Los Angeles herald., 1910-12-19
HOW CANAL WILL Hell
COAST SHIPPERS
BY IsIDoR JACOBS

SAN FRANCISCO-The era whidU'
has opened to the shippers of this stat
in connection with the competition De
tween the Pacific Mail Steamship com
pany and Bates e. Chesebrough VIC
Panama shows in small degree what
a great future will come to this STATE
when the Panama canal is opened*
The mere announcement of fast time
between California points and the AtN
lantic seaboard cities by way of ran
anna has resulted in reservations fd/
all the available space on all the line
being taken months ahead. 1t is nov
estimated that between the Pacific
Mail Steamship company and the.
Bates e Chesebrough line that the
total shipments during twelve monthsl
will be close to 100000 tons of Cali-l
fornia freight to go east, and it is, of
course. expected that considerable
quantity will come westbound. This
does not include the enormous ton
mage via Tehuantepec, or by slow
freight through the Straits of Ma
gellan.
Shippers from California via these
steamship lines are now able to send
goods to New York under the accent
rate. A charge of 20 cents ton Tor
handling is made in New York, and the
goods can be shipped as far west from
New York as Chicago, st. Louis and
throughout the entire eastern states,
New England and the middle west
states at saving from 10 to 20 per
cent in the freight, as charged by the
transcontinental lines. and the time in
transit will not be very much longer
than if shipped by rail.
BOATS CHEAPER THAN RAIL
The Bates & Chesebrough line, how
ever. has opened up line to Charles
ton and New Orleans with rates at an
average of fully 80 per cent less than
if shipped by rail. and from this point
goods can be shipped west over the
railroad lines to large radius Of ter
ritory at considerably less than the all
rail rates.
A problem will, however, confront
the steamship companies when they
commence to haul goods westbound
from New York and the Atlantic sea-
board, for it is apparent that our dis
tributive railroad rates in California
from the seaport cities are out of all
proportion and are not made for the
purpose of encouraging the distribu-
tion of freghts in that way. This
makes it apparent that one of the
chief causes which is retarding the
growth of San Francisco in .connec-
ton with her commercial and manu-
featuring enterprises is the question
of local rates in and out of San Fran
cisco. The rates by the first class
lines from New York west encourage
the distribution of merchandise and
thereby build up their cities. The same
applies to territories surrounding even
large interior cities, such as st. Louis,
Chicago and other points.
We can ship goods from New Yorls
to Chicago via the first class railroad
lines at $4.40 a ton. This is distance
of 1000 miles To ship goods from San
Francisco to Fresno, DISTANCE ol AVV
miles, will average over Sc ton.
1t is therefore a self-eyident fact
that one of the chief causes that is re-
tarding the growth of San Francisco's
commercial and manufacturing enter
prises is this question.
Announcement has just been made
that the Santa Fe has reduced volun-
tarily it's freight rates in and out OF
Los Angeles, along it's entire main line.
It is also a fact that the railroads in
and out of Seattle and Portland have
made freight rates which proportion
ately are considerably less than in and
out of San Francisco, and it is no won
der therefore that these points can
build UP trade, as against San Fran
cleo. This will be more keenly felt
as the water transportation lines build
I'D to these other points, for already
steamship lines are talking of making
connections with the Atlantic seaboard
from Seattle, Tacoma, Portland and
Los Angeles, and unless we wake up
here to what is going on we Will f1nd
ourselves still further behind in the
procession for freight distribution for
our merchants. producers and manu-
facturers.