The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1889-03-30
THE BOARD OF TRADE.
PRESIDENT JOHN r YOUN0'S AN
NUAL REPORT.


Provisions Trade - The River and
Harbor.
The beard of trade held its annual meet
ing at the board OF trade rooms yesterday
afternoon. President Young sub
mitted his annual report, showing
the condition Of the associations
affairs aid its opera ions last year.
the year, and the association has steady
growth.
The presidents report is full and com
pete review of the branches of trade repre-
sented in the association. 1t touches upon
the river and harbor Improvements and the
clty's prosperous business outlook.
While the receipts Of the naval stores
show a falling off from ! st season, values
have been higher and the business gener-
ally satisfactory
The pine timber Of the United States has
been gradually used up in tine outlying dis
tricts until all that is left of any CONNER
cial importance is found in the states of
Georgia, Florida and Alabama For this
section, ana especially for the naval stores
produced in this section, Savannah is tine
natural, the only first-class market.
SAVANNAH A NATURAL MARKET.
The naval sto es produced in this territory
are forced TO our port for sale ard export as
naturally as water poured into a funnel
flows out Of its mouth; and such Is the col-
figuration of this section and the arrange
msnt of means Of transportation--to say
nothing of the colce tration Of capital and
export faclities-rhat for the future we
must continue to handle these products and
remain tho leading naval sores market of
the world. Ia fact, this market is now the
recognized standard for vaUe', and fur
nshes the figures in its daily transactions
for settlement of contracts AMI arbitration
of disputes. 1t is important then that our
quotations should be correct, and an exact
expression of the real market. | beg to call
attention to the habit, which has crept into
the customs of the trade, OF Withholding
sales from the public, thus forcing the quo
tation committee to act upon insufficient
and often no transactions at all. This prac
tice should be stopped, for il is manfestly
to the interest Of the whole trade for our
market to be correctly reported, so as to
have the confidence of the business world.
TIMBER AND LUMBER.
Owing to weather conditions during the
past three or four months, which reduced
the output OF the mills from one-thi d to
one-balf the shipments of timber and lum-
Der this year show falling off from pre-
YiOus wears
The timber trade Of this port shows
gradual falling off each year, from the fact
that the supplies from our water courses are
bel & reduced; this business has not been
profitable one to dealers here. While the
prices If lumber have advanced in the past
six months, manufacturers and dellsrs
have not enjoyed the benefits of the sd-
vance; a recent increase in the rates of
freight made by the railroad commission
has largely absorbed the advance in the
selling price.
The timber supply tributary to our mar
ket is getting farther and farther from
the main lines of railroads and is being
reached by private tramroads running cut
from ten to thirty miles; nearly all the re-
ceipts to this port are brought over these
roads, 1t is tn .refore important II the
mills to have a satisfactory freight rate
with the main lines to enable them to build
and equip their private roads. These roads
being valuable feeders to the main lines. it
would seem good policy on the part rail-
way companies and fairness on he part Of
the commission to give them consideration
and prorates Of freight; without such they
will soon reach point of distance that will
make them Improbable, and trade to both
road and port will suffer
While the receipts OF rice for the past
season show an increase over last year of
~, 5l3 bushels, the business to planters has
not been generally satisfactory on account
or the lower prices that have prevailed and
the general inactivity of the market. TIE
crop, promising at one time to be unusually
large, Suffered heavy loss and damage from
freshets which inundated the fields along
nearly all the Georgia rivers.
GRAIN, GROCERIES AND PROVISIONS.
There is a healthy and steady increase in
the bulk of business done ia grain, grocer
les, and the general jobbing trade; these
lines of business have kept even pace with
tho natural development of the territory
supporting them. The margins of freight
in the grain trade are so small that it is
sensitive to the slightest influence, and is
now entirely dependent upol freight adj
vantages for life. The naming of a rate of
freight per 100 pounds does not fix the cost
of ca ryIDg shipment and the delivered
price when undertaking" is pracLiced
That market has the advantage that is
reached by a railroad, that, whether by
consent or carelessness permits the under
billing Of freight. This practice has ore
rated against the interest of Savannah
merchan 8, whose inward and out ard
shipments are carefully weighed and billed
accordingly. The attention of railroad
officials has been called to the fact that the
trade was suffering in consequence of this
practice at competing points, but no rem
edy has been applied. For the protection
OF the nonest shipper and the enforcement
Of laws prohibiting uni lst discrimina-
tlons," congress has passed. law for inter-
state bus ness making underbilling a mis-
demeauor, punishable by fine and imprison-
ment. Such law should be passed b. our
state legislature for the state business, and
ilway companies should be compelled to
weigh carload shinments at all the princi-
pal points, as is the custom here
THE RIVER AND HARROR
AS seaport, easily and economically en-
tered. Savannah has endangered her repU-
tatI1n by the want e facilities for dis
charging balla I and the scarcity Of berth
room for vessels required to discharge
ballast Ut her quarantine station. Y "
marine committees report relating to this
is full and instructive, and evidences
the interest taken by your board
of the directors in this questi II,
so vitally Affect G the commerce Of the
port. 1t is believed that council will now
give i'm edate at ention to the Shipping
interest by providing adequate berth room
and the ne ded facilities for discharging
ballast; thereby giving relief to vessels now
offering for business here. and prove ting a
recurrence Of the seri us detention of vessels
during the summers business.
During the past year work has been re-
sumed on our liver improvement; this work
has been carried on u der a project COM
menced in 1878 to obtain a depth OF % feet
in tie river at mean high tide, and ia now
practically completed. With no unfavora-
Bile wind our river will aft I'd a - feet draft
vessel from the CITY to the sea on a single