The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-09-19
FREIGHT BUREAU WANTED.
A Meeting at the Exchange Friday TO
Discuss the Need for It

enee With the Railroad Commits
sioners in Atlanta Statistical Ia
bles of Determinations for the
Commissions Perusal-A Meeting
to Be Held in Atlanta Next Tuesday
With View of Correcting the
Errors.
A meeting of all the prominent business
men, shippers and others, interested in
the movement TO organize a freight bu-
reau for Savannah, will be called to meet
in the long room of the city exchange
next Friday at II o'clock noon.
The meeting will be called by the cot
ton exchange, the board of trade and
the mayor. as representing the business
and other interests of the city, and it will
consider the expediency of at once or
ganizing freight and transportation bu-
reau for Savannah.
The meeting will include merchants,
manufacturers, contractors, shippers,
capitalists and every class of business
men who are IN any way affected by
freight rates. All the business interests
are to fall in line in this movement, and
i is predicted by the movers that it wall
be matter of only a short time before
the bureau is organized, just as has been
the case in New Orleans, St. Louis, Lou
isville, Cincinnati and other places which
have agitated the matter.
BEFORE THE COMMISSION.
Capt. D. G. Purse returned to the city
| yesterday from Atlanta, where he APP
| peared before the railroad commissioners
with regard to the matter of freight
rates to and from Savannah, in which
there were determinations against this
| city. He presented most formida bic ar
ray of facts and figures in support of the
| argument in Savannah's favor.
For instance, he showed that the rate
| from Savannah to most all of the interior
| points in the state, especially the junction
| points, were greater in almost every in
| stance than the rates from those Compel
| ing points to Savannah. Beer, from Sa-
Vannah to Atlanta, is 26 cents per 100
| pounds, while from Atlanta to Savannah
| it is 10 cents. Coffee is SO cents from Sa-
| vannah to Atlanta, and 30 cents from At
| lanta to Savannah. Flour is 40 cents out
| of Savannah and % cents from Atlanta
| here. In the case of meat and lard there
| is difference of 3 cents per 100 pounds
| against Savannah, and rice, which is one
| of Savannah's own products, goes from
| Savannah to Atlanta for 20 cents, while
1t comes here from Atlanta at 1919 cents
| THE RATE ON BEER.
Norfolk (Va.) ships beer to Atlanta at
| the same rate that Savannah can ship it,
| although the former point is twice the
| distance. Flour from Savannah to Mo
| bile is 20 cents per hundred, while from
| Mobile to Savannah it is 30 cents; to New
| Orleans it is 20, and from New Orleans to
| Savannah it is 81 cents, and to Montgom-
| cry it is 40 cents, while from Montgomery
| here 1t is 30 cents. The same discrimina-
! tions are found in the comparison of rates
| TO and from Savannah to and from almost
| every competing point in the south.
| These Capt. Purse had well tabulated
and submitted them to the commission
! ers. Especially remarkable was the
| showing made on fertilizers, which dem
| onsJrates that Charleston can ship fertil-
izers into Savannah's territory at the
same rate at which they are shipped from
| Savannah, although it is 1l5 miles nearer
| by the shortest route, while Savannah
| fertilizers must pay an average of so cents
more per ton when they are shipped into
| CharlestOn's territory.
SAVANNAH SHUT IN.
! Thus it would seem Savan nah is made
| a dumping ground for freigh is from other
points, but with little chance to send out
| her own stores. Capt. Purse went be-
! fore the commissioners to confer with
| bH6u anu 10 ODudlu information as 10 now
| Savannah should proceed to get relief
| from such determinations.
The commissioners said they would
| look into the matter of the rates as pre-
| sented as far as they were within the ju-
| risdiction of the commission and would
| see that the Determinations are removed.
1t is said to be a rule of the commission
! that for the same distance the rate must
be the same in both directions. The COM
| mission, IL seems, has dealt leniently in
| fixing the rates for the railroads, and to
| an extent which the railroads do not
! seem TO desire to take advantage of.
! They are allowed, for instance, to charge
IS cents per hundred on beer between
| Savannah and Atlanta, but instead of
that the charge is 70 cents from Savan-
nah and 10 cents from Atlanta to Savau-
| nah.
ASKS EQUAL RIGHTS.
! Savannah is not asking a reduction of
| rates on the part of the railroads, but
| simply that the same rate be charged in
| opposite direction over the same line The
| result of Capt Purses conference with
! the commission is that a meeting of all
! the railroad men interested has been
| called in Atlanta next Tuesday TO meet in
| the commissioners room at the capitol.
All the lines against whom discrimina-
! tiOns are charged have been called on to be
represented, and at that time Capt Purse
| will appear and present the arguments in
behalf of Savannah. Capt Purse SAYS
| his visit to Atlanta and his conference
! with the railroad commissioners had
nothing whatever to do with cotton diff
| ferrentials.