The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-09-05
SATANNAHS BUSINESS
The Past Year the Best in the His
tory of the City.
BUSINESS INCREASED IN EVERY LINE

TDrpentine Also Larger IMAM EVER
Real Estate Still on q Healthy
Boom-New Railroads Add Largely
TO the Fields Invaded by Our
Jobbers.
OFFICE OF THE MORNING News,
SAVANNAH, Sept. s, 1890. {
The business of Savannah for the year end
ing Aug. 81 was in every respect satisfactory.
In trade it surpassed the expectation of the
most nguine. There was nothing in any branch
of Savannsh's business to complain OF. There
was never a better year for cotton, both as to
receipts. quality and price. This applies
TO sea island as well as upland. larger crop
of sea island was raised than ever before, and
Savannah got the bulk Of it.
The increase in Savannah's receipts Of cotton
over lSS9-e0 amounted to l27 900 bales which Is
about 81, 900 more than she ever received before
IN any one year. Savannah still maintains her
position as the second cotton port in this coun
try. Although the receipts did not aggregate
nnilhon bales, they came very near 1t, and the
prediction is made that Savannah will easily
beat this record this season.
The season was good one for the planters
being open, it enabled farmers to gather and
gin cotton rapidly.
While the crop was large the consumption
Everybody that handled cotton made money
and no year since the war was better for all
concerned.
The years business in naval stores was very
gratifying There was a very large Increase in
both spirits and rosin and the to al receipts
were much more than in any previous year.
Like cotton, they nearly reached the million
package.
The value Of naval stores doubled itself as
compared with that OF the previous year Last
years valuation was S. 900, 900, this year ii was
fB.o0O,O00
Savannah continues to be the greatest naval
stores market in the world, and there is no
reason TO doubt that she will easily maintain
her position. Her factors are energetic,
epterprising and wide awake and there
is little danger that they will allow
her to fail of or let the trade be taken to other
Forts. A prosperous year it has been for both
producer and factor in the naval stores trade.
The wholesale trade was immense. In gro
ceries, dry goods and hardware the business
was unprecedented. These trades were encour-
aged by the improved railroad facilities. New
territories were opened, and when the new lines
of road are finished of course this trade will be
enlarged and extended over greater field
Some new firms in the grocery trade were
plenty of business for ALL The trade of Savan-
nab merchants in adjoining states seems to he
generally increasing, and in some sections very
rapidly.
The lumber trade was never better 1t in
creases steadily all the time The increase last
year was thirty-1v per cent. and it would no
doubt have doubled itself but for South Amer.
lars trade falling off, in consequence of the POI
litical and financial situation, as well as the
dropping off of the Spanish trade on account of
the cholera. 1t is predicted that when these
barriers are removed the trade will be very
heavy, as the stocks are pretty well exhausted.
Savannah exported during the last year over
Ill, 100000 feet of lumber, some of this increase
being at the expense of Fernandina.
Rice fell below the expectation of the planters.
The crop was very little larger than that of
the previous season. The early part of the sea-
son rice was marketed at a low price, out to-
ward the close the price ran up very high The
outlook for the rice planters this year is very
good.
The business of Savannah railroads during
the last season was very large. They are still
reaching out for new territory and developing
new and rich country The three new additions
TO Savannah's railway system, the Alabama
Midland the Savannah and Western, and the
Savannah, Americas aud Montgomery, give back
to Savannah all of her trade supposed to have
been taken off by the Georgia Southern railroad
and, in addition, place her more directly in po-
siJion to cover her own territory
In real estate the last year was a prosperous
one. a great many lots were sold The most
remarkable activity in this business was in
suburban property. Prices for lots and for
suburban tracts were generally good. great
bpi
notable among those which were com
pleted being the De Solo, Savannah cotton mills
and the new court house The Cotton Press
Association met with a severe loss last fall in
the destruction by fire of two of its presses but
the ASSOCIATION went Immediately to work to
rebuild and now two of the finest presses in this
country are just bein, finished, and connected
with them are superb fireproof warehouses
The demand for dwelling houses was very
Freat during the year, and it still con-
tinues. Savannah's future is very bright. IN
the southern and western portions. where for
rperly were woods and marshes have sprung up
new settlements, and some very pretty houses
have been built. Another cotton factory has
taken the place of the one which was burned,
and there is reason to believe that another will
be built very soon.
A glance at the reports in this issue of the
various branches of business shows that Savan-
nah did a great deal in every branch OF bushes
lest year. 1t shows Savannah to be unpre.
cedentedly prosperous. She is steadily going
forward and her growth is solid and permanent
Her population is II per cent. greater than il
was when the last census was taken She is
moving along the upgrade rapidly No other
city in this country, certainly not in the south
shows greater business prosperity. and there is
every reason for thinking, considering her pres
ent and prospective advantages, that she will
soon take her place as the foremost city in the
south.
Savsnnah's railroad terminal facilitie.
for cotton are better than those
of any other port in the south
and it is reasonable to suppose that this will bt
an incentive TO bring cotton here. The prediction
is made that Savannah will get next yeal
100000 bales, and probably 1850 900 bales.
For some mouths there has been a stringenc,
in the money market, which. at times has beer
quite severely felt, and which has embarrassed
business to some extent, especially betwee,
seasons, but it is evident that Savannah's bank
ing capital will be sufficient to meet the re
quirements of her rapidly increasing com
merce. During the last year, at all times Their
was a steady demand for money at pawn,
rates.
The fruit crop was failure; such complet,
cut off has not been known in recent years but
tha