The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-09-11
A FAIR BUSINESS YEAR.
THOUT COTTON THERE HAS
BEEN AN INCREASE IN TRADE.

ne Low Price of Cotton. However.
l. Responsible for a slight Falling
N o,f in the Total Value of Trade-An
Increase of $4,000. 900 in the Naval
stores Trade-The Manufacturers
Did Better by $5Oo.OOO, and the
Retailers Have s2,oO0,OOO More in
trade TO Their Credit-The show
inc a solid and Substantial One.
81 While the trade of Savannah for the
tusiness year just ended does not show
increase in the total amount over that
If the year previous, a comparison of the
.gurss for the two years Will show that
..bsre has been a healthy increase along
mportant lines, and the entire business
II the city has been, if anything. on a
more solid and substantial basis. The to-
Al amount of business done foots up to
ken 100 CO., a decrease of about s., 100 900 in
he amount of the year previous, but this
i hardly worth considering when the great
ksuing off in the price Of cotton is taken
Into account.
The most decided increase has been in
naval sLUAEos ia MAAAIn the Il dut BiChtu up
tv 100000 over the year before. This
bas been due to better prices for rosin.
fair price for spirits throughout the
sason and increased sales, both domes-
ic and foreign.
Next to naval stores come manufactur-
kng, which show a fair increase
hue in a great measure to the steadily i'm
brewing business situation, and especially
10 the number of small manufactures re-
|cently started. The retail trade
shows an increase of 100000 over
lSgl and of 100000 over 1893. This
healthy and steady Improvement in the
retail trade is indicative of the growth
and Improvement of the city, as well as
'the general Improvement of the business
'situation.
Il The general trade, 1t will be noticed from
the table, has held up pretty well in all
hines with the expection of cotton. in
which there has been a falling off of
about S9,SOO,OOO, owing to the low mar
ket price of that staple during the en-
tire season. Notwithstanding this, the
bales than during the preceding year. In
1894 the cotton shipped here and then
forwarded to Charleston was counted In
the receipts of the port, while such was
not the case in the year just closed. For
that reason the receipts of the port APP
pear larger for 1894, while, taking the
new rule into consideration such is not
actually the case. The decrease of about
$4,000 in the wholesale grocers trade is
attributable partially to the freeze in
Florida, as well as the low price of cot
ton. The wholesale dealers did as much
business as they did the year before, but,
unfortunately, met with more losses.
The lumber trade picked up by $4,000,
and the shipments were about 24,OOO,OO0
feet greater than for the year before. The
lumber trade thus fully regained in 1895
what is lost in 1894, as compared with the
season of 1888. This has been due large
ly to the fact that for a time the lumber
men were organized, and in fact they have
stood together better during the last year
than has been the case in some time. The
decreased shipments of fertilizers, OWNS
in part to increased competition and not
altogether advantageous railroad rates
out of Savannah, has been responsible for
the falling off by about 100000 in that
trade. The local companies. however, did
fairly well.
Altogether the showing is an excellent
one. despite the decrease in the total
value of the sales which, as is readily APP
parent, is easily accounted for. When
cotton is taken out of consideration it will
be seen that there was total increase in
all other branches of trade of more than
S, 000, 600. The bank clearances, which
are to a great extent the barometric indi-
Gator of the volume of trade, increased
q ~ Ice Oh hot
were in 1894
The following is a comparative estimate
of the valuation of Savannah's trade dur
ing the year beginning Sept 1. 1894. and
ending Aug. 81, 1895, with that of the pre-
vious year: