The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-10-17
MUST HAVE The BUREAU.
Most All Of The Subscriptions 50 Far
Have Been Obtained on Bay Street

]
! Tomorrow, and viii Report at An
other Nesting to be Held Tomorrow
! Night-So Far About $4,000 Has
Been Secured and About 81 800 More
/ is Needed-The Large Interests viii
| Furnish Their Full Share.
! The general committee on the organiza-
/ ton of a freight bureau for Savannah
/ held a meeting last night at the residence
1 of Capt. D. G. Purse, and the chairman
/ of the subcommittee appointed at the
/ former meeting were called on for reports
as to what progress they had made in the
work of soliciting subscriptions.
Not more than half the committees ap-
| pointed were represented at the meeting,
but some of the chairmen of these re-
! ported positively that they had succeeded
in raising subscriptions amounting to
! $500. OF this amount $1,000 was reported
by the fertilizer men, and $3.50 by the cot
ton men. Estimates were then made on
the work which had been done by other
! committees that were represented at the
meeting, and on what had been heard
from the chairmen of other committees
by those present. These estimates
brought the amount of the subscriptions
in sight up to $500, or about $1,000, as the
estimates were made conservative.
1t is calculated that about 81, 500 more is
needed in order to carry out the organi-
cation of the bureau as contemplated.
The amount so far subscribed, strange to
say, comes almost entirely from the
merchants and business men on Bay
street, while very little has been sub
scribed by Those on Congress and Brough-
| ton streets.
OF the largest interests that were not
| heard from positively were the naval
| stores and the lumber men. The latter
| ii IS understood have agreed to contrib
! ute about $1,000, and it is expected that the
| naval stores people, who suffer largely
| from railroad determinations will be
| liberal in their subscriptions. 1t was re-
| ported also that the list of wholesale
! grocers, including the hardware men, had
! subscribed more than $1,000
| Col. w. w. Gordon said that in his
| opinion the naval stores, lumber cotton
/ and fertilizer interests should bear half
/ or more than half of the cost of the bu-
| reau, as these men handle the bulky ar
| tcleS, and there are more determinations
| against them in railroad freight rates
than against all others combined. 1t was
! believed, also, a good subscription from
! the real estate men could be relied on.
1t was decided to see what could be done
among the insurance men, and Messrs.
| c. F. Prendergast, W. L. Wilson and
r. E. Pepper were appointed a committee
| to see what could be done among that in
| terest.
Col Gordon said that the enterprise was
based on business principles and that the
| committee had got to take hold of the
men whose freight bills cut some figure.
For the present in his opinion, nothing
! could be accomplished by going to the
men who were not directly interested in
| the question of freights. 1t was neces-
sary, he thought, at first to strike man
whose freight bills were large enough to
! make 1t interesting to him. He said this
was a crucial period in transportation
| matters in this city, and the whole rail-
road situation was to be arranged about
this time for the next fifteen years.
The people, he said, had to take hold of
the matter and take care of themselves
right now. He said he knew of places
which were as much tributary to Savan-
nah as is Chatham county, from which
Savannah received cotton perhaps one day
in the week, while on the other five days
the railroads carried 1t somewhere else.
The time had come, he said, when, il the
people don't look out for themselves, no.
| body is going to look out for them. He
said, too, that there had never been a
time when the real estate owners here
were in as critical a condition as they are
right now. He said the whole tendency
with the railroads was to the establish
ment of artificial trade and business cen
ters to the serious detriment of the true
and natural Centers. He mentioned n spe-
cial instance of discrimination which had
come within his experience, where by re-
billing, as it is called, grain was brought
from the west to Augusta via Baltimore
and Savannah. on investigation it was
found that Atlanta, which made a kick
had had this advantage for five years but
as soon as it was given well to Savan-
nah, Atlanta put in vigorous protest and
wanted 1t stopped.
Capt Purse, who was chairman of the
meeting, made few remarks on the sub
ject of discrimination which ne knew OK
listed and corroborated what Col. Gordon
had said. He has made an extensive study
OF railroad rates, with 81 view TO finding
these determinations, and he has found
them in no small numbers.
MI w. G, Cam stated that il was i'm
portant that the subcommittee should do
further work in their respective lines es-
peclally those which had failed to make
reports. He moved, therefore that the
meeting adjourn and a date of meeting
be set at which all the chairmen Of sub
committees be urged to report, and in tbe
meantime to do what they could among
the interests they represented. The r, -
ton was carried, and Thursday NIGHT AZ
$40 O clock was named as the time for the
meeting.
There was considerable discussion about
- i''s''NS' "HI 'I4S the evening, ana all
lhose present were firmly of the opinion
that the best man possible should be Sc
cured for the Office of commissioner Of
the freight bureau. 1t was the consensus
, OF the opinion of the meeting that a man
thoroughly versed in railroad matters
should be placed at the head of IT, AS
such a commissioner would be required To
cope with strong and able freight men
when 1t came to attacking the railroads
After the meeting adjourned Cant
Purse invited those present to partalte of
= an elegant lunch which he had spread.
and for two hours or more the railroads
, ana freight rates We're discussed from
every standpoint The meeting was an en-
2 tirely representative one, and ali were in
e earnest and enthusiastic in regard to the
2 establishment of the bureau.