The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-06-22
WANT OLD PRICES BACK.
of Retail Liquor Dealers
to Wait on the Brewers.

to Wait on the Brewers.
At meeting of the retail liquor dealers
of Savannah yesterday afternoon, at Tiv-
oil HAN. a committee of ten was appoint
cd to walt on the managers of the Savan-
nah brewery and the Georgia Brewing
association. This committee will request
q restoration of the former price of $.75
a key. or 81 a barrel for beer. The ice
question will be dropped, and in the event
Of the brewers complying with their re-
quest the local retailers agree TO do all
in their power to advance the business
interests of the two breweries.
on the committee are Messrs. Herman
Winter. John Cottingham, John A. Cou-
n,ban Otto Nell, George Derst, e. Eich-
olz Joseph Taylor, James Egan, Herman
Hess and Veruki Bros. They will call on
the brewers to-day or tomorrow morning
and viii report back to a meeting of the
retailers tomorrow afternoon. A petition
10 the brewers will be prepared this morn
ing and will be taken to all the retailers
for their signatures, so that the commit
tee can say that it represents the united
trade of the city.
There was about seventy-five retailers
present at yesterdays meeting. Mr.. Her
mon Winter was made chairman and Mr..
w. II. Ray secretary. The chairman plead
ed for the organization of The retailers for
their own protection. He referred to the
desire to put the entire war tax, and more
TOO, on The retailers, not only refusing to
bear part of the burden themselves, but
taking advantage of the opportunity to.
exact more than the tax from the retail
ers, believing that. as they were morgan
lied, they could not help themselves. Man
ager Starr, of the Savannah brewery he
said had pledged that they would never
enter a combination on ice. Yet both brew
cries had done so, and the price had been
Jumped to % cents. Mr.. Winters insisted
that he could get beer from Philadelphia,
Baltimore or New York for 81 cask, but
he in common with other retailers pre-
terred TO support the home brewerles. He
denied the statement made by the brew
cries as to the great increase as TO the cost
of the articles used in making beer, and in
sisted that malt and hops were cheaper.
The chairman made hit when he de-
uounced the agreement made by the brew
cries that cash shall be paid for the beer
on delivery. His statements on that ques-
ton were cheerfuily applauded, and were
re-echoed by other speakers.
Messrs. Travis, Houlihan, Ray, Derst
and some others entered into the debate,
which followed. One man insisted THAI the
ice company now had control of both
breWeries, and nothing could be expected
in the way of better terms. One or two ex
pressed the belief that ice was sold to
them cheap enough. If the price of the
no a fcy11ra
they would not make a fight on the in
crease in the cost of ice caused by the de
cision of the breweries not to sell them ice
hereafter. Complaints were also expressed
over the sale of beer to private parties at
but % cents more than is charged the reg
ular liquor Dealers. Some broad hints
about blind tigers were thrown out, and
one speaker insisted that the breweries
should be requested not to sell houses of
bad character, which pay no license and
do injury to the legitimate retailers trade
AT The meeting tomorrow a larger at
tendance is expected. An association will
then doubtless be organized.
A director of the Savannah Brewing
Company, in discussing the movement of
the rettilers, said that it was out of the
question for the brewers to accede to such
a request. If the retailers investigated
the matter they would find that they
were getting their beer as cheap as in
any other,city, and probably cheaper than
1t is furnished in a number of places.
Another party interested in one of the
local breweries said that 1t would be bet
ter to close down the breweries than at
tempt to pay the extra tax on beer "Why,
If we could come out at the end of the
year with a net profit to our credit of 81
on every barrel of beer sold we would
have good reason to congratulate our
selves" said he. ITO pay the extra
stamp tax would practically wipe out the
margin of profit"
IN THE COURT OF ORDINARY.