The morning news., 1889-05-30
THE McRAE EXTENSION.
The Canvassing Committee Not Very
Much Encouraged.

| Much Encouraged.
| Savannah thus far has not put its best
| foot forward to encourage the railroads
that are inclined to come this way. The
citizens committee. charged with the task
of raising the $4,000 to insure the exten-
sion of Savannah, Americus and Mont
gomery road from McRae to this city, was
unable to present very satisfactory report
at the meeting at the Board of Trade
rooms yesterday. The meeting was ex-
clusively committee meeting, and there
was no one present who seemed to care to
be interviewed for the press after the meet
ing adjourned. Savannah has not met the
expectation of those who have felt the
necessity of getting new lines of railway.
1t has leaked out, that less than $1,000
of the $50, GOO fund required has been sub
scribed The committee has not yet given
up hope, however, and after free dis
cussion, decided to make a persistent and
urgent canvass to-day. tomorrow and
Saturday and meet again on Saturday for
a final report.
1t is SAID that some of the members
Of the canvassing committee have as
yet not entered upon the canvass, and
the enterprise halts because that zeal which
characterized the preliminary meetings
has not extended to all the members
of the committee. All depends on
the work of tue canvassers thus
week. If Savannah is willing to give S5O,-
600 to bring a road here that will more than
return that amount during the first year
of its operation, it can have it. II 1t IS not
willing to furnish that amount the road
will stop at McRae, and the propositions
made by Brunswick will neces-
sarily have to be considered by the pro
jectors This is the view of the case taken by
those most familiar with the situation.
They say that the road cannot get into
Savannah, and provide Itself with terminal
facilities for less tina it asks Savannah co
subscribe, if for that sum, aud that Savan-
nah is standing in its own light If 1t does rot
come forward and meet the reasonable
demands made upo it to insure the eXten-
sion Of the road. They say further that
they doubt the ability OF the Central
to build its Eden extension at an early
date, and if it should, 1T would not be an
independent line, and therefore there
would be no competing line to keep down
rates to limit that would encourage ship
ping to accumulate at this point for coast
wise and export traffic.
As to the Savannah and Birmingham
road, which has been discussed since the
propositions of Col Hawkins, it is held that
there is nothing tangible about it; that no
one knows who is behind it, and that it
must be considered as visionary and intan-
gible until somebody comes forward and
is willing to assume that there is, or ever mas
been, any sohdity to it. 1t is claimed that
the squirt made by the Central, in recording
mortgages to secure bonds not yet neg9ti-
ated, IS no indication that the Central in
tends to build its Eden extension, but is
done to discourage subscriptions to the
Savannah, Amerlcus and Montgomery
railroad, which has good intentions and
-. 4. d. -,
insure the extension from McRae to Savan-
nah. and if Savannah will come NO with
the subscription of $4,000 the road will be
built to Savannah at once and before the
Central can build its road, if it IS sincere
about building.