The Savannah morning news., 1904-09-29
CONCENT RATION IS
CAUSE or DELAY
PRESIDENT HANSON EXPLAINS
SAID COTTON CONGESTION WASN'T
FAULT OF Congresses.

Methods Employed by Shippers AT
Interior Points in Waiting Until
Cotton is Concentrated at the
Presses Before shipping, So Clogs
the Presses That They Cannot
Press and ship with the Expedi-
ton Necessary-SituatiOn is Daily
Growing More Serious for Export
ers.
In a statement made to the Trans
portation Committee of the Savannah
Cotton Exchange yesterday President
c. C. Hanson, of the Atlantic Com
press Company. said that the cause for
the cotton congestion, which he
admitted is not in the least
relieved, but seems to be grow
ing more serious, is the concentra-
ton of cotton at the various presses
for shipment.
By appointment a joint conference
between Mr.. Hanson, the Transporta-
ton Committee of the Cotton Elk
change, and a number of prominent
railway officials was held at the Cot
ton Exchange. Mr.. Hanson had al
ready been made acquainted with the
situation and the charges made by
shippers at interior points that cotton
was delayed by reason of the inability
of the presses to handle it. In his
statement Mr.. Hanson went over all
of the ground and explained infinitely
how it was a physical impossibility,
hn inc ,,S,.s CT
the presses to handle cotton as rapid
ly as their real pressing capacity per-
mitted.
One of the reasons advanced by Mr..
Hanson was the sudden and unexpect-
ed rush of cotton within the period of
q few days. He stated that he kept
himself as carefully advised as to the
prospective receipts at the different
presses as possible, but that even then
they exceeded all expectations. Up to
last Saturday night he stated that
the presses of the Atlantic Compress
Company had pressed and loaded 1882
eco bales of cotton against Ill 900 bales
for the same period last year.
Trouble With the shippers.
But the main cause of the trouble"
said Mr.. Hanson to a Morning News
reporter, lis the methods employed by
shippers at interior points in concen-
trating their cotton at the presses, and
then shipping it after several days de-
lay, expecting it to be rushed out just
like we could on a through bill of
lading.
For instance, at Thontasville the
receipts from a dozen different points
are sent to our compress, unloaded and
put on the platforms and yards to re-
main several days until the shippers
accumulate large lots with which to
fill grades, and the real shipping is de-
ferred until there is sufficient cotton
there to make up these shipments. To
remedy this, they should do the ship
ping at the points where the cotton Is
bought, and send it through our presses
on through bills of lading, as former
ly, and there would not be the slight
est trouble. We could handle a third
more cotton in that way than we do
now.
Entails Extra Labor.
CAS- a result of the present practice
of having the cotton brought to our
presses for classification and shipment,
we have not room enough to handle
the cotton, and many times we have
to move as many as a thousand bales
to get to a certain lot.
1--WE could easily handle all Of the
cotton shipped if it were sent through
on through bills of lading. All we
would have to do then would be to un-
load from cars, run it right through
the press and keep it going right back
into the cars. We have had some
trouble in getting sufficient labor, but
would not have had it but for the bur
den placed on us to rehandle cotton so
many times, our present forces being
competent to handle all the cotton. if
it were shipped at the points where it
was bought
Situation Grows Serious.
Although Mr. Hanson took an OPP
timistic view of the situation, he was
forced to admit that the amount of
cotton at most of the presses was
growing daily and it would be several
days before the situation would be re-
lieved
The sentiment among exporters and
others interested in the September