Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1917-09-04
FIRST CUSTOM
HOUSE BROKER
FIELD
LOCAL CAPITAL PAvES WAY TO "a
cllITATE MOVEMENT OF FREIGHT
VIA BROWNSVILLE AND MATA-
M0R0S, MEXICO, GATEWAY.
w. n. Mason, Jr., Well Known Business
Man, Organizes Firm and Probably
Will Soon Erect a Warehouse
Alongside Railway Tracks.

| ,are with the rates in effect ut Laredo
eagle Pass and other border ports, and
he consequent necessity for a brokerage
,ou>e tn handle shipments TO and from
he republic. announcement has been made
4 the organization of the W. II. Mason
r.. company of Brownsville. backed by
efficient capital To handle amy tonnage
as>ing through this port.
W. III. Mason. ir.. head of the concern
: widely known in Brownsville and Val
ev business circles. having been engaged il
he grain and transfer business in thi-
! ity for many wears. Associated with him
will he A. ID. kutz Of Laredo. who for
he past ten years has been IN the Gus
y omhouse brokerage business in that city
TIL company at present will conduct it,
business from quarters on Levee street
near Thirteenth. but in the near future il
expects To provide itself with n warehouse
conveniently located ON the railroad
tracks.
W haven't gone into this business in.
u headlong fashion, said MIR. Mason 10
day. III i going io be a biz job. aud |
- isfitiI.itENfN lN~Fll WIN lUf >iIifI-
lion ~ visiting Laredo and Eagle Pass
The least can say j.. was surprise Il.
iind the great amount Of freight bu~i-
.n,-S passing through those ports. Their,
l. serious congestion IL Laredo. due 10
the numberle~> small brokers who hav,
gone into the business without capital and
without backing. Laredo j. now faced
with the ne-,e>~ity of solving this prob
lem. n problem that NAV mean the loss en-
tirely of the immense exporting business
that has been done in that city in the past
two years. IL has had almost a monopoly
of the export business 10 Mexico
The menace Of a horde Of birthstone
brokerage concerns j. pointed out in an
editorial in the Laredo Times Of August
ID, a copy Of which has been received
here. Ii follows:
For two years Laredo ha~ enioyed ~
most a monopoly of commerce with Mexi-
80. This was not only due 10 our superior
advantages; il was due 10 the fact that
other ports along the border were unwilI-
ing 10 meet the requirements. and Laredo
has had an open port when Brownsville.
Eagle Pass and even FL Paso were prac-
tically closed 10 traffic in either direction;
This condition has fostered the e>tab-
li>hment Of a great many petty business
concerns among which are many customs
/ brokers whose only reason for being in
business l. that they need the money!
Most of these small concerns are with
out capital or credit. They nave no pres
tige among either Mexican or American.
shippers. But they have succeeded in Sc
curing u part of the trade and they have
hurt established cocnerns. a. well aS aid
ing IN causing the present congesied con
dItion If the railways.
when a reputable American or Mexi-
can customs broker handles a consign
ment for a customer. he pays the necessa-
ry freight charges. the export or import
duties and all other charges in order 10
facilitate the rapidity OF the transaction
and he then collects from hi- customer.
MANY of these snail brokerage con
cerns-m">t ~ whom started in business
~ money changers are unable to adj
vance the amounts required for the paw
mcnt Of freight charges. especially IN H..
ease of shipments 10 Mexico. for the rca
son that when the good are received thew
fear that the repayment of money ex-
pended will not be forthcoming.
"All this il adding to the congestion OF
The freight traffic. and the result * that
Laredo i menaced with the loss Of her
greatest business-that of exporting and
importing.
while conditions are such that hun
dreds of ears are tied up on both sideI
Of the river here. Brownsville and Eagle
Pass are awake 10 the benefits. not Of e.
curing business which would normally
come Ia those towns. but Of taking away
. part. II not all. of Laredo'~ business.
Much Of San Antonin'- business ha.
been dependent upon the open port of La
redo. especially at a time when nothing
was handled through either Eagle Pass or
Brownsville. The Southern Pacific rail
way made a bid for a part of this traffic
by offering to send itS ears without break
ing bulk from San Antonio Ia Mexico CITY
and that at a Time when all the other rail
roads IN the country prohibited the send
Ing "i their ears to Mexico without a bond
Tor their safe return.
u J. Ia the keenest interest Of the
Mexican> Ia keep the port Of Laredo open
Every Facility has been offered for the
proper handling Of freight through this
port. and unless the Mexican authorities
can he brought to see the injury which j.
being done 10 both countries by the poor
system of doing business on their side