The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-02-01
The SHIP BROKERS SPEAK.
Reasons Why Savannah Doesn't Get
All the Cotton She is Entitled to.

The Cost of Loading Cotton in Savan-
nah Compared With the Cost in
Other Ports-Ths Situation Put Be-
fore Head steYedores and Commit
tees of White and Co1ored Societies.
Not Willing to Make Conces sions.
What the Railroads of Adjacent
Ports Are Doing-They Make Con-
oessions to Ship Brokers.
Editor Morning News: Your edi-
torial in this mornings paper calls for
this port, for your article is an unjust re-
Fiction upon them, and entirely unwar-
ranted under the present conditions Of
/ affairs.
We are very glad the issue has at last
come, and we shall now proceed to de-
monstrate where the fault lies.
We have to admit that the Ocean
freights out of Brunswick, Charleston and
Port Royal have been much below those
of this city, during this entire season, and
have diverted thousands of bales of cotton
from this port. In lower rates at other
ports the q lestion of stevedoring figures
very largely and from the following
causes.
In Savannah the wages are higher than
at any of these ports. We have to pay
gang of five men, who will under no cir
cumstances stow more than seventy-fve
bales of cotton per day-four men at IS
each and one man at So. Both the white
and colored societies have iron-clad rules,
o. xr,fl1
First, An equal number of white and
colored gangs must be employed in each
vessel.
Second, In no case shall gang five
mem stow more than seventy-five bales
day, unless they are paid for extra time.
Now, in neither of the ports we have
mentioned, and which are our keenest
competitors, have they any such rules.
In fact, the wages in each port are lower,
and there is no limit as to the number of
bales slowed per day. We have it from
reliable authority, that a gang of five
men in these ports will put away in a day
| lis to lbs bales, and in some instances
considerably more; whereas, in Savan-
nah, although they have frequently
slowed their seventy-five bales by or
o'clock, they will not touch another bale
unless for double pay. Any one can
readily see that the cost in other ports is,
therefore, almost half what it is in Sa-
vannah, or difference against this port
of 20 to rs cents per bale. The men go to
work at o'clock, knock off at l o'clock
| for one hour and half for dinner, and
again at dark, which, in the winter,
when most of the work is done, is from
| to 6 O'Clock p. m. The hours of work
are, therefore, only ~ to 81 per day.
! We have very recently had meetings
with the head stevedores and also with
committees from the white and colored
societies, and have explained the situation
to them fully We told them we did not
want to reduce their wages, but we did
want them to remove the limit of slowing
only seventy-ive bales of cotton, and to
put away as many bales as possible in
day. They met US with point blank re-
fusal, and stated they would stick to their
rules so much for the slowing question.
Now for the balance of the difference:
We have it from undoubted authority,
that the railroads entering the adjacent
ports are returning to the brokers a part
of their proportion of freight, thus en-
abling them to give less ocean rate; one
of the best evidences that this is the case,
is that local shippers cannot get the same
ocean rate from broker, that a firm in
the interior can from the railroads with
the railroad freight added.
We utterly deny that boats can be
chartered any cheaper to load at these diff
ferent ports than they can in Savannah,
and we frequently get them at lower
rates, but the difference in slowing, and
the returns from the railroads at these
ports enable the brokers there on an
equal chartering rate, to give lower
ocean rate
We also deny the statement that we
have not provided sufficient tonnage for
the requirements of this port The fact
is, the last seven or eight boats loaded at
this port have done so at heavy loss for
a want of sufficient freight to I'LL them.
We may also add that at the present time
the Ocean Steamship Company is in the
market soliciting freight at lower rates
than vessels can be chartered at.
J. F. MINIS g. Co.
WILDER a. Co.
RICHARDSON g. BARNARD.
STRACHAN & Co.
Savannah, Jan. 81.