The Savannah morning news., 1904-06-28
SAVANNAH WANTS
LUMBER MILLS
OWNER is INVESTIGATING.
JAMES If. SieNEILL WILL MOVE
PLANT FROM NORTH CAROLINA.

! Shown city Yesterday by Secretary
DoRIan, of Chamber of Commerce,
and Expressed Himself rs Very
FnvorabIy Impressed Freight
Rates Main Consideration and
They Show Up WeII-PIant Will BE
Removed Within Few Weeks.
With a view to removing extensive
lumber mills from North Carolina, Mr..
James H. Mcneil of that state is in
Savannah looking over the advantages
| offered by this city for his line of bus
mess. Mr.. Mcneil reached Savannah
yesterday morning and will remain
several DAYS.
Should Mr.. Mcneil decide to locate
his business in Savannah it would
mean the equipment of a plant to cost
about $4,000, with a prospect of an
early enlargement to double that fig
ure. At present Mr.. Mcneil employs
about forty men, and this number will
be increased. Many of these men are
skilled laborers and the city which is
fortunate enough to have the greatest
number OF material advantages will be
the one selected.
Yesterday Secretary Donlan of the
Chamber of Commerce, accompanied
Mr.. Mcneil in tour of the city and
supplied him with full information of
the freight situation and other ad-
Vantages offered by Savannah. One
big question, and perhaps the leading
one, is the question of freight rates
Secretary DOnlan produced facts and
figures to show that Savannah offers
unexcelled advantages in this line.
Ii FnyorabIy Impressed.
Mr.. Mcneil expects to visit other
cities before finally deciding on the
location, and on this trip he will not
do anything towards investigating the
question of a site except in a general
way.
While he has not yet made up his
mind as to a location, Mr.. Mcneil does
not hesitate to say he is most fav-
orably impressed with Savannah, both
as to the city and as to freight rates.
we handle pine lumber exclusive
~" said Mr.. Mcneil. to a representa-
tive of the Morning News. The tim
Der is about cut out of the section
where we are now and we are going
to move. Savannah certainly offers
advantages as a shipping point, and
its facilities are not surpassed at any
point / have seen, though I have not
made a close study of all features of
these matters yet.
VIII Visit other Places.
II shall investigate other points I
have in mind, but will remain here for
several days. l am merely looking at
the general advantages of the city and
have not considered any special site.
Wherever we locate we will employ
about fifty men to begin with, and per-
haps more later. Our investment will
be from 100000 to $4,000. at the start.
Il am very favorably impressed with
Savannah, and while some points fur
ther north might offer even better
freight rates. there may be other adj
vantages here which will overweight
that. Our market is in the East. We
ship to New York. Boston, Philadel-
phia and other points. We will prob
ably move in the early fall"
This is the second establishment
which has been directed favorably to-
wards the advantages of Savannah by
the Chamber of Commerce in the last
three months. The first has already
located here. 1t is the contention of
the Chamber of Commerce that Savan-
nah offers shipping advantages pos
sessed by few other cities along the
coast,