The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-07-01
A DEAL TO CONSOLIDATE.
MOVE TO PUT THE ELECTRIC
LINES UNDER ONE CONTROL.

Negotiations in Progress With the
Nashville Syndicate With Consoli-
da,ion in View-Mr. P. u. Dafan In
.o-ested-President Collins Explains
+bs Electric Railway Companys
Position.
There may be consolidation Of the street
.s;Ixav lines of Savannah at an early day.
A movement is on foot to bring it about.
Mr. P D. Dafin, who negotiated the sale Of
che Belt Line to the Nashville syndicate, is
,ba man whose dream is to see all the street
railways of the city operating under one
management, and he Is trying TO bring it
about.
Mr.. Dafin is willing enough to talk, but
IA not quite ready to give any inside tnfor-
nation "You can say" he said, that
have been, and am still. In conference with
Darties with a view to consolidate the city's
Street railways. hope IL will be successful
Il has long been recognized that Sayan-
nah is one Of the best equipped
street railway cities In the country.
In fact, she has surplus
of them and operated as they now are they
cannot all make money. All large cities
have found IL necessary to consolidate
their street railways and Savannah will
have to come il. 1t will be better for all
concerned to have the roads pool their earn
ings."
THE NASHVILLE SYNDICATE.
While Mr.. Daffin refused to say who he
e in correspondence, with it Is statedIthat it
is tie Nashville syndicate which controls
the Belt Line that he wants to take hold of
the combine.
President ]. s. Collins of the Electric line
was asked if he was contemplating going
into a consolidation with. the other roads.
II am not" he said, "but as you have
asked the question l will tell you all / know
about the matter. Several months
ago Capt. Johnston, president of the
CITY and Suburban road requested
complied and found that Capt. Johnston
wanted TO see if he couldn't make grange
Inents with the Electric line TO have it fur
nish power to operate his lines. l told him
that we couldn't agree to anything of that
kind as that would be only giving the City
and Suburban a stick to break our own
necks Speaking as an Individual, because
! had no right to speak as president OF the
road, told Capt. Johnston that | thought
the best solution of the whole prob
lem would be for either the City
and Suburban to buy the Electric
line or, sell out their lines to 1t. This was
when we only had the Price street road,
ana LOlu OdpGs JOHuobOn budb II US WhlUSu
until the belt was completed there wouldn't
be much of probability OF his company
getting our road.
A NEGOTIATION WITH Mr.. PARSONS.
Capt Johnston got me to put my views
IN letter, and this letter, 1 presume, was
sent to Mr.. Parsons as Capt. Johnston said
he wanted it for that purpose. never got
any answer to that letter, but shortly
afterward | saw young Mr.. Parsons, En-
CyinaaF Thomas Cant Johnston and
electrical expert going over our line exam
lining it, They inspected everything care
fully, and went through the power house.
That was the last heard from the City and
Suburban.
mot very long ago." said Mr.. Collins, "a
gentleman came TO me, whose name for
get, and told me he was an agent for the
consolidation of roads. He asked me for
the revenue figures Of our line, the City and
Suburban and the Belt Line got him
the figures of the Electric line
and the City and Suburban and told him
how to get the Belt Line. never heard any
more from him. Recently Mr.. Datfin
showed me letter from Mr.. Rhes of Nash
vile on the subject Of proposed consolida-
ton, in which he said he would consider the
matter if the Suburban lines were elimin-
ated, as his experience had been that they
didn't pay. told Mr.. Daffin Isaw nothing
in that for US, and that is where the matter
rests as far as we are concerned.
WILL CONSOLIDATE SOME TIME.
1.-THE consolidation of the roads Of Savan'
nah will come sooner or later, believe u
said MIR. Collins ~ think it will
be good sling, and am
favorable to it, but our position in the mat
ter is this: Since our belt has been COM
pleted the Electric road is paying hand
somely, and when it is connected through
the market 1t will pay even better. We are
satisfied, and il there is to be any consoi-
dation the other lines will have to come &c
Us. We are not going after them. The
total cost Of the Electric line,
including the cost of connecting through
the market, is $500, 000 and our bonded debt
is only $3.50 900, which shows the road to be
In healthy financial condition
1.-The consolidation of the three roads
however, under one management would be
a big saving. A sum of money would be
saved in this department. alone almost
sufficient to pay the interest on the bonded
debt"
President Collins will call for bids in G
day or two for strengthening the market
preparatory to building the road
through it. Four braces Okla inches
running from the base of the curbing to the
roof will be put in the gable ends, and these
will be bolted and braced by steel T beams
He expects to have cars running through
the market by Oct. l, and the company viii
then commence work on an extension u
the Cathadral