The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-01-12
FREIGHT HAS FALLEN OFF.
ROADS NOT DOING As WE'LL AS
THEY WE'RE LAST YEAR.

business From the Government,
However, Saves the Day-MovinS
Troops and Their stores ana
Equipment Runs Up the Receipts.
Not Considering the Government
Business. the Freight Movements
Are SmaIIer-OmcinIs Attribute
This to the Low Price of Cotton
and the SIOwness of Fertilizers
This Year in Getting on the Move.
Business is not as good with the freight
departments Of railroads in this section as
it was a this time last year. The differ
ence is not great, but officials say it is
nevertheless appreciable.
In the comparison the freight men leave
out the business that comes through the
handling of stores and equipment for the
government. This ii not considered at all
in making up an estimate of the relative
volume of business. The work the roads
do for the government is regarded as ex-
traneous, though, without question, it
swells their receipts greatly.
Mr.. d. f. Jack, freight traffic manager
of the Plant System, says there is a diff
ference. THE roads are not doing as well
now as at the same time last year. 1 be-
lieve the falling off is attributable to the
low price that has been received for cot
ton. While we have been hauling a good
deal of freight for the government the
usual business we expect for this season
has decreased. The farmers are not buy
inc tbey xuara xraar This bac its
effect on business throughout the section,
and the result is that the roads do not get
as much freight to haul as when the far
mers are prosperous and get good prices
for their cotton"
Vice President John NJ. Egan of the Cen
trail also says the business is smaller.
This Is due" he says. ito the low price
cotton has brought and to the slow move
ment of fertilizers. The season with the
fertilizer men as backward. The farmers
have not had the stuff shipped to them
yet 1t will be but few days, however,
before the movement opens up with more
volume than at present, and there then
may be an awakening. I do not know
whether or not there will be as much bus
| mess done by the manufacturers, though
| they do not seem to believe there will"
The transportation of troops and hauling
their stock, wagons, stores and general
| equipment helps the railroad wonderfully
Every tame one of them gets a regimental
movement it means big money. and the
receipts for a year are greatly increased
when there has been anything like as gen.
| eral movement as there has been ana
| is yet continuing to Savannah. For ev-
| cry 100 miles travelled by a rough estimate,
| the carrier gets something like $1,000 for
| a regiment. 1t may thus be seen that
| the railroads get along famously during
| times of such wars as that with Spain
| and the rather prosperous conditions that
| follow.
| The selection of Savannah as the port of
| embarkaton for troops for Cuba and Porto
! Rico will continue to affect the receipts
! of the railroads for a long while, ii is
| thought Soldiers will be coming and go
| ing constantly, and there will be business
| for all the lines. The government has
| adopted the policy of dividing the business
equitably among all the roads, regardless
| of the routes and whether or not one may
offer better advantages than another. 1t
| is simply q matter of every line out of a
| place where there are troops getting a
| part of the movement when one is made.
| The arrangement satisfies the officials
| very well as it works evenly on the whole.
| Sometimes commands have to travel a
| long way out of line in order for the road
| that gets the business to put them at their
! destination, and the government has to
nav several thousand dollars extra, but it
goes. The railroads make in this way by
the arrangement, and the officials are
content to allow it to prevail.
| The railroad men are ready 10 admit
| that the policy has been a generous one,
and they commend it accordingly. They
and others seem TO think the evidence is
shown that there is nothing penurious
about the war department and that it is
ready to put money in circulation through
the medium of the roads. If, instead of
pooling the business, the roads should
make a fight for it, present rates would
NOT be paid and the transportation of
troops would not net the roads as much
as now 1t is with the consent OF the de-
partment that the roads pool, and the de-
! cision of the Supreme Court against this
practice is said not to obtain on this ac-
| count. Where there is no objection it is
not considered that pooling is in violation
| of the decision.
G