Los Angeles herald., 1910-02-11

heart and soul. Here is what he has
to say about it:
1T is not because Of high rates or
need of competition that another
steamship line is needed between TINS
coast and Panama" he said yester-
day. 1.-THE ship companies operating
now are doing the right thing with the
sbippers and no one has a kick COM
| ing. The reason we do need this line
is that the old companies are not apIe
! to handle the vastly increased amount
of tonnage which is shipped by water.
The congestion of traffic across the
| continent by rail is becoming so great
that the California shippers must seek
relief by water. This is being done
! constantly and as a result another line
must come into Pacific waters to han
| die the business"
President Willis H. Booth of the
| chamber of commerce is also strongly
in favor of the line. He said in regard
| to it yesterday:
"When the chamber of commerce
was considering the matter some tllne
ago we investigated it very thorough
| ly. We wrote to every possible source
! of information, to the ship owners, 10
shippers who are using the govern
ment line in the Atlantic and to local
men who are shipping via private IA
cific coast lines. After careful consld
Grafton of all the information gained
in this manner we adopted a resoIu
tion in favor of the establishment Vi
the line. I am convinced that 1t is
not only a good thing for the Paclnc
coast, but almost a necessity to our
advancement that this line should pc
built" '-.-'-'
Means Real Competition
Former Mayor William D. stephens,
anoono nrominent men interviewed last
night, said: ~, ,,-;1,
"This proposed government line Will
he q. wonderful benefit if we ever get
It. 1t is almost impossible to toreteIi
what remarkable developments WouIo
be likely to follow the estapHsnnenes
of such line. The deNeIottileiI le,.+
Pacific coast harbors and Pacific coast
Shipping would become, 1 think, al
most unparalleled as the result OF tne
comnetition the line could give the
railroads. The returns would be Woh-
derful! 4,,o+
II do not believe the arguments that
the line would drive out private snip
owners is at all sound. In the HrsI
Mace there are few, if any, small snip
owners doing a traffic business on the
Pacific coast. I am not so well IN.
formed as to the Atlantic. But even II
there were. they could still retain 10
cal traffic. They wouldn't be driven
o1,t of business. But we don't care So
much about the local business as we
do the through traffic. Ihat $ "Heio
the remedy lies for u.s.
Grand Step for City
e. NJ. Durant, president of the ITop.
leo Art Tile company, interviewed laS'
night, said: ,.,,., hone
the senate passes Senator tllnI Uill'
OF course 1 have been out OF the snip
ning business for a couple of years
and 7 ann not So closely in touch with
the operations of the business as l
FORMERLY was. However, l am tamlllar
enough with the situation to say, WITH
ont anv hesitation whatever, that II
would he a grand thing for Los An
geles. Los Angeles must have II.
d. C. McCan of the McCan Mechan-
ical Works, commenting on the sup-
ject, said: 49,, ,,o,,,
aThe freight rates are SO heavy now
that we cannot compete with the east.
The railroads are having everything
their own way We can't ever rely
upon them to get our goods here TO
saw nothing of the tremendous rates
we nav when we do get them. rms
new government line plying between
Panama and Pacific ports would force
the railroads to basis upon Wnich
thew ought 10 ldNG DOO4A St'SAe-S@
long time ago Los Angeles men,
am sure. are almost unanimously IN
favor of il. So am I. But if I wasn't,
7 think 1 should be willing to accept
the opinion of the many and smother
any plaintive protest 1 might feel IN
clined to utter.
Our manufacturing here has but
limited field. The freight rates forbid
its extension. They charge us tre-
mendous rates for raw materials. This
very thing-high rates-is what has
held this country down.
"Give us the new line by water.
Then, perhaps, by means of this new
line and the reduction in freight rates
that is sure TO follow we may get
somewhere in the field of manufac-
turing"
Strong for New Line
Roland Bishop of Bishop & CO. fa-
vqrs the new line. He said to The
Herald last nightl
"You can say anything you want to
about my favoring this plan. l GER