The Roswell daily record. [volume] (Roswell, N.M.) 1903-current, 1907-01-26

the shipment of all canal supplies by
way of New York. The management
of the railroad required that steam
ship lines from Gulf ports should
charge the same rates from their
port to Colon as were charged By the
railroads steamship line from New
York to Colon, under penalty of being
deprived of the railroads. dock faciii
ties at its terminals. The result OF
this was to give great advantage to
the port having the shortest rail line
from point of production. As New
York was much the centers
of production tia Gulf or Pacific
Coast ports, it secured the bulk of the
business. When the Government AS
sumed control, by purchase, of the
Panama Railroad, one of the Com
missions first acts was to notify all
steamship lines that they could have
the use of the railroads terminal ia
cilities on the Isthmus on the same
terms as the steamships of the rail
road company, without regard to any
rates they might make from their
ports of departure.
CD We required all bids for sup
plies to be made c. i. f. the Isthmus-
that is, all bids to include cost of
delivery on the Isthmus.
y - " AOhSh III liza -
es of discrimination in rates, as be-
tween New York the Gulf and
Pacific coast ports, we separated the
Panama Railroad Steamship Line
from the Panama Railroad and threw
open the use of that steamship line
to all railway connections at New
York or agreed percentage divisions.
We gave our direct rail connections
at New York, as well as all others,
the privilege to make rates from all
producing territory clear through to
Colon. Under this policy the manufac
turer situated on the line of a rail
a leading to New York mas no aG-
vantage whatever over one situated
on lines of railway running to Gull
ports. Each can arrange for his own
rates straight through to Colon We
went a step further and adopted the
policy of charging the Government
on Commissions shipments from New
York exactly the same rates that are
paid by any other shippers from that
port locally. Our object in these va
rious acts was to protect the United
States Government from any charge
of favoritism to any section of the
country.
If we had made low rates from New
York on our materials it would have
OCVh CIdlS Cu LHdI lHOS6 were less
than private capital could afford to
grant, and that, therefore, the Govern
ment should install similar service
from the South Atlantic and Gulf
ports. We should also have been
charged with rebating to ourselves as
against other shippers, thus violating
the law. What we did was TO put the
Government on a parity with other
shippers, and all sections of the coun-
try On exactly the same footing. II
by reason Of these policies competi-
ton among the railroads in different
sections of the country shall result
in rates below a profitable basis the
Government will be the gamer, be-
cause it will get the benefit of a re-
duced cost in the price of its mater.
ial delivered On the Istnmus. In no
case can The Government be a party
TO any kind of discrimination.
In harmony with what seemed to
be popular demand, and in accordance
also with our own convictions on the
subject, we decided several months
ago, as soon as it was possible to
do so after the type of canal had been
decreed, to invite bids for completing
the construction of the canal by con
tract. We o this step in the be-
lief that the restrained contractors
and construction men in the country
could be induced to undertake the
work and to give the Government the