The Savannah morning news., 1902-09-20
NEW TRADE BODY
is A NEED THAT MANY BUSINESS
MEN OBSERVE.
SAY CITY SHOULD HAVE IT.
ORGANIZATION OF ALL BUSINESS
INTERESTS IS ADVISED.


Mayor Myers Excited Much Inter
est-A Number of Prominent Men
Declare There should BE Cham
Der of Commerce, a Representa-
tive and Comprehensive OrgnniSa-
LONESOME Advocate Union of Cot
ton Exchange and Board of Trade.
Adverse Views.
The Morning News interview with
Mayor Myers yesterday morning was
widely read and commented upon, bus
mess men especially finding much in
it to interest them and supply food for
thought. The Mayors implied sug-
gestion for some comprehensive COM
mercial body, representing all the bus
mess interests of the city, seemed to
meet with approval. number of
prominent business men were seen, and
nearly all said they believed that such
an organization would be of benefit to
the city.
Mr.. John E. Harris, vice president
of the Peacock, Hunt & West Co.,
favors some sort of an or
ganization that will look out for Sa-
vannahs interests in the matter of
rates to and from this city, both by
rail- and water. I'm union there is
strength" said Mr.. Harris. land there
is no question but that any organiza-
ton. that will include pretty nearly all
the business interests of the city,
would present a solid front that will
without doubt command a much great
er respect and consideration from the
Transportation lines than will any body
representing merely one interest"
Body of More Importance.
A combination, or rather an amalga-
nation, of the Cotton Exchange and
the Board of Trade, together with the
admission of men interested in all lines
of business, is what Mr.. Ernest A.
Cults favors. Such an amalgamation
would give Savannah a body of much
more Importance than is either OF the
present organizations. he said, and such
a body is undoubtedly needed by the
city.
1--WE need here" he continued, such
an organization as is the Chamber of
Commerce of Atlanta, which not only
looks out for the interest of the city
In the Oh IdlcSf Dal dAoO .OpNS
everything possible to advertise the
town and its advantages, even to the
extent of sending throughout the coun-
try, as ii is now doing, a sample OF
all the articles manufactured in the
city. 1t is an organization with spirit
of this sort that is needed in Savan-
nah"
Billiard Says It's Needed.
Mr.. B. F. Bullard. vice pres
ident of the Southern Naval
Stores Company. another gen.
tleman who gave his opinion on the
question, thinks that the needs of
chamber of commerce. at least so far
as the care of rates is concerned. was
pretty well filed by the Savannah Blu
reau of Freight and Transportation.
The trouble about the matter is. he
said that during the existence of this
bureau Savannah enjoyed pretty fair
rates and because of this fact the bus
mess men having nothing to complain
OF lost their interest in the bureau and
let it go under, not realizing its inn
portance.
Savannah certainly needs some
sort of organization to look after her
interests" said Mr.. Billiard, for she
has been the victim of determinations
in freight rates for many months All
during the past spring and summer
grain shipments. for instance. have
been made from Northern ports to
Jacksonville. via water to Savannah.
hence by rail to the Florida CITY, and
actually delivered to the consignees at
the rate that they We're delivered at
the wharf at Savannah
Further. Mr.. Billiard said, the South
ern Naval Stores Company will I'M
doubtedly support any movement that
looks toward the interest of the port.
but that he doubted If the naval
stores trade will take the same inter-
est now that it would have taken some
two years ago for the reason that
these determinations in rates. as we'll
as the recently increased terminal
charges of the roads, has driven a
proportion of the naval stores to ports
to the south of Savannah.
They Look Out For s1Number One"
Mr.. Harvey Granger, of e. B. Hunt
ing & Co., expressed himself as heart
lily in favor of a movement that should
bring about concerted action by the
various commercial bodies of the city.
He said that Mayor Myers had I'M
doubtedly spoken truly when he said
that the Board of Trade and the Cot
ton Exchange looked out only for
themselves. He said that was always
the case, for each fellow was taking
care of number one" The idea was
to put all in such position that what
might be for the interest of one would
be for the welfare of all. This could
best be done by consolidating all the
organizations into one.
Just how the amalgamation could
be secured, Mr.. Granger said, would
have to be determined by those inter
ested. Perhaps, the surest way would
be to have all the heads of the various
bodies come together in a mass meet
ing. and there form the nucleus around
which all the lesser concerns would
gather until there was no interest that
would not be in the one organization
Such a body would have great inhu-
ence and would meet with response
when it went about securing some.
thing. There is no question he said
that Savannah is being Disseminated
against, and the best way to remedy
this is for everybody to work together
and the way to work together is to ge'
together.
Tiedeman for n Union.
Mr.. George w. Tiedeman, vice presi-
dent of the Board of Trade. said he
had not read the interview with the
Mayor carefully. but he felt that there
never was greater need for an organi-
cation that should embrace all SaVan-
mains interests than now. He had nc
recollection at the time of any in
stance of discrimination on the part OF
the railroads, but thought that any
there might be could best be met 10y
working together. He favored a union
of the Board of Trade and the Cotton
Exchange, for inasmuch as these were
the largest bodies their Joining togeth.