Los Angeles herald., 1910-07-20
BIC CELEBRATION
Of RATE VICTORY
San Pedro Citizens JubiIant at
Interstate Commerce Com
missions Ruling
HONOR ATTORNEY GOODRICH
Residents Pay Tribute to Man
Who Waged Battle for
Harbor Town

SAN PEDRO. july lJ.-NeNS IHil
the Harbor City Wholesale company
organized to buy produce and other
merchandise for San Pedro merchants
and save the difference between car
load rates and local rates, had won the
important suit for terminal rates for
San Pedro before the interstate COM
merce commission, was received with
unbounded enthusiasm today.
Tonight a public meeting was held
under the auspices of the chamber of
commerce and the victory WAS cele-
brated by music and speech making
by many prominent citizens. The
Marine band had been engaged and
paraded the streets just before the
meeting. Never before in the history
of the town have its citizens been 50
united in a jubilee since the break
water was located here.
FILED LAST SUMMER
The suit for terminal rates was filed
last summer during the consolidation
campaign. The general opinion was
that the suit had been filed for pol1t-
cal effect and even the officers of the
company had little hope for favor
able decision.
At the hearing before the commits
sioner sent here to take the evidence
in the case, however, it developed that
Minor P. Goodrich, the attorney for the
company had prepared much evidence
to show discrimination against San
Pedro in favor of Los Angeles on the
part of the railroads.
The Associated Jobbers of Los An
geles became interested in the case
and asked that the suit be WithrraWn
and a new one instituted by the Joo-
bers. The wholesale company declined
to withdraw it's suit, and the jobbers
association then offered the assistance
of its attorneys.
For a time 1t looked as though the
suit could not be carried through for
lack of funds The hearing was set at
San Francisco and the wholesale com
pany raised money by popular sub
scription to send its attorney to tight
the case. Later the hearing was trans
ferred to Los Angeles.
CREDIT TO GOODRICH
Officers and stockholders in the com
pany give full credit for the victory to
the untiring efforts of Goodrich, VINO
worked long and hard in preparing the
case when there was no money in sight
for fees.
While terminal rates is a great ad-
vantage to San Pero in giving an op-
portunity to build up a jobbing busi-
ness through the aid of water compe-
tition Los Angeles jobbers will also be
able to profit by the decision. 1t will
enable them to receive goods by water
and distribute to the interior from
warehouses here and meet the compe-
tition of the jobbers of the middle
west, which cannot be done under the
new rulings of the interstate commerce
commission.
In the Reno, Spokane and Phoenix
cases the rates from Missouri and
Mississippi river jobbing centers We're
reduced by the commission to point
below the terminal rates to the coast,
plus the local haul back. This will
make it necessary for the coast job
bers to take advantage of water rates
that are lower than the rail rates to
sell certain lines of goods in competl-
ton with the jobbers of st. Louis, Kan
sas City and Chicago.
THROUGH SHIPMENTS
With terminal rates at San Pedro
the Los Angeles jobbers will be able
to ship from warehouses here direct
to the interior and meet the eastern
competition through the advantage of
low rates to the warehouses by water.
AS the bulk of the wholesale business
is within the city limits, however, 1t
is not likely that any of the wholesale
houses will move to the waterfront. IL
will only be necessary for them 10
maintain warehouses here to distribute
to the interior
At the meeting tonight Goodrich was
given an ovation. Among the speak
ers was Justice H. A. Pierce of Los
Angeles, who paid a splendid tribute
to his work in prosecuting the first
suit for terminal rates ever won be-
fore the interstate commerce commits
sion.
Goodrich responded by reviewing
the history of the case and the diff
culties he encountered in securing tes-
tfmony to prove discrimination against
the port: how the railroad denied that
there was a port here with WharVes
and how over forty photographs We're
introduced to prove that there existed
water competition here.
OTHER SPEAKERS
Other speakers were John 7. Gaffey.
Fl. Steiglitz. n T. Tilton, Frank Karr
and Louis Hanson. Steiglitz appealed
for popular subscription to reim-
burse Goodrich for his time and head
ed the list with 500. E. L. Blanchard,
president of the chamber of commerce,
nresided. The meeting was called last
week TO reorganize the chamber of
commerce and following the jollitica-
tfon the membership roll was generally
signed.
BROTHER CHARGED WITH