The Key West Citizen Newspaper, July 3, 1954, Page 1

Kkkkekk kkkkk* Key West, Florida, has the most equable climate in the eountry, with an average range of only 14° Fahrenheit VOL. LXXV No, 158 Ken West Citisen THE Report Issued On City Court Traffic Convictions In 1954. Children’s Bookmobile Will 8,544 Convicted; Judge Promises Continued Drive On Violators A total of 3,544 persons ‘were convicted in city court on traffic charges during the first half of 1954, according to a report compiled by Charles R, Butler of the city’s public service depart- ment, The huge total is blamed, fn large measure, for the city’s mounting accident rate ‘which has reached a total of 269 accidents, The convic- tions came as a result of 3,- 900 arrests, the report shows, There has been a total of 50 ‘injuged in traffic accidents |Key Westsince January 1. Pro- perty damage has mounted to $70,388. “Municipal judge Enquire Esquin- » after a Sonbarence es " chie‘aBienvendo Pe terday, promised a con eee crackdown on traffic violators in the future. Good Record “Key West has a pretty good traffic safety record—we were honored last year as ‘outstanding among more than 1800 cities of all! sizes—we want to keep it that way,” said Judge Esquinaldo . A result of yesterday’s confer- ence, Judge Esquinaldo said, will be a crackdown on speeding trucks (Continued on Page Two) Logun Offers To Provide Navy Tours Chamber Will Consider Offer By Restaurateur Al Logun, owner of Logun’s Lobster House, has offered a free bus service to take tourists on tours of the Naval Station, he told The Citizen today. Harold Laubscher, manager of the Chamber of Commerce, also said Logun had made the offer and that it would be plated be- fore the chamber’s board of direc- tors. For several months, the Navy had provided a free bus for the Be No Citizen Monday Following an annual custom, in order to give its employees an opportunity to enjoy the holiday with their families, The Citizen will not be pub- lished on Monday, July 5. The next issue of the paper will appear on Tuesday, July 6. Judge Gibson Tells Of Acts Of Delinquents Jailbreak, Other Misdeeds Lead To Marianna Sentence By BILL SPILLMAN Two young boys recently picked the lock and escaped from the new Monroe County jail. Following the jail break, the ¢wo boys scaled the jail house fence and stole two Scooters parked near the office of |Sheriff John M. Spottswood and went for a joy ride. The jail break and subsequent events are the direct reason the boys are to be admitted to the Florida Industrial School for Boys located at Marianna , Florida, so stated Juvenile Judge Eva Warner Gibson. Sheriff John Spottswood to- day denied Mrs: Gibson’s state- ment that two juveniles had picked a lock at the county jail and scaled the fence to escape. “And we received no report of motor scooters stolen by the boys,” Spottswood said. The sheriff said the boys were eating in the jail’s kit- chen and walked out into the backyard. From there they slipped out the gate when it was opened for a vehicle. “The jail,” Spottswood add- ed, “does not have facilities for the detention of juveniles. We do not treat them like crimin- als. | told Mrs. Gibson about the lack of juvenile facilities when | became told her at that ti would take them at the jail only under protest. We only take juveniles under written court order.” tours. The daily—except Saturday | and Sunday—tours recently were stopped on orders from the office of the Secretary of the Navy. Popular Attraction The chamber said the tours were one of the most popular of Key West’s tourist attractions. (Continued on Page Two) Pre 4th July DANCE TONIGHT By Club Latino Americano at the CUBAN CLUB MUSIC by Los Mamboleros FROM 10 P.M. TILL 2 A.M. Admission: Gents 75¢ Ladies _____ 40e Non-Members: Gents — $1.50 Ladies _ 75¢ For Table Reservation TELEPHONE 2-S355 One of the boys to be admitted is now ten years old. Mrs. Gibson says that he had been in her court three times for breaking and en- ering by the time he was 7. The boy had been helped by his uncle and his grandmother who helped the court in this type of work. School authorities also attempted to help the boys but it was appar- jantly a losing battle on the local | level. Bad Living Conditions Mrs. Gibson: pointed out that the boy has a dislike for the poverty (Continued on Page Two) We Will Close Monday, July 5 at 1:30 P.M. IN OBSERVANCE OF JULY 4TH PEREZ BROTHERS BAKERY gin Operation On Monday Committee Reveals Route Portable Library Will Take The Children’s Bookmobile will be ready to start its first tour of the city Monday morning, July 5, at 8 a.m. Mrs. Edith Russell, the driver- librarian will make stops in Zone 1 which encompasses Boca Chica Naval Housing, Stock Island, and Sigsbee Park. Other areas will be covered on successive days as shown in the schedule below. The Bookmobile will go into service just eight weeks after the idea was suggested at a Poinciana PTA meeting. Many persons in the community gave freely of their time and effort to put this mobile library on the road. Valuable Helpers Edwin Trevor loaned one of his trucks, Arthur Mulberg gave a discount on the necessary painting and repairs. Harry England drew up plans for the interior shelves. Mr. Studebaker of the USS Salinan volunteered his talents for the construction of the shelves which took several weeks to build. He was assisted by several other Navy volunteers. Paul Sher gave valuable aid and advice to the committee and has been instrumental in helping to Taise the necessary funds, and Enrique Msquinaldo, Jr., drew up the charter and gave legal assist- ance. Committee Workers Poinciana teachers Mrs. George Rogers, Mrs. R. E. Lilly, Mrs. Mildred Jones, Miss Helen Taylor, and Mrs. Edith Russell along with PTA presidents Mrs. Edward Bay- ly and Cdr. W. F. Toy, formed the working committee which cata- logued books, planned the routes and brought the Bookmobile into being. Funds were donated by the Navy Officers Wives Steering Committee and the Community Chest. Pledges have been made by Rotary, Lions, Masons and the PTA’s. Books were donated by Chaplain Robinson, Albert Carey, and many of the (Continued on Page Two) Calendar For Next School Year Announced The calendar for the 1954-’55 school year has been approved by the Board of Public Instruction, it was announced today. The calendar follows: report for duty to the where assigpd, 8:30 a.m. August 2/ (Friday). — F.E.A. meeting. in Miami (District 12). August 30 (Monday)—Opening of school. September 6 (Monday)—Holi- day (Labor Day). November 1 (Monday)—Evalu- ation Day (pupils not attending). | November 25-26 (Thursday and | Friday)—Thanksgiving Holidays! begin at 3:00 p.m. Wednesday. December 17 (Friday)—Christ- noon). January 3 reopen. January 21 semester ends. January 24 (Monday)—Evalua- |tion Day (pupils not attending). April 1 (Friday)—Spring Vaca- ‘tion ,begins at 3:00 p.m. | April 11 (Monday)—Classes re- open. June 7 (Tuesday)—Evaluation Day (pupils not attending). June 8 (Wednesday)—Pupils dismissed, report cards distrib- uted. June 14 (Tuesday)—Teachers’ contracts end 3:00 p.m. (Monday)—Classes (Friday) — First August 16 (Monday)—Teachers | school | SCUTHERNMOST NEWSPAPER KEY: WEST, FLORIDA, SATURDAY, JULY 3, 1954 IN THE U.S.A. x tk kk kk teach Staff Photo, Sybil. SAFETY OVERSEER—Florida State Highway Patrolman George Bennett is busy this holiday weekend in pursuit of his regular duty of helping keep the Overseas Highway, from Key West to Big Pine Key, as accident-free as possible. Also, Bennett has an added job until Monday at midnight—1 eration Holiday.” which is described in the story below.—Citizen “Operation Holiday” Gives Glimpse Of Patrol’s Work at of supervising “Op- National Radio Show To Carry Key West Ads Beginning Monday, Key West will get spot mention on a nation- wide radio program over 566 sta- | tions. Harold Laubscher, manager of the Chamber of Commerce, said the spot mention will be made on the show, Florida Calling, Mutual Network, five days a week for the next two months. The $1,000 fee for the spot is be- *|ing borne partially by ‘members of the chamber and by the Monroe | County Advertising Commission. The show, emceed by Tom Moore, originates at Winter Haven | tion here. | way early last night—and death, | and is carried over the local sta- Laubscher said the show reach-| es between 3,500,000 and 4,000.000 [listeners daily. It is the first time |Key West has done such advertis- mas Vacation (classes close at | M8. Every day on the show, some person in the United States is tele- |phoned. The correct answer to a question asked them wins a 10-day free trip to Florida. During the day the winners will |be taken on a tour of the state, including an overnight stay in Key West. | CLASSIC BALLET PRINCESS NINA Arthur Murray's Air Conditioned Studio ios DUVAL ST. PHONE -_ 120 Simonton Street, near Citizen j Bennett Tells Of Tragic Mishaps Along U.S. 1 By SUE JONES “Operation Holiday” got mene for a little while, was also on a| holiday. “Operation Holiday” is a safety | education project of the Florida Highway Patrol. The patrol in-| vites representatives of civic and service organizations to ride with a trooper on a routine patrol, in an effort to acquaint them with the work of the patrol and in turn to report back to their or- ganizations. The ride to Marathon and back | with Trooper George Bennett of the State Highway Patrol, and Bill Elliot of the Shore Patrol was uneventful in that no accidents occurred along the Overseas High- way all last night. Grim Aspects The only grim part of the ride was that every few miles Bennett or Elliot would point out the scene of a serious accident— where there were injuries or deaths. They both pointed out that in every serious accident they had investigated, excessive speed and drinking had been contributing factors to the tragedies, “Of course,” Bennett said, “if they live through it, they always (Continued on Page Two) Seine | IT’‘S FUN TO SHOP —at— | Strank Lumber | | « Legion Slates Gala Fourth Of July Observance Tonight County Is Off To Good Start For Safe Weekend The long Fourth of July weekend was off to a good start traffic wise, as far as Monroe County was concerned. Up until late this morning neither the sheriff's depart- ment nor the State Highway Patrol had a report of a high- way accident. Officers said they hoped it stayed that way. But nationwide the picture was not perfect. Traffic deaths were mounting slowly, the Associated Press reported. * In the first 16 hours of the holiday, 22 persons met death in traffic accidents. The holi- day weekend was timed as beginning at 6 p.m. yesterday. Four died in a collision be- tween an empty bus and a Passenger auto at Mahwah, N. J., for the biggest single traffic death toll reported this far. Varied Plans ‘Made Here For ‘Long Holiday Key Westers were about evenly divided on whether to spend the Fourth of July holidays “taking it easy” at home, go “up the Keys” or take advantage of the long weekend to make a longer trip. Those planning to stay at home will find plenty to do. There’s a dance at the Elks Club tonight for the benefit of the Harry-Anne Crip-| | Pled Children’s Home, and the. | American Legion’s annual celebra-| | tion and presentation of the Legion | award to the year’s most outstand- | ing citizen on Sunday night. Monday night, the Shrine Club | has planned entertainment at the| County Beach, followed by a big} fireworks display. To Marathon Many Key Westers plan to at- tend the Community Fair in Mar- |athon, among them Mr. and Mrs. Earl Adams. The fair opened yesterday and will continue until Monday night. Stay-at-homes include Admiral and Mrs. George C. Towner who Plan to spend the holiday with a |minmum of “fuss and bother.” Mrs. Jean Baillod, who leaves Thursday for several months visit- ing her mother in Switzerland, will be busy Col. and Mrs. Herbert Pace have- (Continued on Page Two) BASEBALL WICKERS FIELD SATURDAY, JULY 3 One Game SUNDAY, JULY 4TH Two Games | TAMPA | vs. | KEY WEST ALL STARS |) GAME TIME: 8 P.M. || Adm.: Adults 65c, Children 25c || at home making final | preparation’s for her trip aboard. | | reached their lowest ebb. At the famed common, Outstanding Local Citizen Will Be Named At Event The American Legion’s obser- vance of Fourth of July will get under way at 8 o’clock tonight at the Legion Home on Stock Island, Dale E. Fox general chairman for Arthur Sawyer Post- No. 28, an- nounced today. The first event of the evening will be the annual presentation of the Outstanding Citizen Award by Post Commander Norman C. Kra- nich. The 1954 recipient has been selected by a committee of Legion- naires. Annual Event Each year during its Fourth of July, observance Arthur Sawyer Post ,honors the outstanding citi- zen of the year. The recipient will be presented with a trophy which is beau- tifully engraved -attesting to the honor. A permanent trophy is on display in the Trophy Case at the| Post Home. Following the Civic Award event, the Rev. James E. Statham, pastor of Fleming Street Methodist Church, will make a short address on the meaning of the Fourth of July. A flag disposal ceremony has been scheduled after the address. Fireworks Display A spectacular and beautiful aeri- al display of fireworks has been arranged following the flag dispos- al ceremony. A dance is scheduled for 10 0’- clock with music by Chipchase and orchestra. Chairman Fox extends an invita- tion to the general public to join the American Legionnaires in the observance of July 4 by ‘attending these events at the Legion Home on Saturday evening. Serving with Chairman Fox are Legionnaires Carl Sawyer, Melvin J. Edwards, Kenneth Longhurst and Vance C. Stirrup. ‘Nation Plans Old-Fashioned Celebration By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Throughout the nation this week- end, in big cities and small towns, |Fourth of July celebrations will | mostly follow the old-fashioned for- | mula of a parade, fireworks and | patriotic speeches, But behind the speeches will lie the very modern problems of an uneasy atomic age, more ‘awesome |than any that could be imagined |when American independence was | declared 178 years ago. Celebrations at some of the na- tion’s most historic shrines how- ever, will keep alive an apprecia- tion of the country’s early strug- gles and hardships and of the courage required to overcome| them. | Johns To Speak There will be ceremonies at | Valley Forge, near Philadelphia, | where prospects for American suc- |cess in the War for Independence | Washington Memorial Chape! there acting Gov. Charles E. Johns | of Florida wil speak. | There will also be other cere- monies at Independence Hall in | pebaceiptle, home of the Liberty | Be | Fireworks will light up Boston’s tenants or workers DIAL 2-5661 or 2-5662, % eek eee For Quick Communication, Use CLASSIFIED Ads! You'll buyers and sellers— Just PRICE FIVE CENTS Ownership Of Valuable Keys Land Is Disputed Toll District Commission, SRD Battle Threatens By JIM COBB A battle between the State Road Department and the Overseas Road and Toll Bridge District commission over the ownership of about 10 million dollars worth of keys land is shaping up. The battle lines were drawn today when Anthony Demeritt, chairman of the commission, received official word from Acting Governor Charley E. Johns that the commission had been rein- stated. However, the governor jadded that the commission will be expected to turn over all of their assets, including hundreds of acres of valu- able keys land. for which they hold the title to the State Road Department. Local Bill Is Basis Demeritt ‘contends that the land should go to Monroe County under the terms of a 1953 local bill sponsored by Representative Bernie C. Papy and passed by the state legislature. It provides that when the bond- ed indebtedness of the Overseas Road and Toll Bridge District is liquidated on October 1, the lands owned by the district, with the exception of the actual right-of- way, will revert to the Monroe County Commission. Under the terms of the operat- ing contract signed in 1946 by the State Road Department and the District Commission, the land was to revert to the road depart- ment. The 1953 act was passed to forestall this possibility. Official Notice Gov. Johns’ telegram: “I have today revoked the suspension is- sued against you on April 7, there- by reinstating you as a member of the Overseas Road and Toll Bridge District of the State of Florida. Because the outstanding bonds of the district will be com- pletely liquidated on October 1, at which time the title and abso- lute ownership of the property included in the lease agreement between the Overseas Road and Toll Bridge District Commission and the State Road Department shall immediately be vested in the State of Florida, I am in- structing you to proceed with the termination of the District and to take such steps as are neces- sary to turn over to the State Road-Department all of the as- sets of the district as provided for in such lease.” Hundreds, Of Acres But Demeritt-pointed out that the land should‘ fevert to Monroe County. It consists of hundred of (Continued on Page Two) Dr. Anthony DeNote EYE SPECIALIST, M.D. Will Be Here for Consul- tation—on SATURDAY, JULY 10 FOR APPOINTMENTS, CALL Dr. J. A. Valdes where independ- (Continued on Page Two) PHONE 2-7821