The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-01-09
TO CUT DOWN THE ACREAGE
Rice Planters Curtailing Their Crops
Largely.

ment-The Damage by the Storm of
Aug. 27 and the Losses of Recent
Years the Causes Of the Reduction.
The Wilson Tariff Bill Regarded as
Favorable by the Planters.
On account Of the general depression Of
| business and the heavy losses which the
| planters have suffered during the last
/ two years, a heavy decrease in the acre
! age of the rice crop in this section is prob
/ able. Several prominent planters have
/ already announced their intention of Civ
ing up planting altogether, anu it is gen
/ orally understood that all those who do
not go out of the business will decrease
| their acreage.
| It has been announced that the Dept
| ford plantation, rear the city, which has
/ been planted by J. G. Rowland & Co for
the last several years, will not be planted
this year.
Col John ScreveR and Capt. T. F.
Screven, who have large plantations on
! the South Carolina side of the river, have
announced their intention of curtailing
their acreage largely, If they do not give
! up planting altogether this year.
] 4flL n r. NlDy utlDt Olb VI LtAG ldFRESG
| planters on the Ogeechee river, is adver-
Using his plantation for sale and will
! probably not plant at all this year
Mr.. Joseph Clay and a number of others
are mentioned who will decrease their
acreage largely.
80 PER CENT. LESS ACREAGE.
The estimate of the reduction Of acre
age in the territory tributary to Savan-
nah is so per cent. 1t IS estimated that
the acreage in rice on the Savannah,
| Ogeechee, Satilla, Altamaha and New
rivers of last year was 200 acres The
acreage that will be planted this year Is
estimated at just half that figure
The reason of this heavy decrease in
acreage is not the new tariff bill,
which makes a reduction of half cent a
| pound in the duty on rice
The planters generally agree that the
! Wilson bill is favorable to them rather
than otherwise. This is because the bill
definitely fixes the distinction between
| cleaned and uncleaned rice. Under the
new ruling all rice which has had
the inner skin or husk removed,
no matter what its condition otherwise,
is declared to be cleaned rice and is taxed
as such. The difference between the du-
ties on cleaned and uncleaned rice is so
| great that for years the importers have
taken advantage of the ruling of the de-
| pdElultub Jlldb III IlCb SHOULD De AQnlGbeQ
as unclaimed that was mixed with husks
or -four to bring in large quantities of the
| so-called uncleaned rice at the lower rate
| of duty.
To place this rice in the condition of
cleaned rice in the market sense of the
term, cost only a fraction of a cent
pound, and the importers were thus able
TO keep the market price down almost to
the price of foreign rice in spite of the
| apparently high protective DUTY
MORE MONEY LOST THAN MADE.
There has been more money lost than
made in rice planting in this section in re-
cent years. said an old rice planter yes
terday. THE planters have made money
some years and lost others, the profits in
the good years usually being small, and
the losses in the bad years large. The
chief losses have been by storms which
appear to have been more frequent in re-
cent years than formerly. The last two
seasons have been very unfortunate ones
with the planters. In 1892 a very large
crop was made, but on account of the
large amount of imported rice in the coun-
try the price received for the crop was so
small that the planters actually lost
money instead of making it. Last years
disaster is we'll known.
The storm of Aug 30 and 81 almost
totally destroyed the rice crop of Georgia
bushel Of rice was gathered; everything
was swept away. Not only were the pro
spectiye profits lost, but all the money
that had been expended for the making
of the crop.
The August storm was the cul.
mination of a series of misfortunes, and
many of the planters have been left
burdened with debt and unable to con
tinue operations.
| RICE HAMS orTT on wOuE
As a result of the general decrease in
acreage large number of negroes
employed in the rice fields viii be
thrown out of employment. This is the
season of the year at which the planters
begin their preparations for the years
crop aud is usually busy one on the plan,
tations. The unexpected curtailment OF
acreage has left hundreds of rice field
negroes idle with no prospect of employ
ment and with the general depression in
every line of business closing avenues OF
employment which have been open in
other years, their condition is becoming
serious. That they have already realized
this themselves is shown by the following
communication received yesterday by the
MORNING News from Bellinger Hill, q
point on the Savannah river in Beaufort
county, South Carolina. The style of the
petition is little unusual, but it shows
that the colored people have sized up the
situation very accurately:
Bellinger Hill, Beaufort county, S. c.,
Savannah river Jan lit hiss been pre-,
sumed, and pretty generally admitted that be
cause this is a free country, il Is our painful
duty to tell the suffering OF about So people
suffering from the storm on Aug %, 1898 AS
the United States processes to be the refuge
for the oppressed OF all other countries it has
been deemed inconsistent to exclude any
save for most serious cause From the re-
cent sto mo Aug, "a, 1898, the majority OF
the rice planters are unable to plant
their plantations, which were torn up SO
badly. There are about one thousand poor
colored people in this vicinity who get
their support chiefly from working down on
the rice farms, and when the rice planters
shut down, what in the name of heaven will
the people doy Some of our churches are
blow down, and some in a dilapidtated con
dition
We submissively ask the good peope OF
this state ana United states to help us as
we stand greatly in need OF help
The communication is signed by Jack
Hamilton, Robert S. r. Levine, Prince
Hayward, Edward Bealear, Frank Sim
mons, Butler Washington and James
Aston, committee
1900 OUT OF EMPLOYMENT.
1t is estimated that about 800 han ds
will be thrown out of employment on the
rice plantations. 1t is suggested that
many of them will be able to subsist bv
= s-r.s - IN 49,