Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-09-01

well built up. High taxes will, perhaps,
retard building somewhat, but with good
management the taxes will be gradually
| reduced. 1t cannot be said that the bust
ness men Of the city show as much enter
prise as they ought to. A good many of
those who have money don't seem to care
to employ it in building up the city.
They ought to have taken hold
of the hotel project when it
was presented to them. A hotel like that
which was talked of would do this city a
world of good. However, the PROJECT may
be brought before the public again soon,
and in a way that it will meet with more
| encouragement,
The prosperity Of the city depends
largely upon the prosperity of the
country and the way the products Of the
country are handled in the city. Cotton,
lumber, naval stores, rice, etc., make
| the city what il is. Take
these away and the jobbing and retail
merchants would have to close their doors.
| The aim, therefore, should be to make this
a fayorite market for all sorts of products.
The producers of cotton, lumber, naval
stores, rice, fruits and vegetables should
be made to comprehend that they can do
better in this market than elsewhere.
1t is said that there is a growing dispo-
sition among our factors TO supply coun-
try merchants with money to advance on
cotton rather than to advance directly to
the planters. This plan may be much
easier for factors, but it is not beneficial
- ~ e.. -.
another, the country merchant may pay
his debt in money and send the cotton
elsewhere.
A good deal of lumber was exported by
merchants of this city last year from
Port Royal, Darien and Brunswick
because those ports had advantages in
rates. A vigorous, determined and
organized effort would have resulted,
doubtless, in doing away with the dis
elimination. 1t is only b. care, watch
( fulness and d determination to have what
is right that city's commerce can be
,,~otected against various kinds Of dam
60 e2croachments.
az oo,,rso mn "h depends upon the
transportation lines. They ca 0o y soou
deal towards building up or running the
commerce Of a place. Sometimes they
cannot afford to do all they would like to
do, and very often they refuse to do what
they reasonably can. For year or more
our factors and wholesale merchants
have been striving to hold the trade of
the Chattahoochee and Flint rivers coun-
try. New Orleans and Mobile, encoura ged
by lately constructed railway line and
newly-established steamboat lines, have
been doing their utmost to get this
trade. 1t is worth striving for, and they
have succeeded in getting some of it. Our
factors and merchants have talked a good
deal about holding on to it, but they
haven't shown the tenacity and energy
that insures complete success. Prompt,
vigorous and united action would have Sc
cured a reduction of rates, perhaps, which
together with certain other inducements,
might have saved the trade of the terri
tory almost intact TO this city. There is
no intention to censure or complain, but
simply desire to point out that where
there is great competition it requires
watchfulness and unremitting effort to
hold and increase the commerce of city.
1t can be said truthfully of Savannah
that she has very few sky-r0cket charac-
teristics. Her merchants and financial
institutions may be conservative in their
business methods, but they are solid.
They passed through the late panic I'M
scathed. While ruin ran riot in Wall
street and business houses were topping
in the North and West there were no fail
ures of Importance here. There were
very few anywhere in the South,
which is pretty good evidence that
Southern business men haven't been
specializing a great deal lately, and that
Southern bank Presidents and cashiers
have no occasion to contemplate trip to
Canada. They will be wise if they do
not allow themselves to be drawn into
the whirlpool of speculation.
During the past year the railroads upon
which the city depends were complained
of because of their rates on certain ar
ticles. 1t would be impossible, Of course,
to decide how well founded these COM
plants were without knowing all the
facts. The naval stores people, particu-
larly, petitioned for reduction. The
petition wasn't granted and may not be.
1t is certain that the low prices of naval
stores have left very little for the manu-
facturer after the payment of all
expenses. Perhaps the manufacturers are
to blame for producing more than the
market demands. 1t doesn't appear that
the railroads made very great amount
of money last year. The leading road,
which is understood to be very economi-
caIly managed, barely paid a reduced
dividend, and the other roads are not
known to have done more than ordi-
narily well.
Notwithstanding the fact that the
naval stores market has been remarkably
dull, the receipts for the year ending
| Saturday were considerably larger than
they were the previous year. 1t will be
remembered that after the publication
| last September that this was the first
/ naval stores market in the world, Will
| mington questioned its correctness. That
| city will hardly raise that question again.
With improved and constantly improv-
| ing railroad connections, pretty much all
the fruit and vegetables of South Georgia
] and Florida ought to pass through Sa-
vannah on their way to the North
ern markets. The fruit and vegetable
business has already reached very
large proportions, and nobody doubts
/ that it is only in its infancy. The melon
growing business received a little set
back last season because the growers, as
a rule. lost money, but it is not probable
that a smaller acreage will be planted
next season. The business will be syste-
matized gradually, and growers will
then obtain better results. Thus far there
has been a great deal of bad manags&Snt t,
but as the obstacles in the way of sue
cess are discovered and removed it will
be found, probably, that there is money in
| growing melons. With respect to oranges
and early vegetables, it is impossible