of
the rates is still pending.
1t was denied by Mr.. Schwerin that
his company had had a monopoly on the
Pacific coast, and he declared that there
had been no money in the business be-
tween San Francisco and Panama
He complained Of the criticisms of the
company made by Secretary Taft and
said as a result the company had been
held up 10 ridicule. He asserted that the
statement Of Mr. Stevens that the freight
cOngesuOns were the fault of the Pacific
Mail Steamship company showed that Mr.
Stevens was a railroad nan and con-
fused steamship methods with railroad
methods when as matter Of fact they
Senator Knox asked Mr.. Schwerin if
ne had not smarted a little under the
criticism Of Secretary Taft ana if that
1eellng had not cropped out in his testf-
mOny Mr. Schwerin replied he had
thought il too bad to be held up to ridi-
cule and disgrace by a high official of
the United States when every effort had
been made TO uphold the American flag
IN a business that had almost been driven
off the seas.
absolutely False"
He denied to Senator Morgan that the
Pacific Mail has any connections with a
transContinental railroad. and declared
that Secretary Tafts statement that his
company had put small steamers in the
better steamers to the coffee trade wae
absolutely false" He said that sailingS
had been missed because the Panama
railroad had held up the ships at the
1sthmus. He added:
1T may be that they are not making
the dirt fly there as rapidly as theY
want, but / am not going 20 let them
make the fur OF the Pacific Mail fiy
without giving 10 the public an under
standing OF the way business Is being
done"
the Tehusntepec railroad across Central
America viii be completed by June /, and
declared:
That will Kill the American commerce
which now crosses the tsthmus"
He said that It would put the Panama
railway and the Pacific Mail Steamship
company's Panama line cut Of business.
as by the new line there would be u
reduction in TIN time from San Fran
cisco TO New York from th.rty-four to
twenty-siX days"