The Key West Citizen Newspaper, August 14, 1939, Page 2

PAGE Two She e ikey West Citizen Published Daily Except Sunday By ‘THE CITIZEN PUBLISHING CO. INC. 1. P. ARTHAN, President and Publisher 408 ALLEN, Assistant Business) Maneger From The Citizen Building Corner Greene and Ann Streets Only Daily Newspaper.in Key West and Monroe County entered at Key West, Florida, as second eless matter Member of the Associated Press ue. Associated Press is exclusively entitled to use for republication of all news Coe reper creaited to to it or net otherwise credited in this paper and also the lo¢al news published here. Weekly ..... ADVERTISING RATES Made known on application. SPECIAL NOTICE All reading notices, cards of —— resolutions of fein obituery notices, etc, will be charged for at the rate of 10 cents a line. Nott for entertainment by a from which a revenue is to be derived are 6 cents a line. The Citizen is an open foram and invites discus- sion of public issues and subjects of local or general omterest but it will not publish anonymous communi- cations. THE KEY WEST CITIZEN WILL always seek the truth and print it without fear and without favor; never be afraid to attack wrong or to applaud right; always fight for progress; never be the or- gan or, the mouthpiece of any person, clique, faction or class; aiways do its utmost for the public welfare; never tolerate corruption or injustice; denounce vice and praise virtue. commend good done by individual or organ- ization; tolerant of others’ rights, views and opinions; print only news that will elevate and not coutaminate the reader; never com- promise with principle. (MPROVEMENTS FOR KEY WESi ADVOCATED BY THE CITIZEN Water and Sewerage. Comprehensive City Plan (Zoning). Hotels and Apartments. Bathing Pavilion. Airports—Lind and Sea. Consolidaticn of County and City Governinents. UPSETTING OUR APPLECART Key Westers were astounded when they learned Overseas Road and Toll Bridge Commission had voted to raise tolls beginning September 1 and to dismiss General Manager B. M. Duncan. That was certainly upsetting Key West’s economic ‘applecart with a vengeance. _ The most astonishing feature of .the toll-raising action was the fact that two of the Monroe county members, Mayor Wil- lard M. Albury and C. C. Symonette, voted _ FOR it, joining with Commissioner John Kennedy, Ft. Lauderdale, an avowed anti-. “Monroe advocate, to put the measure across. Chairman John Slade of Tallahassee and.Commissioner John Costar of Key - West voted AGAINST the toll increase on the ground that an anticipated increase _incfraffic during, the. next fiseal * year would .more than cover an expected > operating deficit of $60,000. o-Mayor. Albury and Commissioners Symonette and Kennedy took the view . that-regardless of Monroe’s stake © in ' the * traffic flow coming over the highway re- gardless of Key West’s interest in this important traffie artery, the tolls must be inckéased 75 percent, to take care of the estimated deficit. Following Commissioner Kennedy’s vociferous arguments, the two Key West members of the commission reasoned that an increase in tolls would result in an in- crease in revenues. So they approved a resolution by Mr. Kennedy to charge after » September 1, $1.75 for a and driver, - instead of $1 for car and firiver as now in - force, and to make proportionate increases in bus and truck tolls. Majority of city, civic and business leaders in Key West believe this is faulty reasoning, They point to the fact that gales of automobiles, radios, washing ma- chines, refrigerators and other commodi- ties were increased as prices were de- - creased. As price levels go down, sales go > up. The Citizen joins with our _ leading . citizens in belief that the net result of the toll increase will be to reduce traffic over the highway, to result in an increase in bus fares and to increase freight charges and - trucking costs for foods and other supplies : sent to Key West yia the highway. will suffer a loss of business and trade, general business and ‘construction activity will be affected; increase the number of unemployed in Key West and Monroe county, and throw the city’s. entire -eco- nomic machine more out-of whack. There will be a loss to the state “missicn in toll collections, a loss to the’ city and county 1 in generai and 2 corsa taxes. Then on top ofall this add ‘tie dis- missal of Manager’ Duncan and you have a pretty kettle of rotten fish. Our business- men and civic leaders regret the passing || of a man of Mr. Duncan's standing, ability and integrity. They do not believe the commission will find a man of his stature | to take his place. Mr, Duncan’s dismissal will not sit so well wjth federal lending and road-building officials, implicit confidence in the -man who eon- ceived and built a wonderful two-lane highway on a one-way railroad. Mr. Dunecan’s word in Washington has weight. You can’t laugh off a man who was se- | lected by President Roosevelt to serve on the American commission to the Pan- American Road Congress at Santiago, Chile, last spring. Lies have been spread about Mr. Duncan by self-seeking politi- | cians who were after his scalp because he opposed their efforts to increase tolls and to do their bidding in other directioris, Fortunately, toll. rates apparently must ‘be approved by the Reconstruction Finance Cerporation which holds the high- way commission’s $3,600,000 of -out- standing bonds. The Citizen recommends that our City Council, our County Com- | mission and our civic, business and other groups make an immediate appeal to RFC from the bridge commission’s, decision to increase the tolls by 75 percent. If tolls must be increased they should not go up more than 25 percent., or the equivalent | of a fare for drivers of vehicles now ex-| empted. Monroe County’s, Key West's entire future is at stake in the proper functioning of the highway. It is not proper, and Mr. Duncan’ knew it was not proper, for the | commission to penalize this community for the high interest and amortization rates on a fund that-should have been: ad- | vanced as a gift in the first place. The way to. cut these costs is to\induge the federal government to cut the $3, 600,000 debt in | half, as it did county where such undertaken. Tolls should either be reduced or “held at their present levels for another year. Appeal to RFC ‘at once along this line! in every. other Florida large works ‘were Delightful rest is the compensation of hard work. . When people agree entirely there is something the matter with the discussion. The statesmen know.a!l the big ques- tions of the hour, but can’t find any answers. We wonder if it would be asking too much to suggest a suspension of public speeches. » Many Congressmen favor. ‘ecordi all matters excepting those affecting ‘own districts, | Earthworms are said to transmit in- fluenza among swine. Road hogs, -how- ever, are unfortunately immune. As long as an aggressor nation knows that peace-loving nations will not fight, it will remain an aggressor nation. If you keep your mouth shut long enough somebody will suspect that you have more than the usual amount of sense. Ambitions and aspirations are. com- |, mendable but don’t fly too high, you may. have to bail out to get. back to. terra firma. s Advertise _whatever you have to sell in a classified.ad in The Citizen and we won't have to argue with you about using them later. worth more to business and industry than uneducated individuals; maybe the acated folks need a union? Why the driver of a ‘aad dilapidated tin-lizzie should honk his horn If this view is correct, Key West in- | longest and loudest is one of = in- = in | gasoline taxes, a loss to the bridge com- | who have |. Educated men and women men ought 4p. be : THE:KEY WEST CITIZEN eevee Highlights i | Although: his name is roa alive by the | Poinsettia which he gave to botany, the dis- | tinguished Poinsett was, in his day, a promi- | nent national figure. A man of culture and social-leadership, he became an able mem- | ber of Congress, a very efficient secretory of | war and a vigorous representative in Mexico | during a critical period in the nation’s history. It was as our minister to Mexico from 1825 to. 1829 that he discovered and imported to the United» States what was later known as the Poinsettia plant.” Few Americans of his MONDAY, AUGUST 14, 1989. seehatssensauceepoen | socegsesdnonsanasncustos and others who would build up Of F lo rida ee ‘By KENNETH FRIEDMAN 00000800 OF 0008 1 C0OSSASVOODSDSDNDO OCS Doc SeDeDeSe donee SSEbeSEseoooecosecoseN | JOEL R. POINSETT, FHE EMINENT SOUTH CAROLINIAN, WHO GAVE 7O BOTANY THE FRMOUS POINSETTIR, time were more widely travelled than Joel R. Poinsett of Charleston, S.C. Asa young man | he toured all over Europe, visiting the lead- ing capitals, entered the best society, and ‘was given marks of favor in St. Petersburg, Russie by the Czar. He even penetrated the Caucasus ond to the Caspian Sea where he | PEOPLE'S FORUM POSSE CeoeveSeeccooooeS | ABOUT MRA | Editor, The Citizen: Having read L. Virgil ‘Thomas’| letter in The Citizen, inviting Key | West’s cndorsement of MRA, | “which will result in priceless f publicity and promotion for your, j city. among the best people of | | the United States, .Canada andj jthe English-speaking —_ world”, a |may I point out that'‘his wonder- | working organization is none dth- | {et than Dr. Frank Bouchman’s ; Oxford Group Movement dress-, | ed in political garb. 1 ; This may help clarify the posi-; | tion of MRA, if not Dr. Bouch-} man. As I advised in this forum last ‘Spring, evidence suggests |that both the President and | | Roosevelt are close to the Bouch- j man Movement, in sympathy if | not in fact. Only the files at 61} | Gramercy Park, North, in New | | York City, contain definite proak |of membership in this rich re-! |ligious movement. But many | j unexpected acts of the Admin- | istration may have come uitder} \ithe head of “guidances” from’ God, which the Oxfordian main- tains asa part of his daily brac-| tice. . To many of us earth-| bound mortals, this private ad-' vice from the Deity seems a lit- | tle fanatical. and . unbelievable, thus a few-of the “best people in | the United States”, etc., do not) place much reliance on the “pro-| grams” of Dr, Frank Bouchman, | ;his contemporary. Father Divine, | | eoeocccovescesoscsocses: | | — TRY IT TODAY — | The Favorite In Key West STAR >* BRAND — CUBAN COFFEE ON SALE AT ALL GROCERS was entertained by the reigning Khans. | Curiously, the Poinsettia flower, which today thrives all over Florida, has brought Poinsett’s | name far more widespread recognition than all his activities in high places. | | | | | From The Files Of The Citizen being placed, on the lawn “in ‘by a score of 5 |ed more as a means of informa- jot the afternoon. tion than an ornament. It is be- | ‘ing placed as a permanent mark- | . Arrangements service people and shipping in- terests. elevation of its location above | ments will be sea level, and in “time data will} Who attend the aftermath of the special ‘election | held here on August 6 on the | ning. tax levy, will be aired at the! ami. regular meeting of the county commissioners tonight. When the’ election officers finished count- i ing the votes they announced that! the results were: 138 for a. 10; mill assessment, 76 favored a} three mill assessment and 66 vot- i eda no mill assesment. Count HOTEL LEAMINGTON N. E. Ist Street at Biscayne Boulevard ‘Overlooking Bayfront ed- 4 KEY WEST IN DAYS GONE BY Happenings Here Just Ten ‘Years Ago Today As Teken er in a prominent location in or- jpleted for the card party to be’ der that it may afford informa-| given at the Woman’s Club to-! tion to the public as well as the| morrow night and everything! points to a most enjoyable event, /™an, Inscriptions on the ‘stone | it is stated. The prizes are well! will show, among other data, the | Worth the price and light, #tefresh- Miss: Delores A. Abreu, tion, «Angela Sawyer and Jose Gon- rear. * jealep Capote entertained with a ward of b farewell birthday party in honor’ wood, American redhead’ 5 Y of Miss Dolores Sawyer..at the Miss Judith Wright of Elwood, The muddle, -which came as an} jone'on Newton street last eve-|1nd., natiorial tomato queen; Miss’ Miss Sawyer left over the question of special district school | highway this morning for’ Mi-) ‘CRUISER BILLY BOY LEA Os vec age nes SIDELIGHTS By MARCY B. DARNALL Fermer Editor of The Citizen bal Loss of both legs by amputa- | to 4. Baker of ‘not bar Miss Jessie Simpson, / front of the county court house |The Citizen. outfit played a won- | beautiful New York model, from | by ‘the court and’ geodetic survey | | derful game at third base, mak-| of the United States government. ling a wonderful one-handed catch |tising man, this fall. The stone is estimated to weigh | of a hard batted ball, which was! about 900 pounds and is intend- considered the outstanding play | iromance. She is engaged to marry James. Stewart, an adver- Johnny Curtis, a telegraph | A monument or bench mnarif' is! Sluggers in the baseball “ontest | tion affer’a train accident ‘did | world-saving cult memberships. -C. GROVER FLINT. Hampstead, N. H., Aug. 4, 1939. WORRIED? about “o- ones? ‘WONDERING? how they are? ° WAITING? | for news As them? ‘WHY? messenger of Santa Rosa, Calif,, | ;found $2,000 in cash and return-| receiving a_ ‘ed it to the owner, |nickel as his reward. But Johnny | won't tell the owner’s name. are about com- The story is told of a Congress- who received a request trom a' constituent which could not be granted, instructing his! secretary: “Write him a darned | served,” Those nice letter, for that’s all he’s go- party will be | ing to get.” be added that will -establish its! ™ore than satisfied and they will! - elevation and show the differ- lrealize that the money will be! ence between that and the tide | Well spent as the proceeds of the’ levels of the waters in the vici- |Party will be used in “making and, so roughly that he had to| nity. Excavation for the foun-| some unattractive spots places of be taken from them and given to_ | buffalo in the Philadelphia ‘Zoo treated their offspring, Ferdi- |a domestic cow to raise. Mrs. | “Recent queens: Miss “Mickey” | Oxford of Birmingham, Southern aviation ee Miss Susan Hay- rooklyn, now in atm: Bernice Henthorn of Flint, Mich., national motor queen. | An elec in at the New York | fair mislaid his pass and tried to| ‘buy. an admission ticket, but was | j tole that he couldn’t get in until | the bells rang at 9 o'clock. “But ifm the man who rings the| | bells,” he explained, and was. | finally admitted in time to per- form his morning chore. op er eringeatan ‘Opposite Union Bus Station ; MIAMI, FLORIDA Parents of a baby Indian water | GENERAL HERE IS UNUSUAL VALUE . , .IN A GENUINE ELECTRIC HOME LAUNDRY GE Activator Gentle Thorough Washing No Oiling Bullet-type Tub || Domed Tub Cover Special Offer—Not a Closeout of Obsolete Models Porcelain Enamel Tub Small Down Payment Places Tutt Site Baquipment Ia Your Home pas Atlas «| tal acme vam