The Spokane press. [volume] (Spokane, Wash.) 1902-1939, 1910-04-17
DIFFERENCE IN COST
OF ARTICLES HERE
AND ON THE COAST

Editor The Press-T wish to COM
pliment you on the stand you have
taken, not only in the railroad fran
chise fight, but upon all questions
for the public welfare of the people
of Spokane.
A writer in the interest of labor
says: Terminal rates means moth
ing to labor in this city. If labor
wishes to buy hat, pair of shoes,
etc. he pays the same price today
in Spokane as does labor in Seattle,
Tacoma and Portland" That writer
did not know what he was writing
about. l have lived in Bellingham
for five years, where we enjoyed
the terminal rates. The terminal
rates may have nothing to do with
the price, but still the merchants of
Spokane use it as stereOtyped eX-
cuse for higher prices. | will only
give few examples. I could buy a
certain brand of shoes in Beling-
ham for $3.50; l have to pay in
Spokane $3.50 for the very same
shoe. The reason the dealer gave
was higher freight rates. | could
buy library paste in Bellingham for
five cents a bottle. The same bot
tie costs me 10 cents in Spokane.
| could fill column with compare
tive prices, but will not take up
your valuable space. Several fam
lilies live near Bellingham who
came from Spokane. They all ad-
viscd me to take all my furniture
along, as furniture prices were al
most beyond the reach of a poor
man in Spokane. The freight on
household goods from st. Paul to
Bellingham is $40 a hundred.
From Bellingham to Spokane it
is $1.i0. If these two rates are
added, you can imagine what i'm
preston it will make on the people
of the east. And the rates are given
out by every station agent to pros
pective homeseekers-good adyer-
tisement for Spokane.
The new roads offer to locate
their car shops here and give en-
ployment to a few hundred men.
What would that amount to in COM
parison with the thousands of men
that would be working in factories
that would be located here if we
enjoyed terminal rates. AS il now
is, the factories pass us by to go to
the coast, where they can get the
raw material and ship the finished
article back into Spokane territory
for the same price that the raw
material would cost them here.
This would add a hundred men to
the ranks of union labor, where a
few car shops would only add one
I notice that the so-called "citi-
zens' committee" consists mainly of
real estate and employment agents.
OF course they would make more
money if they could get the roads
at any price. We would have a
larger floating population and the
employment agents would make
more money. People would buy
homes here. but finding the high
cost of living unbearable, their
home would again be offered for
sale and the real estate agents
would make more money.
Mr.. Editor, while you are at 1t.
don't forget the fight on the local
street car companies. | know Of
no city where you cannot get at
least 81 tickets for dollar, except
Spokane; here you get only %. |
know of no other city. the size of
Spokane, where you have to pay 10
cents to ride from one part of the
city to another, if you have to take
different car lines. So keep up your
fight for interchangeable transfers.
Oscar II. Neil, E623 Broad avenue.