The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-02-09
THE COTTON RATES AGAIN.
OFFICIALS WILL TRY ANOTHER IN
MING AT ST. AUGUSTINE.

Reduced Freight Rates for the
transportation of Cylindrical
Bales of Cotton VIII BE Asked OF
the Railroads.&c. Is Believed
Lower Rate Would Give Manufac-
turers of the Cylindrical Presses
a Better Opportunity to Get the
south TO Take Up the Innovation.
Athens VIII Also Come before the
Meeting-Savannah officials Who
VIII Attend.
An important meeting of railroad Off
cials will be held to-day in st. Augustine.
There will, in fact, be three meetings last
ing as many days.
To-day the railroad men will take up the
question of rates on cotton shipped in
cylindrical bales. Manufacturers of the
machinery used for COMPRISING cotton
into these bales want to see lower rates
in effect when such bales are shipped.
They claim that there is every advantage
to the railroad in handling the bales, and
that they should therefore give. a reduc-
ton in freight rates 1t is said the dem
sity Of a cylindrical is much greater than
that of the ordinary bale, and much more
cotton can be shipped in a car when the
new bales are used. 1t is said, too that
it is much easier to handle when shipped
in the new form and that less labor is
needed
1t is not known what action the rail-
IL taE in ha N
clal was asked yesterday about IT, but
he said he could not foretell what would
be done, as he had heard nothing from
the other lines relative to their ideas. The
manufacturers of the cylindrical bale
presses will have representatives to pre-
sent the merits of the new process and
it is possible that they may be able to
show the officials the wisdom and justice
of making lower rates for cotton shipped
in this form.
The manufacturers of the machinery
recognize in the reduced rates they hope
TO get from the roads for their bales the
best possible means of bringing them fav-
orably before the farmers of the South.
They want TO see the planters adopt the
new method, as they believe 1t has add
vantages over the old, and are making
quite an effort to bring about the aband-
onment of the present process of pressing
cotton.
At this meeting, which is to be held at
the Hotel Ponce de Leon, the matter of
cotton rates from Atlanta and Athens to
Portsmouth, Savannah, Brunswick and
Charleston will also come up. This ques-
ton will be discussed tomorrow. At a
meeting held some two or three weeks
ago at New York ii was decided to leave
the final settlement of the differences that
have existed between the Seaboard Air
Line on one hand and the other lines out
of Athens and Atlanta on the other to
this meeting at St Augustine.
The rates by the Seaboard from Atlanta
and Athens at Portsmouth now stand at
20 cents hundred. To the South Atlantic
ports named, by the Central, the Southern.
the Georgia and its connections, the rate
is 10 cents. a differential of only 1 cent ex-
listing where there was one of cents
in favor of the South Atlantic ports until
the Seaboard inaugurated its rate war.
When an official who will attend the
meeting was asked yesterday what action
the meeting will probably take in the
matter his reply was that he did not
know. There was considerable discussion
of the situation when the officials attended
the meeting at New York, and, when they
adjourned, 1t did not look as If there would
be any very great probability of things
fore the cutting began. The position of
one of the lines interested in the matter
was such as to make the outlook for a
satisfactory adjustment rather dubious.
Day after tomorrow, which is expected
TO be the last day of the meetings, will
be devoted to a discussion of other trans
portation matters. OF just the character
of these matters no information could be
gained. The officials will doubtless have
feel certain satisfaction in knowing that
the weather will doubtless be good. The
cold wave will give st. Augustine de-
lghtful temperature.
Vice President John NJ. Egan of the
Central Railroad and General Freight
Agent w. A. Winburn. as will also Vice
President and General Manager Cecil Cab
bett of the Georgia and Alabama, left last
night to attend the meeting