Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-02-01
THE RAILWAY POOL.
How It's Dissolution would Anec1 ~
Business of Savannah-soihe y Pi-'-'
II Loading Merchants.

How It's dissolution woulu ne1s.,,ons
Rusiness of savannah-Some Opinions
of Leading Merchants
The nossible dissolution of the southern
Railway Pool Is the subject OF consider
ob1o interesting discussion among the
merchants of savannah. The near APP
nroach of the meeting of the association at
washington on the 18th inst, and the IN
tim,tion that the disagreements when
tava for some time existed among the
members will result in refusal OF certain
roads to enter into the new contract lor
1884. thus virtually dissolving the pool
are matters of much speculation.
The present contract, under Wnlch tne
pool exists. is an extension Oh tile ~
fract AGREED upOn for 1888. Inc cOhtta ~
For 1874 AGREED upon at the meeting oil the
association i'm Atlanta in OCTOBER, anu anu
snhmitted for the signatures Of the iheill-
- US reiected bv the Central kalirOau.
a., ortitrotion resulted in the eNtehulil-
- 80 oId contract, which expired on tne
let Of January, until March, lsei "a. a.
which time the pool VIII De - occom.
unless some new arrangement -. -
Dlished at the washington -, 10 tho Of.
4 variety of opinion exists aS " ~ 49,
f.,1.t, 81 q dissolution Ofthe system. some
ieGis % tba4 me business of Savannah
,,,o,,Id bo seriously injured. The preseni
r,tee il is claimed, give every merchant
M simmer an equal adVan-
Toe Ii is also claimed thai
they are fully 50 Ter cent.
lower than they were before the poor W5s
organized. Others. on the other n9 ia! u.
believe that dissolution Would Iesu,e ~
a reduction OF rates, ana lld' N"'
would be benefited. ,1,od
4 MORNING NEWS reporter caIieu
,,nop a number OF leading cotton hlGI-
chants Yesterday, among them Capt: .
W Gordon who is also a director OF the
Central Railroad. In reply to an lnqulr!
REGARDING the effect of DreahlhS ul VI
fine pool upon the cotton business Idp''
Gordon said: ,.-o,,Id bo
Il believe more COTTON NOuIu ~
brolIoht TO Savannah if the pool were ais
Further than this he was dis
inclined to express any opinion as 70 the
results that would follow its dissolution.
9What will be the probable result OF
the Washington meetingV inquired tne
ITO answer this question would be
about like anticipating the Verdlct OIL
jury" .....o5, he
added. Ills SlfCu-lAl w 49, -
unity Of IFS members. The denant aIll-
tude assumed by the East Tennessee II
0inia and Georgia is the question at issue
IF fbis is continued and kept up then the
pOoI will be weakened by the Wlthdra"al
Of certain roads"
s.Do YOU think the association VIII DC
entirely broken upt'
.sThat will depend entirely upon the
Washington meeting and what Is done
about the contract .,-
"Have former contracts been strlctl!
adhered tO:' -,
Not at all. but when they have been
violated unknOwingly, perhaps-Oul ~
many cases Otherwlse-and the foads
upon being charged with the YlolatlOh'
have acknowledged it and made repara-
ton. or promised adherence IN the Iuture'
the matter has been overlooked. IL was
the defiant position taken by the East
Tennessee. Virginia and Georgia tha'
caused the rupture
Mr.. L. j. Guilmartin. another leaqlnS :
merchant. was called upon. Mr.. Gull
martin was unable to see how breaking
of the pool would affect the cotton Dusl-
ness at all at present. The crop Of 1885 Is
nearly all in market. and by the time OF
the expiration of the present pool contract
there would be no cotton to be hauleu. III
anv event he was not inclined to believe
that a dissolution OF the pool would lnJure
the business to any great extent.
Other opinions are held by other mer-
chants. Some believe that without the
pool a few large shippers and sharp deal
ers would manage 80 get concessions III
the shape of rebates. ana the majority OF
merchants would have to pay full rates
One gentleman thought the railroads, al
least the Central, would make more money
II the pool We're done away with; that II
would not in his opinion decrease Its earn
ings. He knew that the general impress
sion was to the contrary. Spectators would
use the adjustment of the pooling
system to bear the stock so as to en-
courage speculation. He thought that the
pool gave more satisfaction to the mer-
chants than it did to the companies. The
greatest cutlery was from the class he
mentioned, scattered throughout the State,
who wanted something to give excite
ment TO the stock market. He did not,
however, think the pool would be broken
up.
Among the naval stores merchants II Is
not generally believed that breaking up
OF the pool would III any way injure then
business, the producing fields being near
the market.