The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-09-11
An Extraordinary Showing Under
Adverse Circumstances
TOTAL MORE THAN Sl22, 600, 900
Statement Respecting the Cotton That
Came to Savannah in l894-95.

Bank CIearances Increased $4,000
600. and the Naval stores Trade
$4,000. 900 bigger Than for the Pre-
vious Year-Revfew OF the Xear
Covering the Movement of Staples
and other COmmOdities-COnd
tiOns at the End of the Year just
Past Better Than at Its beginning,
creased business During the Cur
rent Year.
The sum total of Savannah's business
for the commercial year, which ended
Aug 81 last. shows a slight decline from
the total for the year before. 1t would
be phenomenal II there had been no fall
ing off, II is matter of wonder, upon
which Savannahians congratulate them
selves, that the decline was not greater.
When II is recalled that cotton sold at
extraordinarily low prices during the
year, and that some of Savannah's best
territory was almost devastated by Sc
we're cold. it can be readily understood
why there should have beeen falling
off in the figures representing the total
OF business done.
1t must not be supposed that the vol
ume Of business handled fell off in pro-
portion TO the decline shown in dol
lars and cents. The probabilities are
that there were handled almost, If not
quite, as many packages of goods as the
year before, but the packages did not
represent each last year as much value
as did similar packages the year before.
In cotton, as a matter of fact, the re-
ceipts last year were some 1900 bales
greater than the receipts of the previous
year, Notwithstanding there is an appar-
ent dropping off Of some 25.OO0 bales. This
is accounted for by the fact that more
than Is 600 bales shipped Through this point
10 Charleston and Port Royal were not
counted in the Savannah receipts for 1894
IS. whereas such shipments were included
in the receipts for 1s93-94. In making a
comparison of the two seasons business,
the former system of counting should be
employed. which would show the receipts
at this port for 1s9i-95 to have been more
than l.O22,OOO bales. The value of cotton
per bale was considerably less during the
last business year than during the year
before. hence the shrinkage of several mil
lions of dollars in Savannah's cotton bus
mess. For the business year, 1S93-9l, the
average value of a bale of upland cotton
was 1885, and of sea island cotton. S76.O2.
Last year their respective values We're
$27.7l and 1868 The difference. as will be
seen, was as much as so a bale.
While the general trade of the city
marked decline in value. 1t is a no
table fact that the banks did a greater
business than during the trade
year before the last The
bank clearnces show great
increase. amounting to some $4,000 900, an
indisputable indication of the growing
business of the city and the increasing
popularity of it's financial institutions
Savannah win probably be found to lead
the south in the matter OF
percentage of increase of bank
clearnces for the year. She NAV
yet become the most important financial
center in the south, as she is now the
coast. When the United States subtreas.
ury shall have been established here
which will probably be before a great
while longer, her Importance will be great.
ly increased.
There are notable and gratifying In.
creases recorded in naval stores and lum.
Der. The history of the naval stores year
is full of interest Ii was in
some respects a record breaking
year. The long fight between
the buyers and the sellers was ended
and some of the largest transactions il
spirits turpentine ever made were con.
summated. Prices were fairly satisfactorN
as a whole, and the total of transaction.
fooIs up an increase of about $3,OOOOOO. A
the beginning of the new year the out
look for naval stores, as for other staples
is encouraging. The statistical position
in naval stores at the opening of tn,
current season was better than at the be
ginning of the season of 1S94-lS95, and oper
ators hope TO do better than make ex
penses this year.
The lumber men. who had experienced
rather hard lines in 1884, and also durin,
the year before that, had the pleasure o
adding $4,000 or more TO the volume o
their business last year. With the gener
al revival of business there has sprung III
an increased demand for building materi
al, which was felt to some extent las
year, but which is expected to be evel
stronger during the current year No
long ago the principal lumber manufac
Iurers entered into an agreement whereof,
the disastrous cutting Of prices will b
done away with, and the business will b
operated on a more satisfactory basis.
The Savannah fertilizer factories proba
bly, made a nearer approach to a satisfac
tory business than did the fertilizer fac
tories OF any other city. They did not d
such a business as they could have wished
but while the factories elsewhere fell ava
behind, the Savannah concerns just abou
held their own, which gives proof of thei
good management. Five-cent cotton is no
conducive 10 the making of great wealth
in the manufacture of cotton fertilizers.
In almost every line of wholesale trad
during the year there were circumstance
which tended to cut down totals as rep
resented in dollars and cents. Some mer
oh