The Savannah morning news., 1904-09-01
TRADE YEAR MADE
MANY NEW RECORDS
SavannaIrs Trade and Commerce Among Best in
Its History

With yesterday Savannah's business
year of 1903-19O4 came to an end and
II is now possible to make COMPARE
sons with the trade conditions of
former years. Such comparisons show
that the year just ended was an un-
usually prosperous one. Many of the
trades and industries were marked
BY vast gains in either volume or val
ne, often in both, and few, if any
branches of business failed to main
tain the position formerly achieved
even where no additional growth was
shown.
Failures in business were very few
comparatively and unimportant as to
the amounts involved The city suf-
fared from no disastrous fire and, TAX
en- from every standpoint, the year
was a most satisfactory one. Not on
" was there a manifest growth in
the business of the city and of the
port but, as a result the city itself
grew, new enterprises were establish
ed, attracting new people, and aiding
in the increase of population and pros
perity.
Merchants and those engaged in all
lines prospered through a jealous at
tention to business and, displaying a
commendable spirit, did not allow their
individual affairs to engross their time
and attention to the exclusion of pub
lie interests, but worked for the bene-
ft of the city, and the community,
as we'll, and with results that are
-, hi
for the future than in their past
achievements, valuable as these have
been.
All Classes PrOspered.
Nor was the prosperity of the year
limited to trade and commerce. 1t
extended to every business and every
class of workmen. There was work
and plenty of 1T, for everybody, from
the skilled mechanic to the unframed
helper; good prices were paid for la
Dor, and strike troubles were few and
of little Importance. No small part
Of this prosperity was due to the I'M
usual activity in the building trades,
for the number and value of new build
ings during the year was exception
ally large and the outlook for the pres
ent season is that in this, as in other
lines, there will be even greater ac-
tivity.
mol content Will IdklIlB care OIL TIE
business that is its own by right of
location, the city is reaching out for
new territory and extending it's inf1u-
ence in a greater sphere than ever be
fore in its history. Success has been
Won even in the face of great disad-
Vantages, as is shown in the naval
stores business in which the net re-
ceipts were greater than those of the
previous year, even though the terri
jC Wnar1V
moving further away.
Cotton and Shipping.
In the cotton business the prices paid
at this market maintained the reputa-
ton enjoyed by the members of the
trade here, and the exceptional facili-
ties for shipping the staple quickly
and by direct lines to the chief Euro
pean ports all tended to attract ship
ments. These natural advantages of
the port were materially assisted by
the railroads and by the steamship
lines in the coastwise trade, which not
only reached out into new territory for
business but expended thousands of
dollars in preparing their terminals for
the proper and quick handling of the
business after it had been obtained.
Probably in no direction did Savan-
nah make greater advances than in its
shipping business. Always foremost
In the shipping industry since the nrst
ocean steamship, the Savannah, made
its memorable voyage across the Allan
tic, the growth of this business has
kept pace year by year with the growth
of the other industries until now Sa-
vannah's only rival as a shipping point
is Baltimore, so far as the South At
lantic is concerned.
In the coastwise trade, too, great
strides were made by the addition to
the fleet of the Ocean Steamship Com
pany of two of the largest vessels in
the trade. Something of the capacity
OF the fleet as a freight carrier may be
judged by the fact that four of the
eleven vessels are each capable of car
rying a cargo of more than 10000 bales
of cotton.
As "A Money Center.
Savannah easily maintained its
prestige as the greatest money center
OF the state, the bank clearings for the
year showed a healthy growth, exceed
ing from week to week and month to
month, not only those of the year be-
lore, but those of any other city in the