The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-06-24
SUPPLIES For THE SHIPS.
Their Purchase Big Item For
savannah.

! savannah.
| The purchases of the Ocean STEAMSHIP
| Company at Savannah since the adop
I ton of the plan Of buying all supplies pos
sble here are a matter Of importance t
the trade of the city, as not less than &c.
900 is expended here each month. Ar
| engagements to buy supplies here were be
gun early in May, and the first steamer
supplied was the Chattahoochee, which
sailed May 10.
The change to Savannah as the general
purchasing point was a consolidation OF
this feature of the company's business, as
prior to May all purchases had been made
in New York, Philadelphia and Boston.
on the company's deciding to make Sa-
yannah the purchasing point, Mr. Hinck-
ley, who had been port steward at New
York, was appointed to a similar position
here, to be in charge at the company S
wharves of all its stores. He had been
here but about week, however when he
resigned to return north, and Mr.. A. r.
Storey, formerly steward of one of the
ships, was then appointed. Store rooms
have been built at the Wharves, and there
the port steward prescribes in charge Of
the stores.
The purchases of the company are made
through Mr. J. w. Conner, purchasing
agent. Bids are submitted to his office by
the concerns desiring TO secure contracts
to furnish the supplies needed. On the
larger orders, such as meat, the contracts
are made for one month, a stipulated price
being agreed upon. At this price the COM
pany is to be furnished with all the meats
it may require during a month. Bids to
furnish the meats for July are now being
received by the purchasing agent. The five
large western meat companies
having branches here all submit bids
The Armour company submitted the low
est bid just before the new plan was put
In operation, and has since been furnish
ing the meats. The month of May was
nearly half gone when the contract was
awarded so IL was made to cover both
the uneXpired part of that month and June.
The item of meats is the most important
among the supplies in point of cost, as 1t
amounts to about $1,000 a month. As soon
as house secures the meat contract il
notifies its general office, and there pro-
vision is made for the filling of the in
creased orders.
Besides meats, vegetables, coffee, tea,
cigars wines and in fact, everything that
can be found in the Savannah market,
are being purchased here. Lists of these
goods are made out as the demand neces-
states and are sent to all of the whole
Each firm decides upon its bid, writes the
opposite each item on the list and
sends IL in to the purchasing agent. There
the lists from the several firms are care
fully gone over and the lowest bidders
selected.
The entire list of supplies does not nee
essarily fall TO one house, as the items
are bought from the lowest bidders, ire
spectiVe of what relative totals of the bid
sent in may be. Messrs Guckenheimer &
Sons furnished one list complete but the
next they divided with Messrs. NJ Ferst's
Sons & Co. The competition in the bids
is very close and enables the company to
get low quotations.
Vegetables and fish are bought from the
market. Heretofore a steamers fish sup
ply had been put aboard at one sailing
point, and 1t had to last during the return
trip The fish were apt to become too old
for use under this system, and since the
purchases have been made here, fish have
been sent aboard both here and at their
destinations for the return trips to Savan-
nah. Potatoes are one of the items that
cannot be provided here. The crop has run
short in the south, and they must be
bought at the northern ports.
When bought at the north they are in
sufhcient quantities to cover the return
trips from Savannah.
The laundry work Is being let out by
the company in yearly bids 1t is done
both here and in New York, as the sup
ply of linen is not sufficiently large to ad-
NIT of all laundering being done at Sa-
Vannah. Each vessel is soon to be provid-
ed with twice Its present quantity, how
ever and then all the laundering will be
done here.
The system has only been in operation
a snort while, but 1t is regarded by the
officials as very successful.