The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-04-01
TRADES GOOD YEAR.
PRESIDENT D. @. PURSES REPORT
10 THE BOARD OF TRADE
The Prosperity That has Attended

Inc DOard OF trade lelQ lLS hHuual Lueeb-
Ing yesterday. The report Of President ID.
G. Purse was presented with the reports Of
the various committees.
The presidents report is resume OF the
various interests represented by the board.
After congratulating the board upon the
satisfactory results that have attended its
work during the past year ard upon the
committees reports, the president takes up
the trade interests. Concerning the naval
stores trade he says:
ALREADY enjoying the distinction of being
the first naval stores port of the world, the
receipts of this year show that Savannah
has strengthened her claim to that position,
reaching, as they are estimated to DO, nearly
100000 packages, exceeding that OF the
previous year by about 100000 packages.
This is particularly gratifying, as it comes
in the same year our sister body, the cotton
exchange, could write the receipts Of cotton
with seven figures, i. e., ,1396U8 bales.
"These large receipts Of naval stores and
cotton coming in the same fiscal years OF
the respective bodies is significant of our
increasing commerce. and the effect upon it
for the year ending Sept. /, 1891, tthe
calculation in naval stores for this purpose
being made as in cotton, from September TO
September, to e1ualize matters) helped ma
terally to swell our commerce to the ex-
| traordinary figure of 1852, $4,000; equal TO
the aggregate OF Oil Tue OJnbT oOubu AbAautlO
ports combined, and ranking Savannah
| third among the ports Of the United States
in exports.
1.-THE receipts Of naval stores at this port
now represent over one-half Of the entire
receipts at all the ports, and gives Savannah
the privilege OF naming the price for both
| spirits of turpentine and rosln at all the
| ports. Though prices have averaged below
last year, spirits OF turpentine showing de-
| cline of 2 cents and Tosln a slighter decline,
| the trade in both articles have been Salts
| factory and a market found for the excess
OF receipts, 80 that the year will close with
only an average stock to be carried over to
the new year.
THE LOW PRICE OF COTTON.
"While cotton is not part of toe COM
MERGE of the port under the care of this
exchange, yet its intimate relation to every
other branch of business embraced in our
operations, any cause affecting its status
makes its impress upon the general business
of the city. Therefore it is, that the low
price that has prevailed for the pi eSent
crop of this staple has been great check
to the prosperous year 1t was hopeo
the city was entering upon at your last an
nual meeting. For, owing to the emoarrass-
| menJ caused by the low price Melted pro-
ducers, mercantile collections have been al
tended with more difficulty and new busl-
ness done with greater caution, sho wing, In
| many branches, marked decline IN volume.
LAS an exception TO this the lumber trade
| has maintained its volume of shipments,
| though upon a lower range ofHpriceS than
the previous year. Savannah's position as
the second lumber port on the Atlantic
makes the volume of transactions at re-
| munerative prices in this article, an tmpor-
tant factor in her general prosperity.
"Since the opening Of the year the South
, Bound Railroad Company has been COM
pleted between Savannah and Columbia,
s. c., and opened up new and valuable
territory to merchants, who have not been
slow to take advantage of ii"
THE DEEP WATER PROJECT.
In reference to the deep water project the
president says:
early in July, in anticipation OF the
meeting of the Ffty-second congress, Hon.
| joan J. McDonough, mayor, called together
representatives of the railways, board of
| trade, cotton exchange aud members OF
! council to devise means for securing, as
| in the case Of Galveston, Tex, a general in
| dorsement for the continuation of the work
| of improving our river and harbor on the
| plan that Col. r. e. Lester, our immediate
| representative. by his indefatigable efforts,
had succeeded In securing the adoption of
in the Fitty-first congress for Obtaining
channel depth of twenty six feet from city
| to bar. This action resulted in the lorna
| harbor Improvement Of which Mayor Nc
Donough was made chairman.
| THE executive committee at once set to
work and Dy personal appeals and judi
cious distribution OF statistical information
obtained a recognition from the country at
large of the national importance of the work
of improving our river and harOor because
of Savannahs large and growing commerce
| and her advantages as the best South At
lantio port for the distribution of the prod
ucts of the west and south.
"The Endorsements came strong and
hearty. and as far as this went the work of
! the executive committee was enlnently sue
cessful The object of this canvass was. as
far as possible, to strengthen the hands of
| Col Lester in the Fifty-second congress.
Since the assembling of the Fifty-second
congress Col. Lester has again devoted him
self with renewed zeal t. the work of not
only securing an appropriation for the COM
ing year. but to place the completion of the
work In the hands Of the Secretary of War
that it might go continuously on, without
interruption, as in previous years. 1t looks
now as if Col. Testers efforts will be sue
oessful, which would place this city under
lasting obligations to him for the great un-
dertakiug he will have accomplished for
making certain the growth and develop
ment of the commerce of the city and
port"
THE BOARDS NEW HOME.
Capt. Purse then takes up the work of
the board in securing the property at Bay
and Drayton streets, which it is now i'm
proving and remodeling into one of the
largest commercial buildings in Savannah.
In reference to the wharf strike last
October Capt. Purse says:
During October last the laborers em-
ployed by the Central Railroad and Ocean
Steamship companies went out on q strike
and soon forced others to join them until,
for few days, it assumed large proportions
aud was seriously impeding the entire bust
ness of the city and threatening more scri-
GUS results. Committees from this body
and the cotton exchange co-operated with
Mayor McDonough and council In efforts
to allay the trouble. 1t was finally brought
to an end without having accomplished any
good for the strikers, and 1t is hoped the
lesson to be learned from it by the strikers
may prevent much trouble in the future"
One of the matters Capt. Purse deals with,
which is OF Importance to the entire business
interests of Savannah, is the Tybee tele-
phone service. The matter was taken up
by the marine committee and also the com
mittee on information aud statistics with a
recomme ldation "that something be
done to improve the Tybee telephone serv-
vice which becomes more valuable and in
dispensable each year as the commerce OF
the port increases and should grow corre-