Year: 1874

running between this city and San
Francisco, would be saying something
hardly within the bounds of truth.
The people are dissatisfied, and we
propose to trace the cause of said dis
satisfaction to its source, and deter
mine,- if we can, whether or not it is
based on justifiable grounds. Until
within few months past the Pacific
Mail Company held a monopoly of
the water-carrying trade of the south
ern coast counties. The fare between
Los Angeles and San Francisco was
fifteen dollars, and for every ton of
freight the shipper or consignee paid
seven dollars. This condition of
things might, and in all probability
would, have gone on until d9omsday,
or the completion of the Southern Pa
cific Railroad to this point, had not
Messrs. GooDALL, NELSON & PER-
KINs, the owners of an opposition line
which had for some years confined
itself to the trade between San Fran
cisco and Hueneme and intermediate
points, decided to extend their route
to Wilmington and on to San Diego.
This placed an active opposition to
the Pacific Mail over the en-
tire coast route, and in accord
ance with the long established pol
icy of the old line when COM
PEELED to confront competition, freights
and fares went down to a mere moth
ing. The opposition continued on the
even tenor of its way, and all efforts
of the old line to drive it from the
route proved unavailing. The strug-
gle lasted for some six months, DUR
ing which it needed no great amount
of penetration to see that although
the steamers passed up and down
loaded to their utmost capacity with
passengers and freight, both compa-
nies were losing money-losing hum
dreds of dollars on every trip made.
1t was a contest in which the public
gained all that the contestants lost.
1t would have been grand thing for
the people of Southern California if
this opposition could have continued
for years, but the longest purse has a
bottom, and the most tenacious indi-
vidual will not hold out forever.
When the old line discovered that
they had q company to deal with that
had the nerve and pluck to stand by
their guns until the last shot was fired,
they changed their tactics, and in
place of boasts that they would starve
the opposition off the route came
Overtures for the establishment of
scale of rates at which each company
could afford to run their steamers
without loss. Messrs. GoODALL & Co.,
accepted the proposition, and the price
of passage between Wilmington and
San Francisco was fixed at twelve
dollars. For freight from our port to
San Francisco, two dollars and
half per ton is charged, and for
merchandise from San Francisco
to Wilmington the tariff is four
dollars per ton. The establishment of
these rates is the cause of this dissat-
isfaction so generally expressed.
Coming, as they do, on the heels of
almost no rates at all, the present
prices appear high. Without pretend
ing to extensive knowledge as to the
cost of running coasting steamers, we
are inclined to the opinion that lower
rates-say ten dollars for passage and
three dollars per ton for freight each
way-would have given fair margin
for profit, and these figures would
have been generally acceptable to the
travelling public and the people of this
valley. We trust that the opposition
line will soon adopt these rates and
thus reinstate itself in the good graces
of those whose patronage it has here
tofore enjoyed. We now come to
feature in the programme which is of
great importance to the people Of Los
Angeles Valley. We refer to the ex-
tensively credited rumor that the
agreement on the freight and fare tar
iff is but prelude to the ultimate
withdrawal of the opposition. Natur-
ally our people hear the report with
feelings of regret and alarm. 1t prog
nosticates a consummation they have
abundant reason to dread. The treat
ment they would receive at the hands
of the old line, if once a monopoly of
the trade fell into their possession, has
been experienced and its repetition is
not desired. TO the casual observer,
appearances are against the opposition,
and the indications point to the cor
rectness OF the rumor that they intend
to abandon the field. Through the
admission that they consented TO
the establishment of a tariff by
which both lines were to be
governed, they cannot but ex-
pect the doubts of their good
faith that have been expressed.
Like poor Tray, they have been found
in bad company, and like him have
received the censure which always
falls to those who place themselves in
a false position. But thes tatement of
Capt. GooDALL and Mr.. PERKINS that
an advance in rates was a necessity to
the continued running of their steam


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