The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1902-09-19
SHOULD HAVE SHIPS
MAYOR MYERS REMEDY FOR
FREIGHT DETERMINATIONS.
FAvoRS A STATE RAILROAD
II 1T WOULD PREVENT LINES
FROM CHARGING UNFAIR RATES.


fected-Business Men should Put
IN Observation-Disclosures Interests of
Snvannah Do Not Work in Unity.
Cotton Exchange Directors Re-
ferred Petition of Cotton Men to
Committee.
Mayor Myers is always interested In
anything pertaining to the welfare of
the port, and the agitation of cotton
rates has appealed to him as wise in
those who have determined to protest
against the disadvantages under which
Savannah has labored. He was seen
yesterday afternoon by a representa-
tive of the Morning News and discuss
ed the situation freely.
81 am glad to see that the Cotton
Exchange, which does not often wake
up to Savannah's needs unless its own
interests are affected, has at last be-
come aware of the fact that Savan-
nah is being Disseminated against and
injured in it's business" said the Mayor.
It is not only in the matter of cotton,
though that Savannah is feeling the
effect of existing railroad methods.
Many other products and merchandise
are being handled at other ports which
once came here If we could get at the
exact extent of our loss from this
course the figures would doubtless as
tonish all.
Has Lost Wool Trade.
Take the matter of wool, for in
stance. Savannah formerly handled
S.f( rerfn md
ida wool than it does to-day. The same
discrimination exists with regard to
wool that cotton men say Injuries them
in their line of business. Formerly
much wool came here from along the
line of the Pensacola and Atlantic
Railroad, which now goes to Mobile on
account of the prohibitory freight rate
charged to Savannah, fully two-thirds
higher to Savannah than to Mobile,
while the rate from Mobile to Boston
is only 10 cents per hundred more than
from Savannah to Boston. Yet wool
from intermediate points is being ship
ped into Mobile, and then shipped to
Boston from Mobile via Savannah and
the Ocean Steamship Company, our To-
cal merchants being robbed of the OPP
portunity they formerly enjoyed to
handle this commodity, the wool being
carried hundreds of miles unnecessar-
ily because of these peculiar railroad
arrangements.
''The Boston rate from Savannah has
been raised from % to As cents during
the past four years. In other lines of
merchandise the same condition may
exist. Doubtless this is the result of
combinations or agreements among the
transportation companies. Ihe Balti-
more line, which once gave us direct
water transportation with Boston, no
longer makes rates to that port from
Savannah, which would seem to indi-
cate one of those agreeable under
standings which do not benefit COM
merce at this port"
Tends to Government Control.
Mayor Myers said that if these
conditions are to continue and
grow worse as time progresses,
and as communities become more and
more at the mercy of the dictates of
the managers of these companies. or
those directing the agreements exist
ing among them, business interests
will be left entirely at their control
at is such state of af-
fairs said the Mayor, that leads
men throughout the country to incline
more and more to rigid governmental
control of transportation lines, to a
more pronounced interference or super
vision by state or federal governments.
While l am of the opinion that it Is
difficult for the states Individually or
for the United States, to control these
corporations effectively and prevent
private understandings and secret
agreements or compacts that are detri-
mental to general business interests, 1
believe that it is within the scope of
citizens of Savannah to do something
that may not only relieve the situation,
so far as they are concerned, but prove
profitable to those directly Interested.
Chance for a Freight Line.
at appears to me that with the
volume of independent freight offering
here, such as naval stores, lumber, cot
ton, wool and general merchandise, our
business men could place in operation
two freight steamships between this
port and New York and not only do a
profitable business, but bring about
some needed competition. 1t would lot
be necessary to build expensive freight
and passenger steamships combined.
Good freight carriers of adequate ca
pacity could be had at moderate cost,
and I believe the local business men
would rally to their support in pro-
lection of their own interests. If
something of this kind cannot be I'M
dertaken, then encouragement should be
held out to some other lines to enter
AltIS ny dIdllLeSlliS llSiSibos II IL 10
desired to operate a couple of indie
pendent steamers, Savannah would not
have to put up the entire capital. Seine
of it could be obtained elsewhere on a
showing of the volume of business
Offering.
Might Build "A Railroad.
Recently / received a letter from
Congressman Livingston, relative to a
plan for the extension of the state road
TO Savannah, the state government to
build and operate it. At first / was
inclined to regard it with disfavor,
there being three railroad lines enter
ing Savannah which traverse Georgia,
with heavy capital interested in them,
and considerable of their securities
held in the state. There is no control
of them in Savannah or Georgia,
though. They are practically foreign
corporations in that respect, and II
competition, and a removal of discrlm-
ination of any kind can be secured by
the building of such a road as is men
toned, il might not prove bad in
vestment for the people of Georgia.
Money is cheap and Georgia would
have no difficulty in getting all It de-
sired for such a purpose. The time
may come. in this day of continued
public and private consultations OF
railroads, when the people OF state,
in protection Of themselves and their
business interests win find such meas
ures necessary.
DO MOI stand Together.