The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-01-12
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WAITING ON THE RATES.
Gala Week Plans VIII Then BE
Made.

Gala week Plans VIII Then Be
Made.
The merchants and drummers Of Savan-
nah are waiting to see what the confer
ence committee of the Southeastern Pas
senger Association viii do about gala week
rates.
After Jan. IS, when the meeting of the
committee is held, the merchants will be
in a better position to talk about the fes-
tivities as their being held Is contingent
upon d low rate being secured. If they
can get the rate of a trifle more than /
cent a mile, which the general passenger
agents of the lines running into Savan-
nah have agreed to ask the committee for,
they feel that the gala week will be the
most successful one that has ever been
held In the city. A wider territory viii
be secured from which to draw visitors.
on former occasions there have been re-
strictions of about a 80 miles radius, but
this time, it is thought, there will be no
difficulty about having the territory Le-
yond Montgomery and southwark into
Florida included in the rate
The heretofore restricted territory has
been in a measure the cause of not bring
ing more visitors to Savannah. The mer-
chants feel that the limits that the rail-
road men have named as those that viii
probably be granted by the conference
committee Will be sufficiently wide to
guarantee large crowds. The drummers
will attend to the advertisement of the
week 1t is said they can manage such a
thing better than anybody else, as they
are always out on the road, and are
thrown with the class of people the iner-
chants want to reach.
One merchant said yesterday that gala
week Will be a great thing for the business
interests Of the city, in event it is held.
Many people who have been customers
here Will come to Savannah for the first
time, and the merchants Will thus make
the acquaintance of those who nave been
trading here for a long time, and will in
the future be on better terms with them
on account of this acquaintance.
The views of this merchant upon this
subject are doubtless those Of many 9th
ers Much Of the business Of the whole
sale firms is now done through the drum
mers and the merchants naturally would
like to know the men who have been buy
ing from them.
The rate that will be asked OF the con-
ference committee is the lowest that has
ever been quoted for any celebration that
has heen held here Usually the railroads
have not allowed anything lower than
rate of one fare for the round trip. The
manner in which the representative mer-
chants Of the city have taken the matter
I'D has shown to the railroad officials that
they are deeply interested in ir.
AS soon as there is positive assurance Of
the rate DelnB gFduteQ' the merchants VIII
begin preparations for the festival. One
attraction Of the week will be the visit Of
the Twenty-third Regiment rifle team Of
the National Guard Of New York The
Brooklyn team has been talking some time
Of meeting a team from the Savannah Mil
tary. letter was received some time ago
by Can't. W. w. williamson stating that
the Brooklyn team found il impossible 70
get off before spring. but that they would
probably be here then. At a recent meeting
OF the Sea Grit team Capt Williamson
was authorized TO write the Brooklyn team
whatever time might re considered by him
as most suitable for the match. Can't VIII
hanson says there will probably be no DIFF
Aculty ia having the match gala week.