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from ships ta ck le, place i t in the tr a n s it shed and segregate i t , absorbing the cost o f handling in so doing* But i f the consignee d esires i t taken from the tr a n s it shed a ft e r segregation , and loaded in to cars, a charge o f 1£-|- cents a ton is made fo r such loadin g* This is the same arrangement as is made a t San F ran cisco, and i t places Los Angeles shippers on an e q u a lity w ith th e ir competi­to rs at San Fran cisco. Complaint has been made by p riv a te wharf owners th at the American-Hawaiian Go. should be compelled to charge a handling ra te o f 32-§- cents on merchandise, not otherwise s p e c ifie d , and other handling ra tes as set fo rth in the wharfage and handling ordinance. This brings up the question whether the American-Hawaiian Steamship Company is a ctin g as a pu blic u t i l i t y or only as a steam­ship company, and th is , i t seems to me, depends on whither the C ity o f Los Angeles or the American-Hawaiian Company is operating the wharf. I t is my understanding that the C ity o f Los Angeles is oper­a tin g the wharf, and in th at case the American-H&waiian Company would ? not be a ,p u b lic u t i l i t y and th erefo re is e n t it le d to make any ab- \ sorption s i t d e s ire s . tlon, is planin g Los Angeles shippers on an e q u a lity w ith San Francisco, the same loadin g charge o f lS-g-. cents being made there as here* i t s harbor fo r the purpose o f making tra n sp o rta tio n as cheap as p o s s ib le . The American-Hawaiian Company, I understand, does not discrim in ate in any way, but i t s rates are open to a l l shippers. I would h e s ita te very d ecid ed ly b efo re I would recommend any a c tio n on the part o f your Honorable Board that would seem to increase the burden o f tra n sp orta tion . Complaint has come to your Board from the Luokenbach Steam­ship Company, and v e rb a lly from the P a c ific Wharf & Storage Company, The American_Hawaiian Company, in making i t s proposed absorp- The C ity o f Los Angeles h undertaken the development o f \