The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-07-20
WONT PLAY IN THEIR YARD.
WHOLESALE GRoCERs BOYCOTT
THE LOUISVILLE AND NASH
WILLIE RAILHOAD.

They viii PatrOnizc other Routes
for the Purpose Of Compelling the
Louisville and Nashville to Make
DiHcrentiaI Between Carload
Lots and broken ShiDments-The
Boycott General One-The Louis
Vile and NashviIIe's Policy in the
Interest of Louisville, the GrOcers
Say-The Wholesalers VIII Boy
colt the Provision brokers Who
Sell 10 Retailers.
To-day the wholesale grocers Of the
south begin their boycott against the
Louisville and Nashville railroad.
The boycott was determined upon at the
May meeting OF the wholesale grocers as
ISOLATION of the south In Atlanta, as was
announced in the Morning News at the
time. 1t was necessary, however. that the
action of the general body should be con-
hrmed by the several local bodies before
the boycott could go into effect.
To-day was the date set for the boy
colt to go into effect Most of the local
bodies have already confirmed the action
of the general association. The Whole
sale Grocers Association of Savannah. at
a meeting held this week, confirmed the
action of the general association.
The reasons of the boycott, which were
announced at the time of the Atlanta
meeting, are that the Louisville and Nash
vile discriminates against the wholesale
dealers by giving the same rates upon
small shipments as upon car load lots,
thus making it to the advantage of the re-
tail dealers to deal directly with the large
supply houses in the west rather than with
the local wholesalers. The wholesale
grocers have protested against this in
| justice a long time but without effect and
they finally concluded that their only rem
edy was to withdrawn their patronage
| from the road which Disseminated against
| them.
The traffic managers of the leading
| southern railroads were present at the
Atlanta meeting and discussed this ques-
ton with the wholesale grocers. The
rates complained of are given not only
by the Louisville and Nashville. but by
| all the great western routes. The rep
| resentatives of all the lines, however,
except the Louisville and Nashville, con-
| ceded the fairness of the demand made
| upon them by the wholesalers and stated
| their willingness to make the change de-
sired, but the Louisville and Nashville
| held out.
The grocers charged the Louisville and
| Nashville representatives, so one of the
| Savannah delegates informed a Morning
| News reporter yesterday, that the posi-
| ton taken by 1t was entirely in the in
terest of the Louisville wholesale deal
ers, in order that the latter might enjoy
| the benefit of a large southern trade,
which they could not otherwise obtain.
THE Louisville and Nashville people
practically admitted this" said the gen.
tleman. "They could make no satisfac-
| tory explanation of their position, and
| did not try to make any. They simply
| held to their position. So long as the
| Louisville and Nashville refused to make
| any change in its rates the other rail-
roads were helpless, though their repre-
sentatiVes professed that they were anx-
ious to make the change. This being the
! case there was only one way for the
| grocers to reach the Louisville and Nash
| vile, and that was to withdraw their
! patronage from the road. 1t is not a
/ boycott. We simply agree to handle our
| business by other routes where it is pos
/ sible to do so. The Wholesale Grocers'
! Association includes every city from Vir-
! ginia to Texas, and we believe the with
drawal of our patronage will be felt.
| Every railroad man viii admit, and ii
| doesn't take a railroad man to see it,,
| that a railroad can handle goods in car
load lots cheaper than it can handle them
! in broken shipments. If a carload lot
| cannot be handled cheaper than a small
| lot what Is the advantage to the whole
saler in ordering large lots. Every bus
| mess in the world makes a difference in
! dealing by retail and dealing by whole
| sale, and it is obvious that the railroads
come under the same general rule
1.-The enforcement of the boycott at Sa-
vannah will not affect us in the least"
ba T1r-aq fi al otfr
western shipments come by water via
Baltimore, so really we do not cut much
figure in the fight. We will do what we
can though. Interior points like Atlanta
can make the boycott a very serious one
| for the Louisville and Nashville if it is
enforced"
The local wholesale grocers association
has also decided TO boycott certain grain
and provision brokers who sell to retailers
as well as to wholesale dealers. The COM
plant of the wholesalers against the bro
kers is that the latter make the same
rates to retail dealers as to wholesale deal
ers. The boycott has not gone into effect
as yet but 1t is understood that it has
been decided upon
1.-THE boycott is not for the purpose of
| preventing all brokers from selling to re-
tail Dealers" said one grocer who was
| appealed to on the subject. There will al
ways be brokers who will sell to retailers
lOF L0dL UldiltE- we Will uOl utdl, now
| ever with a broker who sells to a retailer,
for the simple reason that we do not care
to have the retailers know the cost prices
which we pay. Brokers who desire our
trade must connne themselves to the
wholesale trade exclusively. We cannot
afford to have them make the same price
to the retail dealer which they make to
US"
The grocer said there had been consid-
cradle discussion Of this subject in the
association, but would not give any fur
| Their information.