The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-08-20
PLANS TO INCREASE TRADE.
SERIES OF MERCHANTS EXCUR-
sIONs TO SAVANNAH TALKED OF.


Operation in other Cities, and Mr..
Levy Sees No Reason Why 1t should
Not BE Equally Beneficial Here.
Merchants Within 200 Miles of sa-
vannah to BE Invited-If They
Make Purchases Amounting to
ed-Expenses to he PrOpOrtiOned
to Benefits.
Among the wholesale and retail mer-
chants of the city there is an almost gen.
eral inclination to inaugurate a series of
merchants excursions, from the interior
towns and cities of the state to Savannah
which shall have as its object the increase
of trade and the improvement of business
conditions.
There is a current impression that these
excursions will be productive of the bene-
fetal effects hoped for and desired by the
merchants. The plan has been put In
successful operation in many other large
trade centers and wherever tried has
demonstrated its usefulness and value
That it would produce like beneficial re-
suits in Savannah there can be no reason
to doubt
Il am heartily in favor of the adoption
of such a plan" said Mr.. B. H. Levy yes
terday, land am confident that nothing
but good to the merchants, the hotel keep
ers and the public generally would result
In other cities, notably In Baltimore and
Memphis the plan has been tried and the
reports of the officers of the associations
having its conduct In charge demons trate
its utility"
Il want to read you from the report of
the Memphis Freight Bureau for the cur
rent year. The expectation of the work
of the Commercial Assoc ation, the organ
ization, of which was mentioned in our
last report, has been more than realized
in the extensive and satisfactory opera
tons during the last year. Invita- tons
were issued to $50 merchants
at interior towns and cities $40 of whom
came to Memphis at the expense of the
association. The sales TO these mer-
chants amounted to $685. 12 at an average
expense to the association of one and one
tenth per cent. This showing demon
strates clearly to my mind that the
scheme could be operated successfully in
Savannah, and that it would result in
profit and advantage to our merchants"
I'VE have in Savannah to-day" said
Mr.. Levy, "all of the associations that
are necessary, in my opinion, to carry on
| the work; the Wholesale Grocers' Asso-
| cation and the Merchants Association of
| Savannah the latter comprising princi-
| paly the retail dealers. Most of these,
certainly all of the larger individuals and
firms, are included in its membership. I
| don't think myself that we need
| another association to carry out this plan
| of merchants excursions, but if others
| disagree with me on this point 1 will
| gladly yield my own opinions. | am very
] not. flno h ViDA 70 a
| successful conclusion, and feel assured
that, once started, this will be the in
! evitable result
There may be a disposition on the part
| of some of the wholesalers said Mr..
| Levy, Ito belittle the idea, because of the
| fact that their statesmen cover the terri
! tory it is proposed to reach at any rate,
| and their belief that no additional trade
| win be brought to the city by this new
| means. They are mistaken. 1t is impos-
! sible, through the medium of any agent,
| to transact business as satisfactorily as
| with the principal and it is impossible
to think that if these interior merchants
! are brought to the city they will not be
! attracted by the lines offered by mer-
! chants in some other department of trade
| than those with whom they expected to
| deal. Moreover, it costs money to send
| travelling men on the road, and IL we can
| get the trade directly we are just so much
! ahead"
! And there's another thing to consider.
! Unless we adopt some such plan as this l
! propose other cities will and trade that
naturally should and would come to Sa-
! vannah will be diverted to other points
/ We should seek to broaden the territory
! tributary TO Savannah and not permit IL
| to be contracted by outside influences but
! this latter is exactly what will happen I'M
! less We bestir ourselves. The closer the re-
/ lation into which we are thrown with our
/ customers, the greater viii be our trade
and the more firm and enduring our bust
! ness friendships. IF, then, we can secure
! these desirable ends with but slight cost,
! let us by all means make the attempt"
1.-The plan that l propose is something
| like this. Let us advertise widely these
merchants excursions and send out our
| invitations to every retail dealer in the
towns and cities within Two hundred miles
| of Savannah. Let US set forth attractively
| the advantages of this city as trading
| center and declare, as is the fact that
| the country merchants can purchase their
stocks as cheap here as they can elsewhere
| in the South. Then let us invite them all
10 come here to do their buying"
ITO induce their compliance let us, in
| the first place, secure from the railroads
| the cheapest rate possible and in the
second place, offer to defray the ner>
chants railroad expenses coming and re-
| turning in every case where purchases
! pro rate this expense, according to the
amount of purchases made with each firm
| For instance, let the country merchant be
| provided with blank, upon which his
purchases from each dealer, with Their
amount may be entered. When he has
bought what he would, let him carry this
card or blank to the secretary of the as
| ISOLATION, who viii refund him the cost
of his ticket
IAN account of the entries on the ticket
will be kept by the secretary and the
proportion of the expense that should be
borne by each house win be charged
against its account with the associa ton
This. it seems to me, will make every
thing exactly fair. If one house makes
all the sales it will bear all the expense
! and if il makes none will bear none Of
! the expense. If the sales are divided. so
will be the expense. Nothing, in theory
al least, can be fairer than this"
81 estimate that the expense will range
| from ! to per cent upon the purchases
! and ! should think that the merchants of