The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-12-25
TO RELAX THE QUARANTINE.
sHIPBROKERs GAIN THEIR FIGHT
FOR LESS RESTRICTION.


at Quarantine-The Sanitary Board
Discusses the Matter at Length and
Decides in Favor of "a Removal OF
Restrictions. Mayor Myers Casting
The Deciding VOte-Savannah VIII
sin Maintain the Most Careful
Quarantine of Any Port in the
Conntry-Dr. Drummer Holds 10 His
Position and Disagrees With the
Action of the Board.
The ship brokers were successful In
their fight for a relaxation in the quaran-
tine regulations during the winter months
The appeal Of the joint committee Of
the cotton exchange and the board OF
trade for such changes in the quarantine
regulations as would place Savannah on
IN equal footing with competing ports
was granted by the sanitary board at its
meeting yesterday afternoon. after
lengthy discussion.
The sanitary board spent two hours
Monday afternoon In hearing the argu-
ments Of the committee on the subject,
and then adjourned until yesterday after
noon at O'Clock. 1t spent one hour in
discussing the matter. The result was
The following resolution, adopted by
majority vote:
Resolved, by the sanitary commissioners
Of the city OF Savannah, in meeting as
sembled, That between the 1st OF Novem-
Der Of any year and March Is Of the fol-
lowing year. all vessels from infected or
suspected ports shall be fumigated and
disinfected, and all sailing vessels to
have ballast discharged, and if ballast is
OF granite rock il may be dipped and re-
Iained; and without further detention said
vessels may come up TO the wharves OF
savannah, If sanitary history Of vessels
and crews is found to be good All yes
sels shall be rigidly examined as to sani-
Iary history Of vessels and health condl-
Ilon or crew, and II vessels are from ports
not infected or suspected and sanitary
CONDITION OF vessels and crew are good,
they will be permitted 10 come up to the
MnarFes OF said city after inspection.
but without fumigation, distinction OF
There was fun meeting of the board,
al the members being present, as follows:
mayor Myers, chairman; Aldermen Gar
lard and Faallgant, Messrs. j. f. b Beck
With, Edward Karow and Dr. A. 3.
simmons, citizens. and Or. ". r. Brun-
ncr. health officer and secretary. The
boaru was evenly divided, the vote on the
resolution staining three IN favor and
Inree against. Mayor Myers cast the de-
Gliding vote in favor Of the resolution.
Data were submitted 10 the board by
Tee, consisting chiefly Of facts which had
been gathered as 10 the quarantine regu-
lations in force at other southern ports.
Interrogatories for this purpose were sent
out by both DR.. Drummer and the commit
lee. Although differing in detail, the in
formation secured by both sides amounted
70 practically the same thing. II was
shown very clearly that Savannah has the
most rigid quarantine regulations, and
that they are more rigidly enforced than
those OF any other southern port.
a NIL 80. h. TO-
showed that the regulations enforced at
other ports during the winter months
vary from practically no restriction at all
10 slight restrictions and that Savannah is
The only port where the same regulations
are enforced both winter and summer.
one OF the strongest arguments made
by the business mems committee was that
the restrictions at the Brunswick quaran-
tine, which is under the control Of the Uni
ted States marine hospital service, are
much lighter than those which have been
enforced at Savannah. It was also shown
that no detention Is required at Charles
ton and Port Royal Of vessels arriving be-
tween Nov. and May !.
DR.. Drummer acknowledged that ii is
true that the regulations in force at Sa-
vannah are stricter than those in force
at any other port, but he contended that
they are justified by experience and are
necessary TO guarantee the safety of the
city. He argued that it is very strange
that after having lived under these reg
ulations for eight years the shipping men
very injurious to commerce and detri-
mental TO the interest of the port. He an
swered this claim by producing data
showing that while Savannah is short
in her cotton receipts as compared with
last year, she IS better off in this respect
than any other southern port, her re
ceipts to date being Is per cent of last
year, while the losses at other ports on
account of the short cotton crop have
oeen much greater, varying from 40 per
cent. to 70 per cent. This, he thought,
showed very conclusively that Savannah
IS not suffering any loss by reason of
the enforcement of the quarantine reg
ulations.
The members Of the committee showed
however, that it is true that ship-brokers
MAD dihculty in chartering vessels for
savannah on account OF the quarantine
regulations in force here and the extra
cost TO the owners as the result of the
delaying of vessels.
The meeting was private and it is not
known how the members of the board
stood. Col. Garrard is understood to
have championed the resolution and Mai
karow is believed to have voted for 1t.
DR.. Simmons stood with DIR. Drummer
This leaves the positions of Alderman
Faliigant and Mr.. Beckwith uncertain,
but DR.. Balligant is believed to have
voted for the resolution and Mr.. Beck
with against il.
Mayor Myers, when seen after the meet
tng, readily stated his position in the mat
ter. II had not thought before" he said
that our quarantine regulations We're
too stringent, but when the facts were
lfidl at every Ot0ef southern
port, including our immediae competit-
ors, the quarantine regulations are less
stringent and that vessels are subjected
to less delay and when I considered the
further fact that these freer regulations
have been in force at other ports for sew
eTal years and that they have been found
safe elsewhere, / concluded that we could
relax our regulations to a certain extent
without danger. The risk, if any, must be
slight when cities which have allowed
vessels from all ports to enter freely dur
ing the winter months have never suf-
fered any harm by it. As a matter of
fact, there is always risk. No quarantine,
no matter how strict, can give an abso-
lutte guarantee against infection. Our
quarantine regulations, as they will now
be enforced, will still remain the most
strict of any southern port ] understand
that practically the same regulations will
be enforced at the national quarantine
station at Brunswick. They are practi-
cally the same as those which have been
enforced at Charleston for several years
with the exception that our open season
VIII close March IS, while Charleston 5
open season lasts until May l"
When asked by a Morning News reporter
If he approved the action of the sanitary
board, Or. Drummer entered most en-
phatic no"
Il may be an extremist" said he, "but
] can say with all due mOdesty thai
whenever / have been overruled in tht
past on the positions which I have taker
N hf sinh %