The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1902-10-21
FOR CIGAR FACTORY
sAvANNAH's OPPORTUNITY TO Sc
CURE BIG INDUSTRY.
AMERICAN CIGAR co.'s OFFER.
WILL LOCATE FACTORY EMPLOY
ING 1000 HANDS HERE

Five Hears-Mr. Nathan weiss
Offer Considered at a Conference
of Business Men and Citizens.
Public Meeting TO BE Held at the
City Exchange To-day to Arrange
n Plan for Securing the Factory.
The Company Ready to Equip the
building and Begin Operations Mt
Once.
The American Cigar Company will in
all proba bility have a factory in oper-
alton in Savannah within a. short time.
Mr.. Nathan Weiss submitted a propo-
sition to a meeting of business men
yesterday for the establishment of
factory here which will employ 1000
hands. The proposition was at once
taken under consideration and fur
Their meeting will be held at the City
Exchange at o'clock this afternoon
when it is expected that definite action
will be taken.
Mr.. Weiss came to Savannah repre-
senting the American Cigar Co. at the
solicitation of Mayor Myers and Mr..
Joseph Ferst. The company has now
in opera ton thirty-two factories, prin-
cipally in the North and West. 1t is
reaching into the South, however. and
already has factories at Richmond,
Petersburg. Lynchburg and Roanoke,
Va, Greensboro, N. c., and others
about to be established.
Wants Site and Factory.
Mr.. Weiss proposition is to establish
a factory here, the citizens to provide
a site and erect factory building, rent
free for five years. After that for the
succeeding five years the company will
pay rental equivalent to per cent.
of the cost of the building with the OPP
ton of purchase at any time within
ten years. The company wants a site
at least $50 by 200 feet, conveniently
and accessibly located, with four
story and basement brick build
ing, sixty by $50 feet, thorough
ly lighted and ready for the factory
equipment. A building of suitable char
acter, Mr.. Weiss estimated, can be
built at cost of $3.50 to 200. This,
with the site, is the only requirement
for the location of the factory.
Meeting of Business Men.
After a conference with the Cigar
Company's representative and Mr..
Ferst, Mayor Myers invited a number
of business men and citizens
TO meet Mr.. Weiss and con-
slider his proposition. The meeting
was held at the City Exchange at noon.
Among those present were, besides the
Mayor, Mr.. Weiss and Mr. Ferst, were
Mr.. George ]. Baldwin, Col. J. H. Es-
till, Mr.. George w. Tiedeman, Mr.. Leo
pold Adler, Mr.. B. H. Levy, Mr.. ]. S.
Collins, Mr.. l. a. Solomons, Aldermen
CrfN nd Ca x1I ~
w. D. Krenson, Mr.. S. Krousloff, Hon
p. A. Stovall and Mr. G.. A. Gregory
Mayor Myers stated the purpose of
the meeting and submitted the cigar
company's proposition, which Mr..
Weiss supplemented with a statement
of what the company desires and what
it expects to do in the event that it
locates a factory here. Its first invest
ment in the equipment of the factory
with machinery, the Importation of
sufficient skilled labor to begin its OPP
Grafton and the teaching of operatives
would. he said. be between $75, 900 and
100000.
VIII be No Delay.
Mr.. Weiss is ready to begin opera
tions Immediately. and should the city
accept his proposition, he will have the
machinery and equipment here as soon
as the building is ready to receive it.
In fact, the company will begin opera
lions temporarily on a small scale in
such quarters as may be secured, with
a view to teaching the operatives which
will later carry on the factory. All
the labor used in the company's fac
tories is white, and is. principally girls
and women. In a factory employing
1000 hands Mr.. Weiss estimated that
three-fourths of that number would
earn from IS to 81 a week, and the
remainder much higher wages.
The Richmond factory is now work
ing $500 hands. The Savannah factory
Mr.. Weiss said, would start with about
100. AS soon as that number could be
sufficiently taught, fifty more would
be added. and after that the number
would be increased as rapidly as the
operatives could be taught. Savannah
ought to furnish 1000 operatives, Mr.
Weiss said. within a year.
Plan to Provide Building.
The question of a site and building
was discussed at some length The
Mayor said that the city has a number
of lots that might be available and
while under its charter it cannot do
nate site he saw no reason why il
could not arrange a long-term lease tc
a syndicate of citizens which might be
formed to erect the factory. The frs
outlay would, of course, have to be in
the form of subscription. He sug.
Eested, however, the issue of bonds as
security for the money invested After
five years, according to Mr.. Weiss
proposition, the investment would pay
per cent on the cost of the factory
building, and in event of it's purchase
by the company there would in al
probability, be a return of the entir,
investment with a profit. AS a guar
antee that the company would main
tain the factory Mr.. Weiss considered
that its equipment at a cost of SIS, 00
to 1000, and the establishment O
a depot here was sufficient indication
of the company's good faith.
Business Men Favor 1t.
Mr.. Baldwin, Col. Estill, Mr.. Adler
Mr.. Levy, Mr.. Krenson, Mr.. Krous-
kon and Mr.. Tiedeman, as did in fact
the entire meeting, heartily Indoors
ed the proposition. 1t is exactly in
line with the plan of the Industrial
Association which was organized two
years ago for the purpose of providing
fund for the securing of manufac-
turing enterprises.
Mr.. Weiss said that il would be nee.
essary for him to have a definite reply
within a week, as other propositions
are awaiting him. Mr. Adler moved
as an expression of the meeting, that
the Imposition be favorably received
Mr.. Baldwin seconded the motion, anC
II was passed unanimously
Mayor Myers at once announced thai
public meeting of citizens would bt
held 4 0'rinplx this of e. 81.