The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-09-08
sAVANNAH's TRADE YEAR.
Kind Words of Appreciation From n
Close NeighbOr.

Kind Words of Appreciation From
Close NeighbOr.
From the Charleston News and Courier.
The Morning News printed yesterday its
annual review of the trade and com
merce of Savannah for the business year
ending Aug. 81. The work is well done and
the results of the years operations are
most encouraging. According to the figures
given by the Morning News, which are
based upon the estimates Of conservative
dealers, the aggregate value of the busl-
ness of the year was $135 10000 as COM
pared with S127, 600 600 for the preceding
year-a net increase of S. co., Cotton
was the principal factor in the trade of
the city, the receipts aggregatng 1,192,-
067 bales. The increase in the value of the
cotton business of the port was 81 800 600;
in naval stores, 100000; in lumber, $780,
coo; in groceries, $2,00O000 in liquors and
tobacco, 81, 000 geo; in fruits and vegetables,
100000; in provisions, $500 900; in dry goods
and notions 100000; in clothing $500 900
and In hardware, $4,000. There was a de-
crease of $4,000 in the fertilizer and phos-
plate business, and a decrease Of 81 900, $50
in the value of manufact ured products.
There appears to have been a steady nd
of business and industrial effort, and the
city has begun the new year under espe-
cially favorable conditions. The public
credit is first-rate and the bank clearings
show that there Is sufficient capital for
the commercial and industrial necessities
of the city. Altogether the results are rot
less gratifying than they are surprising
and we are sure that there win be none
10 rejoice more sincerely with the good
fortunes of the business community of Sa-
vannah than their next door neighbOrs
of the City by the Sea. What Savannah
would do with Charleston's opportunities
is a subject for most interesting reflection.
In it's editorial review of the CONNER
cial operations of the year, the Morning
News makes some pertinent comments up
on the causes of Savannah's steady pro-
gress during a period of great depression
and uncertainty. The large receipts of cot
ton were due mainly to the efforts that
were made to bring cotton through this
port" "Savannah's business men are ex-
tending their business steadily. They are
entering new territory all the time, and
the increase in the volume of their bush
ness is helping the banks TO make such
a fine showing. And then the naval stores
people and lumber dealers are so well sat
isfied with SaVannahs facilities for doing
business that they are utilizing these IA
cilltes to a greater extent every year"
In spite of all that has been accomplish
ed however, there are grumblers and
kickers and drones in Savannah We hope
sincerely that their tribe viii not in
crease. We know them; we know how
hem: we wish that we could
send all that we have in Charleston, not
to Savannah or any other place that de-
serves to succeed, but to some desert place
where they could grumble and kick and de
without benefit of undertaken or clergy.
Those who are inclined TO grumble"
says the Morning News, "and say that
the city is making no progress, refuse to
see what remarkable changes have taken
place within the city's limits during the
last ten or fifteen years" That is a mild
way of stating a disagreeable fact Not
only do they refuse to see" what other
people have accomplished, but they drag
out their own useless existence on what
other people do Heaven spare our neigh
bors from such a calamity as the posses
sion of a large community of grumblers
would be.
But the observations of the Morning
News contain one sound chunk of philos-
ophy which we would commend to the at
tentiou of the do-nothings in such places
as Wilmington and Augusta and Moultrie-
vile, as follows:
IF we are to make Savannah a great
commercial city we must all work to.
gether for her good. If each one looks
out only for himself and cares nothing for
the general good the city win stand still
or go backward. "%* our city is growing
and the volume of our business is grow.
ing, but neither - growing quite as fast
as we would like. In order to make both
grow faster every citizen must lend q
helping hand in promoting the things
which are for the public good. We can
expect but little progress If public spirit
is confined to a small portion of the citys
business men"
Indeed, if it were worth while, and IL
Charleston were not already the most en-
terprising and pushing place south of
the North pole, what our contemporary
says about the best and surest way TO
build up Savannah might work equally
well in Charleston. In the conditions of
course it does not matter whether we
'all work together for her good" or NOT.
and we all know how it is when each
one looks out only for himself and cares
nothing for the general good" and when
public spirit is confined to a small por-
ton of the clty's business men,"
In towns like Savannah the prosperity
of the community is dependent upon the
interest which the people take in build
dng up the community; and we are glad
that our neighbors are doing so well
They would find 1t interesting possibly TO