The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-01-11
GALA WEEK A PRETTY SURE GO.
MERCHANTS SECURE PROMISES OF
CHEAP RAILROAD RATES.

Doubt That Cheap Fares VIII BE
Granted-The Time For Holding
the Gala Week Festivities to BE
iChanged From the First Week in
April to the Third Week.
The meeting of the merchants and rail-
road men at the De Soto yesterday after
noon was successful in the accomplish
ment of the purpose for which it had been
| called. low rate was agreed 10 by the
| officials of the railroads represented.
Just what had been desired was secur-
ed in the way of attendance. Those hav-
ing the duty of calling the meeting want
| ed the representative merchants of the
city to be present, and in this they We're
not disappointed. The business was dis
patched with promptness and a proper
understanding of all the questions to be
considered
1t was agreed that a rate should be
asked for by the general passenger agents
of the Central Railroad, the Plant Sys-
| tenn, the Florida Central and Pennsular,
and the Georgia and Alabama at the next
meeting of the conference committee of
the Southeastern Passenger Association.
| This meeting will be held Jan. IS, and it
| will then be known whether Savannah
will have a gala week. All depends upon
the action taken by the conference COM
| mittee.
The merchants first wanted the time of
the gala week to be that settled upon by
! the executive officers of the Travellers
| Protective Association. They had decid-
ed that the state convention should be
held during the first three days of the
week beginning April Il. This date had
| appealed to the merchants as a conven-
lent and suitable time for the gala week.
and they had asked for the rates to be
| in effect at that time. The railroad men
had some objections to the time, however
and finally reached compromise, by
which the week is to be that beginning
April Is The rates agreed upon will be
in effect throughout the week.
The merchants asked for a rate similar
to that granted to Charleston last Deem
Der upon the occasion of the gala week
! there. This was granted by the passenger
! officials, in so far as it was in their power
| The rate is Just a small fraction above
| 1-cent-a-mile. The basis upon which
! the prices of tickets will be figured was
! gwen ny one OI the OlIlCidlS as ABOUT one
| ana one-tenth cents mile. The territory
Will include all Georgia points, Alabama
| points as far west as Montgomery, South
! Carolina points in the territory contiguous
to Savannah and Florida points as far
| south as may be possible. This is what
| will be asked for by the general passenger
| agents of the Savannah lines when they
! attend the meeting in Atlanta.
| The conference committee is comprised
| of the general passenger agents of the
! lines in the Southeastern Passenger Asso-
citation, and it is said that the committee
| will scarcely fail to grant whatever re
| quest with regard to rates may be made
| by the lines directly concerned. These
| lines are those running into Savannah,
! and the general passenger agents of all the
| lines running here have committed them
selves in favor of the rates and promised
| to use their influence with the committee
to secure them.
Among the merchants present at the
meeting were Messrs. B. II. Levy, Joseph
| Rosenheim, l. Epstein, l.. Adler, Joseph
| w. Jackson, w. j. Lindsay, Jacob Gut
man, Joseph Ferst, Jacob Enstein, Her
man Myers, F. C. Battey, Julian Solomon,
| Joseph Lovenstein, president of the
| Savannah post of the T. p. A; w r.
Wimpy, Arthur We'll, j. T. Shuptrine and
| j. c. Slater.
The railroad officials present were Cen
eral Passenger Agent j. c. Halle of the
| central, General 1dSSttlStI agent A. -.
| MacDonell of the Florida Central and
! Peninsular, Passenger Traffic Manager B.
w. Wrenn of the Plant system and Mr..
| F. " Peterson, chief clerk in the passen-
! ger department of the Georgia and Ala
! bama, who represented General Freight
| and Passenger Agent Pope.
All of the railroad men were heard from.
! The meeting was presided over by Mr.
Rosenheim, who was requested to act as
chairman. Mr.. Julian Schley acted as
secretary Col. Wrenn of the Plant sys-
! TEN referred to the objections by the Flor
ida lines to the granting of the rates for
| the time requested. These objections are
on account of the conditions of Florida
travel. At the time for which the rates
! are requested the hotels will not have
closed, and tourists might be induced to
leave Florida sooner than they had intend
ed on account of the open low rate being
in effect as far as Savannah The hotel
! help might be returning at the same time
to the North from Florida, and the rates
/ governing their movement would probably
be affected.
Col. Wrenn explained that the tourists
would be likely to ride on the reduced
rates as far as Savannah on their return
TO the North as would also the hotel
help. and that the revenues of the COM
pany would thus be cut down considera-
bly,.
Mr. MacDonen followed with a similar
| explanation of the condition of passenger
travel out of Florida at the time men
toned, and said 1t would not be agree
able 10 the lines owning hotels in the
state to put on rate that might in
duce the guests to leave sooner than they
! otherwise would
Mr. Halle spoke for the Central. He
said that, while his line does not handle
| the Florida business, as a railroad man
! he could understand and sympathize with
! the representative of the Plant system
and the Florida Central and Peninsular
| in the position they took. He could I'M
! derstand how they would prefer that the
| rates should be authorized for a time
! when the hotels are closed and no consid-
| Grafton of decreased receipts from their
regular travel be caused by the rate being
! in effect. Col. Wrenn, he said through
| the desire not TO appear to be opposing
/ the gala week, probably, had neglected
! to state that one of the Florida connec-
! lions of the Plant System and the Florida
! Central and Peninsular, the Florida East
! Coast Railroad, would be very likely TO
| object strongly to the rates being put into
| effect at a time when most of the hotels
| belonging 70 Mr.. Flagler. the presidents of
| that line on the east coast are still omen
/ The East Coast road would not he WILLING