The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1900-12-30
1900 WITH THE RAILROADS.
COMMON CARRIERS HAVE ENDED
TBE CENTURY NECESSARILY.


Has Been Good and the H,arniaE.
OF the Railroad. Have shown In
crease-AII sections Have Contrib
uted 60 Tit. Increase - Country
Generally Has Heen Prosperous
and It's Condition Has Keen re-
elected ~ the Railroads.
The twentieth century With thr rail-
roads of the South should he remarkab q
for SIS prosperity II the closing year OF
the nineteenth century may be taken a.
an indication OF good times Tor the next
cycle. TBS and downs with the rail-
roads AMI other business enterprises have
marked the nineteenth century. but rail-
roads Ike many others. cannot complain
o. the way they have Jared during 1902
President John NJ Egan o. the Central
was seen yesterday and asked for an cx-
precision OF opinion as 20 the manner IN
which the closing year has served the
railroads lie declares inst she year hns
brought good times for the roads and
could see no reason for complaint,
The entire South" said MIR. Egan, has
been prosperous during the year. ana no
better thermometer than railroads for TAX
ina the temperature OF tho business OF
section can be- found let the country b.
prosperous and the railroads will show
the prosperity clearly. Their receipts Will
run up in good times and Will run down
when times are hard, just as the mercury
ia Thermometer fiuctuatss with warm
and cold weather. The weather 60 the
railroads has been warm. and they have
marked high degree OF prosperity.
Earnings on the Central ~ Georgia
estimated up to the present. have shown
an increase almost invariably Tor each
week over the corresponding week Of last
year But two weeks % the entire year
have shown a falling on The difference
was but slight during one week Ia jan
uary. slight Ia fact. that u is scarce
IS worth noticing. Then there was
difference OF some $500 the third week
ir November. bat there was nothing about
thar to feel any particular regret over.
for the deficit Itself served 90 show tina:
the South il IN prosperous condition.
The falling on vas due directly to
drop In tine price OF cotton. Now the far
mers were not going 20 sell when their
product had just taken tumble. Had
they not been IN good circumstances, they
would have been compelled TO sell. They
we're determined. however. TO wait for
another edvancc. 30 they held on 10 their
GOTTEN. Naturally the movement o. the
produc, BY rain fell Of. and the earnings
for the week were less.
Not only have freight earnings shown
an increase. but the same has been fruc
Of the passenger earnings Both de
partments have done we'll when people
have money they are ready 10 spend n
for their own travels as we'll ~ for the
movement OF freight
IAN sections have served 10 show this
Increase. Prosperity has not been con-
fined 60 any special territory. Just ~
good money has been made In one part
OF the South as In another. and there Is
the advantage now OF having all sections
upon practically an equality. Upon only
two or three stretches OF our system has
there been a more marked increase In
earnings than on others. branches a. well
Ms main lines having served 90 reflect
the conditions OF the country and add 10
the receipts"
Another railroad official spoke upon
much the same lines as AIR Egan. declar-
ing that the year closing has been almost
uniformly good with the roads IN this
section OF the Country. "LuNuries'
said the gentleman. "as well ~ neeessi-
ties. have been moving. When you see
such things as piaros and fine liquors be-
Ing handled by the railroads. you may
understand that the people living along
the lines are tn good financial shape.
was out on the Pacific slope for five years
and 1 had occasion 10 observe then how
correctly this rule applies. Up 60 the
crash that came 10 iS9o we had been
hauling a great many pianos. The move
nent In fact was heavy enough 20 ex-
cite commens Then the crash came. ana
do YOU know ~ was tho longest time be-
fore another piano was handled BY our
road?
I'm the South We have been moving pl-
amos and fine liquors for some time. You
know the railroads put Injuries OF this
sort IN the nrst class. 30 that the freight
rates ore high. or course the volume OF
business. ia comparison With that OF other
classes that are moved Il not large. but
49, hisher rate tends 10 make up for the
dinercnce IN quantity. and when the coun-
srv IL prosterous and many luxuries are
purchased. the receipts OF the railroads
are large.
"RaliroaA men are feeling pretty well
over the situation They hear on every !
side that there are good simes. and natur-
aliv they are somewhat cheered by a.
Thev IAN become rather depressed when
the reverse u the case. Let the farmers
get 10 crying about hard times. and then
YOU can see how what they wall about
Il reflected IN the railroad men. For the |
frst time IN my recollection. though /
things have been coming the farmers |
say. and I am glad OF g.. have always I
considered that they were always sure 20 l
get the worst % everything. but the ex-
r.rience OF the last year and part of
The year previous has convinced me that |
his rule 4 not without It's exceptions.
The close Of the cotton season Of 1883 !
70 brought an increase IN the price OF coli
ton. and the farmers were put upon their \
feet by IT, Then. Ia the present season, 1
GOOD prices have prevailed from the OPEN I
lre. aud the farmers have been LETT Ia 4
GOOD shape They are holding much Of 4
their cotton now IN the belief that u viii Il
advance 70 10 cents. ana agree with
them that Il will ! would not be one
bit surprised TO see them get what they /
are expecting.
1T r. certainly pleasure 20 trai1c
man 20 get out amcag the farmers now
and hear them talk. particularly for a
uaffc man who was among them 10 1895.
when they were having such a hard time
Cotton was then away down low. theY
owed money ard had little chance APP
OF paying u. Nov the staple
Is IN ard they are out OF debt. Things
certainly look well for the railroads AMI
for tho farmers
ARE NOT YET SRA tIGHr.
southeru Receives and Delivers