The San Francisco call., 1909-05-27
BATTLING TO SAVE
MFNACFD BUSINESS
Merchants and Manufacturers
Will Give Traffic Bureau
Earnest Support
Proposed New Railroad Rate
Schedule Will Be Opposed
With Utmost Vigor

Representatives. of the commercial in
terests of San Francisco to the num-
Der OF 90 gathered yesterday morning
In the rooms of the chamber of COM
merce in the Merchants exchange
building to join in the protest against
the proposed readjustment of freight
rate schedules. The delegates pledged
support to the traffic bureau of the.
Merchants exchange and formulated
plans to increase it's membership
Serious consideration was given to
the necessity of a campaign backed up
by the unified business community. To
this end it was decided that steps
should be taken at once to give the
traffic bureau a membership comnen-
surate with the task before it. Each
association represented at yesterdays
meeting will send two delegates to a
conference to be held next Wednesday.
These delegates will constitute a COM
mittee of the whole whose duty ii shall
be to see that the bureau is given full
support by the local businessmen.
IMMEDIATE ACTION NEEDED
William L. Gerstle. vice president of
the chamber of commerce, presided at
yesterdays gathering The rate situ-
dtiVI was QiSOuSSSu ny IeOipH
Jr., Samuel Sussman, Thomas Magee,
c. K. Mcintosh, A. i. Scott, j. Parker
Currier, A. C. Rulofson, Seth Mann and
William r. Wheeler.
All the speakers urged the necessity
of immediate action, stating that the
handicap placed on Pacific coast points
by the proposed schedule was such that
San Francisco should spare no expense
to save it's jobbing trade now threat
ened
Wheeler told the members present
of his plans to visit the Atlantic coast
and to interest the seaboard cities in
San Franciscos fight.
This said Wheeler lis a matter
that concerns the cities of the Atlantic
as well as the Pacific. 1t is an at
tempt to divert the traffic from the
coast points to the interior. The At
lantic and the Pacific should stand to-
gether.'
RELATION OF RATES
Wheeler also emphasized the fact
that San Francisco was not protesting
because the Spokane rate had been
lowered.
I'VE are not objecting," he said, be
cause the. city of Spokane has been
granted a reduction of rates. We be-
lieve that the rates to Spokane were
unreasonably high and that the city
was entitled to a reduction. What we
are contending for is the preservation
of the relation of rates"
Wheeler will leave Saturday for the
east He will visit New York and
Philadelphia to obtain the cooperation
of the traffic bodies there and will go
to Washington in time to appear before
the Interstate commerce commission on
June 9.
The meeting yesterday brought to-
gether men representing almost every
one of the big industries of the city.
The organizations represented Were:
The Merchants exchange, the chamber
of commerce, Manufacturers and Pro-
ducers' association, board of trade, Pa
cific coast jobbers' and manufacturers
association, Merchants association, San
Francisco automobile trade association
Wholesale Grocers' association, Pacific
coast hardware association. Underwrit-
ers association, Metal Dealers associa-
ton and bankers association.