Los Angeles herald., 1910-03-02

| the fleet, so that now there are seven
steamers operating under government
control plying between New York and
| Colon, all of which are provided with
modern refrigeration.
In 1908 the president directed the
same commissioner to investigate and
| file a subsequent report, directing his
| investigation especially to the advis-
ability of establishing upon the Pacific
ocean a similar line to that now being
operated by the government upon the
Atlantic ocean.
! The learned commissioner in his re-
| port states:
"The first two of these recommenda-
! tions (referring to first reporD have
| been substantially carried out The
railroad has been double-tracked and
| equipped with modern rolling stock
and the port facilities of both Ancon
and Colon have been greatly enlarged
and improved.
1T has been invaluable to the canal
commission in providing a regular and
reliable steamship service between
New York and Colon, by which sup
! plies can be readily received; mails
promptly delivered and a good pas
senger service furnished.
ut has also enabled the commission
to regulate the rates, both freight and
| passenger, between the United States
and the isthmus. 1t has been wisely
run as an independent corporation and
has supported itself in competition,
not only with other American steam
ship lines, but with foreign lines as
| well. 1t is the policy of the commits
sion to contract for a large amount of
their materials and supplies to be de-
| livered at Colon. The contractor or
bidder is at liberty to employ any
steamship. The Panama company
/ stands tho oil nfb
ers. The result is that it is frequently
underbid and large tonnage of canal
supplies especially those of a bulky
| character, has been carried by steam
ships other than those owned by the
| Panama railroad. The existence, how
ever, of the Panama Steamship COM
pany has made it impossible for other
lines to combine and charge the gov
ernment or the people upon the 18TH
| mus exorbitant freight and passenger
| rates.
ITO indicate that such combinations
| would be altogether probable it is in
teresting to note that recently repre-
sentatives of other steamship inter
J ests interviewed officers of the Panama
Steamship company with a view to In
duclng that company to join in a gen.
l'eral advance of rates"
After making a very thorough and
careful investigation again on January
20, 1908, Commissioner Bristow sub
mitted the following:
If a limo of steamships is to be es-
! tablished upon the Pacific ocean it
must be for one of the following rea-
| sons:
First, to furnish facilities for
promptly and cheaply transporting
canal supplies, employees and materials
from the Pacific coast to the isthmus.
Second, for keeping open and i'm
proving the isthmian route of COM
| merce which has existed for fifty years.
Third, for procuring cargo for the
| Panama railroad steamships homeward
! bound from Colon"
The commissioner then states
AFTER reviewing the subject in all
its phases, including the probability of
financial loss during the early period
! OF its operation, and considering it,
first, as to the desirability of having
facilities on the Pacific coast to trans
port supplies, provisions ard materials
| for use on the isthmus during canal
construction. second, for the develop
| ment OF commerce over the highway,
which the government came into pos
| session of by the reason of the pur-
chase of the canal property, not only
for the purpose of increasing our own
| commercial resources and the canal
| revenue, but also in the interest of the
| commerce in general, and, third to
provide northbound cargo to fill the
empty space on the Atlantic ships. 1t
appears to me that the weight of the
argument is strongly in favor of es-
tablishing this service"
You will see. therefore, that we have
| a splendid railroad across the isthmus
| and a fine fleet of refrigerated steam
ers on the Atlantic, and our senator
and representative, believing that this
discrimination should be removed and
that the Pacific coast should have the
| same rights and privileges accorded
to the Atlantic ports and that the Pa
cific coast should have access to the
| market created on the isthmus by the
construction Of the canal, introduced a
bill providing for an appropriation by
the government of S10,0000Q0 to build,
| equip and maintain a line of steamers
on the Pacific, calling at all Pacific
| ports, and to operate in connection with
the federal line on The Atlantic
Hearing at Washington
A public hearing was had upon SEN
ator Flint's bill in Washington, d. c.,
on the 10th day of February, and under
| direction of this board it's secretary,
A. p Fleming, personally represented
the city of Los Angeles at that hear
| ing. He was also empowered by the
board Of directors of tine chamber of
commerce of Los Angeles to represent
that body and the chamber of com
merce of San Diego, Cal, selected him
as its representative.
There were present at this hear
inc w. r. Wheeler. traffic manager
of the Merchants association of San
Francisco; Seth Manu. attorney for
the Merchants association Edward
| Drake, vice president and general
manager of the Panama railroad; r.
r. Rogers, counsel for the Panama
railroad; George D. Dearborn, presi
dent of the Americana Hawaiian
Steamship company; Mr.. Jackson,
their traffic manager and Mr.. Baker
of Baltimore, one of the oldest and
most successful shippers on the At
lantic.
| The evidence of these experts developer:
That for all through business from New
York to San Francisco the Pacific Mail
Steamship company is demanding and re-
ceiving 30 per cent of the through rate
that the government is transporting it across
the isthmus and TO New York for the re-
manning so per cent, and the government Is
making u profit, such as would pay fair
interest on the investment; that the service
of the Pacific Mail Steamship company was
was made to develop the commerce of the
| Pacific, this company only making one
| American port, namely, San francisco, and
spending most of its time in Mexican and
| Central American ports.
That at first the Americana Hawaiian
steamships called at San Diego once
a month, and that it had developed
| business so that it has called there
once a week regularly, with prospects
Of a tri-weekly call. This because they
made an honest effort to develop the