The Key West Citizen Newspaper, December 31, 1953, Page 1

Key West, Florida, hds the most equable climate in the country, with an average range of only 14° Fahrenheit VOL. LXXIV No. 310 City Opposes Bay Land Sale At Simonton St kk k ko ROR IIB Reports They'll Give Logun Deed In Two Weeks The city commission voted last night to continue their’ opposition to the sale of “tid- al basin lands” at the foot of Simonton Street to Al Lo-| gun, owner of the South Beach Restaurant and Mor- ris and Hilda Mazur, owner|>#k and relaxed in his city hall “of the adjacent Atlantic|*tice. Shores Motel. “ | His retirement will become ef- lena Logun and Mazur have |‘*<tive when the New Year rings applied to the State Internal Improvement Board for pur- chase of the land, but spirit- ed opposition.from the city, com:nission has delayed the, transfer. The land in ques-' tion amounts to about a half acre in the ocean in front of; the two establishments. They plan on improving the area for a beach. But last night, City Attorney J. Y, Porter told the commission of; the reciept of a letter from: Sin-; clair Wells, of the IIB, saying that). he was about to transfer the land to the two applicants. Porter said that he succeeded In having the sale held up for two} weeks. He added that, in his opin- fon, the city has two courses of action open to them. 1, Filing suit in Leon County (Tallahassee) to enjoin the sale. 2. Taking local action to test the vatidity of earlier sales here. | The commission instructed him (Continued On Page Eight) Effect Of Tax Cut Explained WASHINGTON (®—This is what tomorrow's cut in individual in- come taxes will mean, on an an- nual basis, to taxpayers in selected income groups: Chief Kemp Rounds Out Service Today Ends 29 Years As Key West Police Officer “Twenty-nine years have pro- duced a lot of changes in the police department,” mused Chief Joe ‘Kemp this morning as he leaned ; if c in at midnight tonight and he'll be able to relax after a long and ac. tive public career which started \June 4, 1924. a“ “When I came on the force, there were only 21 members,” he com- bit quieter. Kemp came by his vocation naturally—his father William 0. Kemp served as the city’s first police Captain under the late Mayor Walter Maloney. The chief spent = procs of ae ‘ _)a8 a patrolman and then was made Bub det ial aedaemge rota” a post he held for two years in tax is 9.9 per cent at $2,000 in-|Pefore going back on a beat. come, It climbs to 10,7 per cent| AS the. years flowed by, he gain- fat $10,000 income and then drops|° successive appointments as po- ‘Today's The Day | mented, “and things were a little! THE Bottom xe Mesa Wins Airport Parking Rights | Snack Bar Concession, Car Rental Service Bids Are Awarded At Commission Meeting Bids for the operation of: the parking lot, snack bar, and a car rental agency yes- terday were awarded by the county commissioners. Eight sealed bids for the parking lot concession were submitted and opened at yes- terday’s special meeting of the commissioners. Marco Mesa won the parking concession with a bid of $24,510 for a three year period. He also | submitted 2 $3,000 bond and $225 in cash with his bid. Three bids were offered for the jsnack bar, This concession was jawarded to Jennie Fae Bervaldi and Elizabeth Lowe Stephens on a basis of $210 per month. Three bids were submitted to op- erate a car rental agency, the win. ner being Couture Car Rentals, 825 Fifth St., Miami Beach. The Couture company offered te start operations with a fleet of 25 cars, adding more autos as needed. The company also pay 112 per cent of the gross income or a guarantee of $4,000 @ year for o five-year period. The awarding of this bid drew a protest from Sam Lowe, operator! of Sam’s U-Drive-It, 700 Duval St., ‘Key West's only car rental service. Lowe told the commissioners that awarding the bid to Couture would “wipe me out.” * Lowe's bid offered to start opera- (Continued On Page Eight) “(Work To Start On City Hall Work is expected to start immed- lately on the removal of the city) hall tower and the remodeling of} ime facade of the 62-year-old edi-| ice. The Drudge Construction Com- jpany, Key West, was awarded the’ contract Monday night for the pro-| ject, which was rushed through when engineers stated that the brick structure was in grave dan-| ger of toppling becuase of struc- ural defects, Wednesday, the office of City Tax Collector Archie Roberts, which} stood beneath the tower, was mov-| ed to the old city electric building i i | SOUTHERNMOST NEWSPAPER The Kev West Citi IN THE U.S. A. KEY WEST, FLORIDA, THURSDAY, DECEMBER 31, 1953 27 Fine Gifts Await First Baby Of°54 Local Merchants Offer Lavish Presents For Mother And Baby Key West’s first baby of 1954—and the proud par-' ents, too—will receive 27 fine gifts from business con- cerns. The only requirement te win the gifts is that the child be born in the city limits of Key West. it makes no difference if the child is bern in a home. To win, it first birth after mi Here is the line up the first Key Wester Linen, Pioneer Linens. Loaf of bread each day for a month for the family, Holsum Bakery. Silver cup, Paul Sher. Permanent for the mother, Don- ald’s. Gift for the father, Lewinsky’s. Baby wear, $15, Three Sister. Baby weer, Sih, Children’s Cor- ner. a ‘¢ Baby wear, $15, . y Wear, . Baby Shoes, peas HY f Baby shoes, Globe Shoe, Five dollar savings account, rida National Bank. Baby food, $15, Fausto’s. Months supply of baby food, Gulfstream. & Bedsheets, Appel’s Department tore. Baby photo, National Studio. Baby photo, 11-by-14 inch por- trait painted in oils when child is six months old, Poray Studio. Stationery, 100 embossed letter- Fro- ‘heads and 100 embossed envelopes for parents, The Key West Citizen. Orange juice, one quart a day for 30 days, Land O’Sun Dairies, Baby kit, Key West Drug. Milk, one quart a day for 30 days, Key West Milk. Adams Dairy. Milk, one quart a day for 30 days, Home Milk Co-Op. Hand crocheted cap, sacque and bootees, Navy Thrift Shop. Milk, one quart a day for 30 days, National Cuts K To One As Rates Increase Airline Exec Arrives JOHN L. MORRIS, vice-president of National Air Lines, is shown above (left) as*he was met at Meacham Field by J. Lancelot Lester, attorney who, represents the carrier here, Moras and.other NAU brass fiw here yesterday “to ‘protest increased rates for air lines at Meacham Field.—Citizen Staff Photo, Finch. City’s New Year Celebration Promises To Be Biggest Ever J By JIM COBB Key West, along with the rest’ er jof the world, will apparently usher pl jin the New Year tonight with one of the gayest celebrations on re- that in Moscow, the sale of cham. cord, a survey indicated today. and freedom-loving peo- over the world. sands of winter visitors, have from New York to San Francisco, shown that they'll let out all the stops with parties ranging from est crowds of Post-war years, — crowded night club fetes to simple | 4™¢ Key West, apparently, wil gatherings in private homes. But the local celebration will be tempered with a more serious | have reported that they are book. ed solid with reservations. peace foremost in the minds of lights County Commission Stands Pat On Increasing Meacham Revenue By DENIS SNEIGR National Airlines today cancelled all flights between Key West and Miami except one, NAL representatives yesterday promised that action ff the county commissioners stood by their increased rate schedule for lines using the The rate increases are AIRPORT ADVISER HAS A NATURAL INTEREST IN FEES Harold A. Wilde of Miami, Monroe County airport adviser, _ draws his pay from the county at the rate of 10 per cent of the gross income of Meacham Field. Wilde, who was hired on that basis by the County Commis- sioners Oct. 6, drew up the schedule of increased rates for airlines using the field. To bring in additional airport revenue, Wilde also advised the commissioners to lease out con- cessions for a snack bar, a parking lot and a car rental agency at the field. 135 Chinese POWs Ask To Return Home Request Is Made As Year-End Head Count Is Taken By JOHN RANDOLPH made a year-end head count of Chinese war prisoners in their cus- The Associated Press reports|tody today and 135 of the 4,385 -\checked asked to return to Com- pagne has tripled in comparison; munist China. The populace, swelled by thou- to last year’s holiday season. And An Indian spokesman empha- sized that the count was not a theaters are expecting their great- screening and did not substitute for \interviews, which ended Dec. 23. l| However, Indian guards gave be no exception. Nightclubs here!prisoners wishing to return home --every chance to ask for repatria- tion, Largest local observance will be| There was no indication whether note with the hope for world neid at the plush Casa Marina Hotel|the count would be extended to the with their annual dinner dance. pro-Communist North Camp, which holds 22 Americans who refused PANMUNJOM (—Indian troops) field, effective tomorrow. | National has been flying \four flights a day between here and Miami. According to R. E. Pence, NAL station manager here, the only remaining flight will arrive here at 3:17 p.m, daily and depart for Miamf at 3:35 p.m. daily. The other three daily flights, Pence said, are booked almost sol- id until about Jan. 5. These pas- sengers, it appears, will have to find other means of transportation. Pence added that the reduction to one flight a day was effective until further notice. Yesterday's special county com. missioners meeting began quietly enough but ended ina jangling row between commissioners and rep- resentatives of National and Aero- vias Q airlines over increased rates for use of the field, Tempers flared on both sides, Commissioners Joe Allen, Clar- lence S. Higgs and Gerald Saunders, board chairman, all spoke in de- they said, ld bring added rev- enue that would be spent to im- prove the field. Allen and Higgs were particul- arly incensed at the protests of the airlines, The squabble revolved around a 5Sé-cent charge for each pas- senger using the field. R. P. Foreman, secretary of Na+ tional Air Lines, called it a head tax. Manuel Quevedo, of ‘the Cuban air line, told the commissioners that his line had been operating linto Key West at a loss. He added that they could look at the balance sheets of the airline for proof. Then he asked: “How is this assessment to be \collected? Who is going to collect the 50-cent per passenger fee? “The airline can’t absorb it,” he continued. He added that his line had spent $30,000 in repairs to its quarters at the field. Commissioner Allen said the 50- cent charge would be added to the ticket cost. many. The past year has seen (yyana i I ger Emmett Conniff reported the end of the Korean War, but tht their capacity guest list will the threat of World War II! still hangs heavy in the hearts of Am- at the corner of Duval and Greene! Streets. It was open for business today, Diaper service for 30 days, Poin- ciana Sanitary Diaper Service. (Continued On Page Eight) Screwball Happenings In Old Year to 7.3 per cent at $50,000 and igilice sergeant and lieutenant and) per cent at $300,000. |then was appointed chief to serve, For a married couple with two ut the unexpired term of the late dependents, the percentage reduc- [van Elwood, who died in office tion starts at 9.9 per cent at low, 4uring the ‘30s, : income levels, climbs to 10.7 per; Kemp was finally appointed per- cent at $20,000; then drops to 7.4/manent chief in 1945 and has serv-| per cent at $100,000 and 1.6 per /e@ since. scent at one million dollars. | A hearty, robust man of 63, with! The minimum rate on taxable|® keen zest for livnig, Kemp said/ “The county is not satisfied (Continued on Page Eight) Bid To Cothron Alonzo Cothron, Islamorada con- tracot, yesterday was awarded @ $7,190 contract by the county com- missioners to surface two roads at to return home. Nor was there any indication whether the count would be ex- tended to North and South Koreans or the one Englishman in custody, . Officially, the count is being made to give the Indian command} an opportunity to check its prison-) er rosters and to find out exactly how many captives it holds. be swelled by scores of prominent) Key Westers, led by State Repre- - sentative Bernie C. Papy and Mrs.! Papy. } | But, the solemnity of the occa-} ‘sion will be pointed up with tradi- tional watch night services in vir-| tually all of the city’s churches. The keynote will be prayer — for income drops from 22.2 per cent|today that he “has no plans for| to 20 per cent. The maximum rate his retirement.” on income, above $300,000 drops| But, it's a sure thing he'll devote from 91 to 91 per cent. And the|a lot of his time to his rose garden total rate for any one taxpayer's and fruit trees. The yard of his over-all income drops from 88 to|home at 1213 Duncan Street is 87 per cent. jloaded down with orange and/ By CHARLES MERCER | In Perth Amboy, N. J., a 67-) That old year, 1953, saw many |Year-old fellow was standing on a/| people doing unusual things—screw Corner when a beautiful woman} ball, ingenious, happy things. (stopped and asked directions. Sud- A suburb of Montreal was troubl.|denly she began hugging and kiss-| Things Were Real Crazy In 1953 continued peace and prosperity. And as Key Westers prepared aration people picked up things for their usual gay and happy that didn’t belong to them. A fel- - Pa r low. i Wichita, Ken., wired his (Continued On Page Eight) air conditioner to a line sup- ok eninen bs te “SEARCH ON FOR An Indian spokesman empha- (Continued On Page Eight) ieiders Cothron was the only bidder, BE SURE AND DON’T MISS (Continued On Page Eight) FOR SALE All the used BUILDING MATERIALS, bathtubs, lav- atories, doors. windows, etc. of the SOUTHERN INN, next to Southern Bell Tele- ed tor a while by a Peepi jing him. “I was so excited and) lwho rode to his shiners she was so nice,” he sighed later—| |horseback, planted a: ladder, and| mil he discovered his wallet and) oo a | Various couples were divorced) stomach. attempted to rape a six-year-old i ‘it, tn thbtes..o « }for various reasons, including a} In Akron, Ohio, an &-year-old gril in a William St. rooming i ar Peg y @ county ‘husband who would buy only ham, ‘girl stole an adding machine from house. ype onepaa aeons for advice 2, 8usband who insisted or. giving|a store window, while in Seattle a The attempt took place at 3:30 pend ‘nee ce ach ‘his wife weekly intelligence tests,,man with $5,506.53 in his pockets a. m. Tuesday in a third-floor — cad ‘him mentally in. 2 busband who tied his wife in the|stole a pair of socks. And the most bathroom of the rooming house. | eee mentally \cellar and poured water over her|frequently stolep library book in en __, to “cool her off.” Tulsa, Okla., was the Bible. i | Still, men kept trying to stick Then there was the wife whe | The random impulse was the | |sanely to their jobs. In Obio @ insisted on taking her first hus- | cause of so many things. Like | gasoline delivery truck driver de-) band along whenever her second | the man in Chicago who fell 1]. livered $1,700 worth of fuel to a husband took her out for dinner. | stories and had the presence of | station—then discovered he had The second husband won a di-| mind te say when he got to his jstuck the hose nozzle in a sewage yorce, .omplaining he always got | feet, uninjured, “I must have | /drain by mistake. stuck with the check. | forgotten my parachute.” Or Ii In Missouri an eager workman It was a great year for the the Mobile, Ala., barber who, sawed and sawed at what he young in spirit—of all ages. A man) plagued by ulcers and a nagging thought was a tree root—until he in Leonia, N. J., who was warned wife, had police lock him up for cut through a cable and killed ser- of a weak lung in 1861, celebrated the week-end. vice on 1,000 telephones. In Okla- his 104th birthday. In Lainsburg,| Names, as usual, made news. homa another eager workman Sat Mich. a man warned of a weak|The University of Oklahoma en- on a tree limb and sawed it off. heart 50 years ago celebrated his rolled a freshman named Never Seme men tried to blame their 100th birthdy. |Fail. A fellow in Frederick. Md., troubles on women as the battle | A 110-year-old Confederate vet- changed his name from Outhouse ‘eran took his first airplane ride. , Idaho, 2 ‘In England a 95-year-old man was’ marriage license was taken out by a car tunk when they heard i i jis motoreyel chap named Fiddler—his first, | cries for help. Out erawied a for three years after police caught last and only name, just plain ‘weman who said she had hidden ‘him speeding with a bottle of whis- Fiddler. In Caldwell too a new ccv- there to check up om her hus- ky in his pocket. servation cfficer showed up. His é band. tu the ge-eral meed of exbil. rome Tes Trout i machine next door. As a result, RAPE SUSPECT the doctor misread an x-ray and 3 treated a patient fer vicers when | Sheriff's investigators today still the guy merely had gas on the were searching for the man who The Gala NEW YEAR’S EVE DANCE and CELEBRATION The Casa Marina Hotel $7.50 Per Person, Plus Tax INCLUDES Full Course Filst Mignon Dinner—served 7:30 to 10:00 P.M. New Year's Eve DANCE American Legion Home STOCK ISLAND Norman Kranich and Orchestra Call 2-7912 for Reservations NEW YEAR'S DINNER Alle Conte. 0 $1.45 Children — cnn; >} Special Holiday Entrees : Including Seafoods Served from 11:30 A.M. FLAME RESTAURANT 604 TRUMAN AV J I WEATHER STRIP © FOR DOORS STRUNK LUMBER 120 SIMONTON STREET Near Weather Bureau Tickets Now On Sale at ELKS CLUB, 551 313 DUVAL STREET ’ New Year's Eve DANCE x 4 Entertainment by JOE CANDULLO and his famous band BETTY MADIGAN, lovely MGM songstress *RICKEY and VEDA, breathtaking dance stylists Dancing until 3 A.M. a