Los Angeles herald., 1909-10-29
TRY TO SECURE
TERMINAL RATES
SHIPPERS AT SAN PEDRO SEEK
LOWER CHARGES
SOUTHERN PACIFIC ROAD is MOST
INTERESTED
Railway Attorneys Attempt to Dis
prove Statement That Los AM
geles Harbor Is of Deep
Sea Character

Terminal rates for Los Angeles har-
Dor are being asked from the trans
continental railroads in a case now be-
ing tried before Special Examiner Lyon
of the interstate commerce commis-
sion. The hearing is. being held in the
supreme court chambers in the Bullard
block.
The Southern Pacific railroad seems
to be the one most interested in the
case and is making a fight to keep from
the examiner the knowledge of the
possibilities of San Pedro harbor.
So far the Santa F'e and the salt
Lake route have not taken any active
interest in the hearing, although both
roads, as well as the Gould lines and
the Rock Island, are represented by
counsel.
c. w. Durbrow, attorney for the
Southern Pacific, is leading in the de-
fense of the case. He is being aided
to some extent in his defense by II.
A Jones, freight traffic manager OF
the Southern Pacific, and 7. A. era
ham, ssistant general freight and pas
senger agent of the same road minor
p. Goodrich and Edward G.. Kuster
are representing the Harbor City
Wholesale Groeers' association. Mr..
Kuster is attorney for the Associated
Jobbers of Los Angeles, which is great
lv interested in the outcome of the
case.
In his opening statement Mr.. Good
rich stated San Pedro harbor is an ac-
tual deep-sea harbor, that 1t is being
used daily by many sea-going craft and
that business interests of the harbor
citv are being Disseminated against
because of the refusal of the railroads
to grant shippers there terminal or
water rate as is granted all other snip
pers at other harbor points all along
the Pacific coast.
Attorney Durbrow objected to al
lowing any evidence going into the
record. showing the possibilities of the
harbor. He tried to show that har-
bor should be forty feet deep as in the
case of the New York harbor. He ar
gued that as San Pedro is now only
twenty-five feet deep in most parts
and twenty feet at the harbor en-
trance, it is not deep-sea harbor.
Outlines Work Being Done
Gervaise Purcell, civil engineer for
Outer Harbor Dock and Wharf COM
pany. described the work being done
bv his company on what is known as
the Miner concession. He said about
thirty acres had been reclaimed, 74OO
feet of wharfage franchises had been
obtained and 1400 feet of bulkhead
frontage had been given to the city of
Los Angeles. He stated more than
5000 900 had~been spent in the work SO
far done and that before all the work
is completed there will be expended
something like $850,000 He also said
his company now has contract with
the Union Oil company to dredge a
channel thirty feet deep to accommo-
date the oil vessels.
Photographs showing ships flying
the colors of several nations were in
troduced as evidence. 1t was also
shown that merchandise from foreign
countries is brought to San Pedro fn
vessels and that similar merchandise
is carried across the, country to the
port by railroads. ~
The Southern Pacific attorney at
tempted to show that only actual wa
ter competition and not potential COM
petition should be considered in MAX
ing terminal rates.
William Mahan, collector of the port,
said S5 per cent of the merchandise ar
irving at San Pedro is lumber from
the north, while the other is per cent
is cement, fertilizer and general prod
ucts from Europe. He also said that
there is some merchandise received
from China and Japan as well as South
American ports.
John T. Gaffey testified the Pacific
Wharf and Storage company is ready
to construct four slips, thirty feet
deep at a cost of 100000. He told in
detail of other work done by his COM
pany and sought to show the harbor
is of the deep-sea class and entitled
to terminal rates.
The case will be continued today.