The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1910-02-16
DISCRIMINATION
AGAINST HAWAII
Wells Fargo & Co. Charged With
Overchargng on Express
Rates.


by Wells Fargo Co., according to
| figures prepared by the merchants as
| ISOLATION. Because of the fact that the
company VIII not quote through rate
| between New York and Honolulu. mer
chants are being forced to pay sixty
| five cents more eXpressage on every ten
pounds of merchandise than should De
| the case otherwise, according to those
who have looked into the matter. The
| association Will take action at once
and Will bring the matter to the atten-
ton of the headquarters office OF the
| company.
The matter came up for pretty gen
eral discussion yesterday at the trus-
tees meeting and some' interesting hg
ures were introduced. According to the
| present rules OF the company express
| matter can not be billed from New
! York straight through to this city, but
must be consigned to San Francisco and
there rebilled. The rate from New
York to San Francisco, on ordinary
merchandise. is $50 per ten
pounds. From San Francisco here the
rate is eighty cents per ten pounds.
This makes the total eXpressage from
New York to Honolulu $3.50. 1t IS
estimated that, could the company be
induced to grant a through rate, the
cost would be reduced to S1.75 per ten
pounds.
! At present many merchants are IN
the habit of having their hurry orders
expressed to San Francisco and then
forwarded on here by freight. Both
freight and express come on the same
steamer and it makes little or no diff
ference so far as expedition in recelv-
ing the goods IS concerned, but there
is the trouble and worry caused by
he necessity for transshipment.
1t is urged that, We're the express
company to quote a through rate from
New York to Honolulu, merchants
would far rather bill their goods right
through than trouble with transship-
ment at the Bay City, even though ex
press charges from the Atlantic sea
board here amounted to little more
, than express charges to San Francisco
plus freight charges TO Honolulu. But
the present arrangement makes the
tolls practically prohibitive as far as
c0nsignments of any size are concerned.
1t is urged that the company would
profit by granting Hawaii a through
rate. in that it would get business
) which now is handed over to the steam
- ship companies through the transship-
ment by freight.
It is believed that San Francisco
= would strenuously oppose the granting
= Of a through rae to Hawaii because of
the fact that at present all goods for
these Islands are receipted for by the
: san Francisco office and the rebilling
is a separate bit Of business. This IS
no small item in the showing of bust
, ness made by the Bay City office, and
4 through rate would mean a substan-
= ,ial slice taken out Of the business of
the san Francisco office and turned Over
: tC Honolulu.
q However the merchants are determine
I ed to get a through way rate if there
lie any way and they feel fairly con.
, fident that the company will grant it.
once the state OF affairs is made clear
to the officials at headquarters.
, The question of trading stamps was
brought up and the association decided
/ to take determined stand in the mat
ter 1t is urged that small dealers
are practically forced INTO paving trib
ute in the form of trading stamp pur-
, chaseS.
Tin letter from Delegate Kuh.o, ask
ing that data lie furnished him Tor use
in his campaign in the interest Of coast
: wise shipping law suspension, was re-
publicity committee with authority to