The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-08-27
TO PREPARE FOR Mr.. STEVENS.
THE CITY WILL JOIN WITH THE
COMMERCIAL BODIES.

The General Manager OF the Man
chester Ship Canal Now on His
Tour Of Leading American cities,
and VIII soon BE in Savannah-He
Desires 10 Arrange For Regular
SaiIings Between Savannah and
Manchester With a Line of Steam
ers Later on and viii Propose
Plan by Which IL Is Believed the
Desired Result VIII BE Accom-
pIished.
At the meeting of the city council yester-
day afternoon a resolution was adopted
that a committee be appointed from that
body to confer with committees from the
commercial bodies for the purpose Of ar
ranging for the reception of Mr.. Marshall
Stevens Of Manchester. manager Of the
Manchester ship canal, on the occasion
Of his approaching visit to Savannah.
The action of council shows that the i'm
portance of Mr.. Stevens visit is appre-
ciated. As announced in the Morning
News some time ago. the object of the
visit here is to perfect arrangements for
a regular steamer service between Sa-
vannah and Manchester during the cot
ton season at least, and if possible for the
whole year through. AS Is well known,
Manchester. being now connected with
the ocean by ship canal,
built at cost of $S7, 10000. is seeking to
divert trade from the old established
channels. Naturally. this requires some
effort. Liverpool, which has been the
port Of Manchester for so long, is not
disposed to see her trade diverted, If it
can be prevented, and the immense ship
ping interests concentrated at that port
are very powerful factor in this rivalry.
Although a very large commerce is now
being handled over the canal, II is only
portion Of what 1t was intended to accom-
mediate, and the merchants of Manchest-
er, who are those most largely interested
in the canal, have seen the necessity of
a systematic effort to attract commerce.
Mr.. Stevens arrived in New York by the
Lucania Aug. q. His itinerary, as mapped
out before his departure from England, is
as follows: New York, Boston, Montreal,
Chicago, st. Louis, Kansas City, Savan-
nah, Baltimore, Philadelphia and New
York That he has departed from this
itinerary somewhat is shown by a letter
received from him by Capt. Purse in
which he announces his purpose of visiting
Norfolk this week at the solicitation of
prominent railway men, probably the
Southern railway. He takes occasion to
assure Capt. Purse that this will not inter-
fere with his proposed visit to Savannah.
Capt. Purse, as has already been stated
has been in correspondence with Mr. Ste
vens for several months, and his intention
to visit Savannah is due to the efforts of
the president of Savannahs Board of
Trade. In his last letter to Capt.
Purse, Mr.. Stevens expresses the
desire that his visit to Savannah
shall not be made the occasion
of any public or social demonstration as
he will only have a short while to spend
here and his visit is purely one of business.
AS the result of the correspondence
which has been carried on and sugges-
lions made by Mr.. Stevens, Capt. Purse
believes that arrangements will be made
with Mr. Stevens on the occasion Of his
visit here to put into effect a plan sug-
gested by him for establishing regular
sailings between Savannah and Manches-
ter Mr.. Stevens plan for the line is
that a firm of steamship owners should
be interested who would furnish the
steamships and agree to assume one-third
the profit and loss for a stated time. the
Manchester Canal Company to assume
one-third Of the profit and loss and take
charge of all arrangements and details a
that end Of the line and either
a railroad company or a shipping firm to
take charge of all the work at this end
of the line and assume one-third of the
profit and loss. He suggests this arrange
ment until a line of steamers can be per-
manently established. The Prince line of
steamers, Capt. Purse states, is ready to
enter into this arrangement, and firm
here has stated it's willingness to enter
into the arrangement for this end of the
line.
In a recent letter to Capt Purse, Mr.
Stevens incloses proofs OF two compare
tive statements sent out by the Manches>
ter Canal Company, showing the results
of two cargoes received at Man
chester, one from New York
and the other from New Orleans,
showing the cost of distribution on each
item of the cargo as compared with the
cost on the distribution of the same items
from Liverpool. The steamship Guido ar
rived a Manchester from New Orleans,
Feb. g. with cargo consisting of 1,4s1
tons of corn, 317 tons of cotton. and II
tons of canned meat. The comparative
table shows a total saving on the cost
of distribution of the cargo of 50 532 or
SLIT per ton, or cents per 100 pounds.
OF the shipments from New York. Mr..
Stevens says:
with my letter to the managers of the
railways referred to above, l am sending
a comparativ statement, giving partic-
ulars Of the cargo by the steamship Las
sell, from New York to Manchester (proof
of which enclose herewith which shows
the cost Of the distribution of the traffic
to it's destination from ex ship Man
chester, as compared with what 1t would
have cost to have distributed the same
traffic from eX ship Liverpool. You will
see that there is an average saving on the
whole New York cargo Of S15S per ton
or cents per 100 pounds in favor of Man
chester. I am impressing upon the rail-
road companies that any company on your
side having at its service from its port a
line of steamers to Manchester and a
through rate arrangement with my com
pany, can take competitive traffic at much
lower through rates than its contempor-
airy, IL the latter has not such a steamship
service at its command. That is to say.that
without any reduction OF inland freight
in America and with an even sea freight
traffic can be secured, via Manchester, at
rates lower than any which can be pro
cured via Liverpool"
on another matter of interest. IN
private letter to Capt. Purse, Mr.. Stevens
says;
We have received some shipments Of
pig iron here, coming from Birmingham.