Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1910-08-05
SAN PEDRO
is TERMINAL
BY John T.. Monk.

state Commerce Commission has
handed down a decision sustaining
the complaint of the Ilarbor City
Wholesale Company Of San Pedro,
Cal, against the Southern Pacific
Company and numerous other car
riers, that the carriers we're discrim-
mating in the granting Of terminal
rates in favor of Los Angeles and
other California cities against San
Pedro. As result San Pedro will be
put on a par with these cities In the
handling of freight occauward and
eastward. Il
The Commission held that the do
PENDANTS are guilty II N nnlawtul
discrimination against San Pedro In
not making It also a terminal point"
upon the finding that Los Angeles was
originally made terminal rita point
because Of Its proximity 20 the hnrbor
of San Pedro and has since main
tanned that rate status, ipi upon the
fu-,her finding that the actual and
potential competition through the
harbor of San Pedro contribute at this
time 10 the maintenance Of terminal
rates to Los Angeles :hc Cur.mis.
sion further said:
"A ratio adjuscucrt i".: i'kCS
San Pedro of the benefit OF Its own
81 :graphical position while a5"oriink
the bcGrht of It to Los Arr":rs e0I.
srit'tcH an undue Discrimination. IL
q :t,r,,l or potential wn'n' o'Mi':l;,ol
u :cugh the harbor of -.n ''s';O e
rcrp :nlled by the defendants In the
IuS Hngeles rates /, caiiT lrwinlly
be cbStu. ed In tho rate TO san Pedro
itself. When ON cotnG Lni;y leans
upJl another loc 10 :oi petitire
rates. The benefit ~ such rates ou3,t
rot /, be denied to tn, point VIII. e
the competitive conditions exist"
The all-rail rates from the east to
San Pedro are based upon the through
rates to Los Angeles plus the local
rates from Los Angeles to San Pedro,
and this for many years has been
the relation of rates as between the
two points. In its petition the COM
plainant asked that San Pedro be
designated as Pacific coast terminal
and accorded the same rates that are
now in effect to Los Angeles, San Di-
ego, San Francisco, and numerous
other points in California; and ad-
jacent States commonly referred to
as terminal points and taking the So
called terminal rates. II was not al
legged that the rates to San Pedro are
In themselves excessive and unrea-
sonable, but are discriminatory RS
against San Pedro when compared
with the rates to other points taking
terminal rates. i...
AS the complaint did not include as
parties defendants the carriers east Of
the Mississippi river except one there
was q misjoinder Of parties all the
carriers participating in through traf-
fic from the seaboard territory being
necessary parties defendant. When
the proper parties have been made de-
PENDANT the Commission will require
all the carriers to treat San Pedro
as terminal point.
Concerning water competition as af-
fecting the situation at San Pedro the
Commission said:
THE Observation-Disclosures line is
the strongest competitor of the rail-
roads for Pacific coast traffic. The
vessels assigned to the Atlantic SER
vice run from New York to Puerto
Mexico, where the traffic is delivered
to the Tehuantepec National Railroad.
At Salina Cruz, the Pacific terminus Of
that carrier, II is again turned over
to Observation-Disclosures vessels. San
Diego Is tho first American, port of
call for these vessels and San Fran
cisco is the second. They proceed as
far north as Seattle and Tacoma. But
they do not stop at San Pedro. The
larger volume OF the tonnage OF this
line originates at New York and in
the Atlantic seaboard territory. oc-
oasionally It gets some traffic from as
far west as Des. Moines, In the state
of Iowa. Its tariffs are not filed with
the Commission. but we are advised
that its rates from New York are the
same to San Diego. Los Angeles and
San Francisco. These rates do not
apply to San Pedro, for, as Just stated,
its vessels do not stop at that point.
II shipment is destined to Los An
geles over that line, It is unloaded at
San Diego and carried thence to Los
Angeles by the Santa Fe, It is said,
In fact, that 90 per cent of the traffic
unloaded at San Diego by this line is
subsequently carried by the Santa Fe
into Los Angeles county, the rate of
the Santa Re to Los Angeles being alb
sorbed by the American Hawaiian