The Key West Citizen Newspaper, October 16, 1954, Page 1

Key West, Florida, has the nost equable climate in the country, with oan average range of only 14° Fahrenheit VOL. LXXV No. 246 100 Per Cent Of Tax ~ Roll Is Collected In County For Nearly 2 Million Collected For 1953 In Monroe County For the seventh straight year, 100 per cent of the county tax roll has been col- lected, Howard E. Wilson, county tax collector, said to- day, © “Monroe was the only county with a 100 per cent record in 1952, , Here are the figures for the 1953 taxes, according to Wilson: . . 1953 Figures State license, $32,640.29; county licenses, $28,948.38; intangible taxes, $26,348:42; real and personal proper taxes, $835,714.84; auto tags from Jan. 1, 1954 to Sept. 30, 1954, $275,982.97. These figures total $1,- 199,629.80. The real and personal 7th Year Judge Ponders Case Of Boy Who Loves Dog 10-Year-Old Joey With Pet In Court By HUGH A. MULLIGAN _MONROE, La, #—Ten-year-old Joe Cooper, who threatened school fotficiais with a loaded shotgun save his dog from the city pound, is back in the reformatory while a West Monroe City judge ponders his fate. Judge Howell Heard took the ‘case under advisement. Public dis- approval against the speed with which he sent the sixth grader to Louisiana Training Institute Oct. € with $508,572.59 going to} . the schools and $332,141.25 * ‘to the board of county com- missioners. Gain Shown The real and personal property taxes have shown a steady gain over the past few. years, Wilson pointed out. In 1952, these taxes total- ~ led $658,783.00; In 1958, were $835,714.84; and. ’ for the current year they “will be $1,049,481.25, _ Tax bills for 1954 will be mailed out the latter part of October. Chamber Division Makes Plans For Christmas Scene Plans for erecting a 20 by 30 foot Nativity scene, complete with manger, shed, figures, animals and suitable lighting are being made by the retail merchants divi- sion of the Chamber of Commerce. The Nativity scene will be erect- ed on the courthouse grounds di- rectly in front of the Chamber of- _ fice and will be maintained by Chamber employes. The division will also light and decorate a 25 foot Christmas tree and provide carol music over a PA system. An invitation will be extended to church choirs and choral groups to conduct a short recital on the court- house steps every evening during Christmas week or all nights when the stores are open. Contributions are being solicited from each member of the mer- chants division and a large paint- ed scroll showing the names of all who contributed to defraying the cost of the project will be erected close by on the courthouse grounds. POLIO DEATH TAMPA (®—A young mother died of polio here yesterday as the total number of cases for Hillsborough County this year rose to 105, or 41 above the 1953 record. ORCHESTRA FOR DANCING Every Friday and Satur- day, 10:00 P.M. to 2:00 A.M. Sundays, 3:00 P.M. to 6:00 P.M. American Legion Club Lounge STOCK ISLAND For Legionnaires and Families NO MINORS | mother and 16-year-old | other six brothers and | married. aU Ht SUSR ESSE : a ee tee f i i = he was” '| €aused hundreds of families in the clerk and a man who took Joey fishing on Saturdays, attested to the good char: of both. Joey was ied ial the courtroom by A. L. Swanson, superintendent of the reform school, Joey. In Court The boy, blue-eyed and calm, wore a bright yellow shirt, brown trousers and tan shoes. His hair was clipped in a crew cut style. When he was arrested Friday a week ago he was taken to the court barefoot and badly in need of a haircut. Even Tippie was sporting a new outfit, a eopper-studded red collar and a long black leash. When he dropped at his master’s feet his ears perked up and his tail began to wag. But he soon fell asleep beneath @ bench. Although the hearing was closed, all witnesses except Mrs. Clark freely discussed their testimony with reporters. “He's A Good Boy” Joey’s 65-year-old mother, Mrs. Mollie Cooper seemed confident that “everything will come out all right. He’s a good boy and he’ doesn’t mind going back. He knows everybody’s on his side.” Gifts of money, food and clothing poured in for the mother of eight, whose sole support is a $55 a month welfare check. A couple in | Dallas, Tex., wanted to adopt the child, offering him a college educa-‘ . A minister, a railroad engineer and an automobile sales- man turned up at the hearing, ask- ing to be made legal guardians and Promising Joey a good home. Food For Tippie The largess extended even to Tippie. A truck unloaded two cases | of dog food at the unpainted frame house where Joey lives with his sister. The’ sisters are Mrs, Lionel Green, chairman of the Room Mothers = Ransom | School, a PTA type of organiza-' tion, announced she would resign unless another principal is named. | She told.reporters that mothers already are circulating a petition {for the reeall of the principal a the truant officer, M.G. Griggs. ,derway doesn’t appeal, although he THE SOUTHERNMOST NEWSPAPER KEY WEST, FLORIDA, SATURDAY, OCTOBER 16, 1954 IN THE U.S.A. The Key West Citisen PRICE FIVE CENTS NAL Petitions To Halt ‘Eviction From Meacham Atty. Files To Halt Count Toll Board ‘|May File Suit Against SRD AIRPORT SURVEY — Lee Swanson (right) assistant to the county engineer, and George Faraldo, a’ irport manager, look over plans for paved and lengthened runway at Meacham Field. Boundaries of runway and taxiways were being surveyed yesterday.—Citizen Staff, Don Pinder, Hurricane Ravages 8 | By The Associated Préss Hurricane Hiaze!, exacting a death toll of at least 61 while ‘ing an eight-state area, Dis- of Columbia and Canada, Pittsburgh, Pa., area to flee their home today as the Allegheny and Monongahela rivers rose to what was feared would be flood stage. ‘The raging waters, caused by tor- rential rains, later began to recede. But like the rest of areas which felt Hazel’s wrath, the Pittsburgh section reported untold millions of dollars in property damage. No deaths or injuries were known im- mediately. One Of The Worst Termed one of the worst con- tinental storms of the century, and spawned 11 days ago in the Wind- ward Islands about 1,600 miles Nationalist China General Predicts Formosa Invasion By FRED HAMPSON TAIPEH, Formosa ® — Gen. Wang Shu-ming, boss of National-| ist China’s air force, thinks the| Chinese Reds are getting ready to} invade Formosa. The Nationalists, | he deélares, can’t drop their guard for a moment. Wang, known as “tiger” although | he looks more like a bulldog, side- stepped the controversial issue of | Nationalist attacks on the main- land in an interview. But it wasn’t hard to see his real feeling. | He thinks the Reds intend to in-| vade and that his air force ought to be smashing anything that looks like a buildup. The idea of holding his punch until an invasion is un- wouldn’t say so in so many words. Wang yearns for the day when his pilots will have more planes, | particularly F86 jets which are a| match for the Communist MIG15 jets. He now has F84s, plus World | War II bombers and fighter-bomb- | ers. Kitchen and Bath TILEBOARD—at Strunk Lumber 120 SIMONTON, near Aquarium States.61 Are Dead de east-southeast of Miami, Hazel’s 130 m.p.h. center devastated the island of Haiti last Tuesday, leav- ing reportedly more than 100 dead on that tropic isle. She smashed north - northwest to bash the U.S. mainland early Friday. Her hurricane winds were “calmed” to gale force by Pennsyl- vania’s Allegheny and Pocono Mountains — but she picked up enough punch to. disrupt upper New York State and take nine lives in the area, Known Fatalities Not counting those reported missing, known fatalities by states are: New York, 13, Virginia, 7, Penn- sylvania, 7, Maryland, 6 New Jer- sey 4 Washington D.C. 3 Mas- sachusetts 1, Connecticut 1, and Canada 7. . Hazel isn’t “dead,” the New York Weather Bureau said early] today and damage was estimated in the millions as some districts came under the heaviest rainfa’l of the century. Although her outer winds mere- ly “brushed” the New England area, Hazel’s rawling force still’ was making itself felt early today, with the coastal regions girding against the threat of abnormaily high tides. Disaster Details As a result of the storm-foment- ed driving rains, a Springfield, Mass., man was injured fatally when struck by an auto driver | blinded by the downpour. _ At an early hour, storm warn- ings still were being flown from Block Island, off Rhode Island. to Eastport, Me. The big blow grazed the New York metropolitan area, but still managed to whip up wind gusts of more than 100 m.p.h. Hazel’s 130 m.p.h. center smashed into the mainland about 40 miles south - southeast of Myr- tle Beach, a resort community half way up the South Carolina coast. Thousands of beach homes were torn to splinters and many homes were washed away. Commissioners Want Surplus Funds Returned By JIM COBB The possibility of the Ov- erseas Road and Toll Bridge District Commission filing a counter suit against the State Road Department is being investigated by their attor- neys. That information was released yesterday following a meeting of the commission at which time they retained legal counsel to defend them in a suit filed Oct. 11 by the Toad department in an effort to re- cover lands the toll commission had deeded to the Monroe County commission. Attorneys Named Named to defend the commission are attorneys William R. Neblett, Julius Stone, Jr. and William V. Albury, former commission attor- ney. They. were instructed to take im- mediate action in filing an answer ta the SRD litigation. An answer must be filed by Oct. 31 in circuit court. The commission agreed yester- day to pay a $500 as partial pay- ment to each of the attorneys. Anthony Dem¢rritt, cha’ ‘or the commission “then exhi a letter he had received from the state Board of Administration, in- forming the commission that all surplus funds after a million dol- lar bond issue had been paid off would be turned over to the road department. The surplus amounts to about $274,000. Money Disposal “It was our thinking that the money was to be retained by the toll commission for dispoas] and use in the establishment of parks for the use of Monroe County re- ‘sidents,” said Demerritt, He asked that the attorneys “study the possibility of getting the money back from the state road department.” “Since the state road department has made an issue of this, we should have their rights in the matter investigated,” said De- meritt. Also up for discussion was the district’s rolling stock which was turned over to the SRD The com- misson wants to know if they can’t recover that also. Named In Suit The commission, along with the county commissioners, were nam- ed as defendants in a suit to re- cover keys lands valued at some 20 million dollars. The SRD holds that their action in turning the land over to the county when bonds floated to finance the Overseas Highway were paid off, is uncon- stitutional. They have also challenged the le- gality of legislation passed in 1947 giving the commission authority to dispose of the lands. The road department claims al- so that they should get title to the Property under the terms of a 1946 lease - purchase agreement nego- tiated with the commission. Present at yesterday’s meeting were commissioners Hilario Ram- os, Enrique Esquinaldo, Carl Ber- valdi, Sam Harris and Demeritt. NEHRU TO CHINA CALCUTTA, India ) — Prime Minister Nehru flew to Rangoon today, en route to Communist China for a 12-day state visit. ‘Second Annual Knights of Columbus COLUMBUS CASA MARINA DAY BALL HOTEL PATIO TONIGHT Dancing Floor Show ROOM AIR-CONDITIONER TO BE GIVEN AWAY MANY DOOR PRIZES Tieket, $2.50 Dress Optional Ferry Goes Today The Key West - Cardenas ferry, “City ef Key West,” sailed this merning with 86 Passengers and 36 automobiles. This is the first trip since the ferry was laid up for a week in Miami for repairs. Authorized Soaping Of Windows Set Cub Scout Officials Plan For Directed Halloween Activity By SUE JONES No one can really blame a small boy for soaping a few windows on Halloween — too many people remem- ber their own youthful pranks — but. if the small boy happens to be a Cub Scout, he knows that his fun causes a lot of hard work for the owner of the soaped win- dow. When father regales him with nostalgic tales of Halloween when “I was a boy,” his Cub Scout can’t be blamed for feeling that father pea is a pretty famenway. celebrate Halloween. 4 Merchants Te Aid Local Cub Scout officials have asked various merchants afound town to donate the use of theif win- dows so that these small boys who would like to decorate a few acres of plate glass can do so in such a way that everybody stays happy. The 23 Key West Cub Scout Dens will be supplied with washable wa- ter paint and the youngsters will try their skill in a window painting contest on Friday afternoon, Octo- ber 29 and Saturday morning Oct- ober 30. Clean-up Slated Naturally, the pint-sized Scouts have agreed to wash the windows themselves after the contest is over. Den Mothers and parents will supervise the painting and clean-up. Three prizes will be awarded for best windows by a commitee of judges selected by the Scout Commissioners. If you see a bunch of little boys painting away on a shiny plate glass window, the chances are the owner of the window has a soft spot in his heart for small boys and is cooperating with Cub Scout officials on “Project Hallowecn.” 6 Plead Guilty, 7 Forfeit Bonds In Caro’s Court Criminal Court Judge Thomas S. Caro yesterday heard six guilty pleas and ordered seven other bonds forfeited when the defend- ants failed to show in court. * Those whose bonds were forfeit- ‘ed and the offenses’ were: William J. Mason; Jr., driving on wrong side of road, $250. Richard Braxton, reckless driv- ing, $25. George Sawley, no driver’s lic- ense, $30. J. W. Smith, no tag on boat trail- er, $15. H. S. Cohen, reckless driving, J. H. Thompson, passing school bus, $25. Max Risch, reckless driving, $25. Those who pleaded guilty, their offenses and sentences follow: !coholic beverage to minor, $75 or 60 days. James Hollaway, reckless driv-| ing, $25 or 30 days. F. L. Ungvary, reckless driving, $15 or 15 days, D. A. Whitman, no tag on boat trailer, dismissed. E. R. Bixby, reckless driving $15| or 15 days. Mario Lanza Pellizzaro, drunk, $15 or 15 days. Herbert Roman Cruz, selling al-| In Ouster, Fee Collection By DENIS SNEIGR National Airlines yesterda ty from evicting the line from collecting the controversial 50-ce: ger using the field. A petition for a declaratory y moved to stop the coun- Meacham Field and from nt fee for each passen- decree was filed in Cir- cuit Court late yesterday afternoon by J. Lancelot Lester, NAL attorney here, About seven hours earlier, the county had filed a peti- tion in County Court seek- ing to evict NAL from the field for non-payment of a $5,144 rent bill. The filing of the petition was the first step at law for either side in the nine-and-a-half months battle over landing fees at Meacham Air- port. The petition for a declaratory de- cree asks the court to rule that; Monroe County has no power or authority to charge 50 cents Per passenger. Monroe County be temporari- ly enjoined from demanding and exacting the 50 - cent fee. Monre County be temporari- ly enjoined from prosecuting the eviction proceedings. The petition was signed by Les- ter and NAL’s Miami lew firm — Anderson, Scott, McCarthy and ‘Preston. In the bill of complaint, NAL set out that, it was common carrier that-had been flying between Mia- to|mi and Key West since Jan. 14, by the Civil National, the petition continued, paid $10 per day to the county from Jan. 14, 1944 until Dee. 31, _National’s fares, said the peti- tion, are fixed by the Ci nautics Board and that tules, NAL can’t add the to the present fare. would approve a 50-cent fare increase. Monroe County’s “fees are un- If evicted from Meacham Field, National says it wouldn’t be able to land at Key West, and the Civil Aeronautics Act says that if a carrier abandons a route, rier is liable to criminal pans a airline cham and deprives it of entry to Key West. A hearing on the petition bly will be held Monday _ Court Judge Aqui ir. ih z mi Li 1953. The $10 per day was pay- | i able monthly and covered all NAL operating fees here. On Nov. 23, 1953, the petition sta- ted, the board of county commis- sioners fixed new fees, including the 50 cents per passenger fee. “Monroe County has no au- thority to assess charges at the county - ewned airport except such as are conferred by-general statutes,” the petition added. The county, the petition also stat- ed, has no authority to collect the 50 cent fee but the county insists it be paid. The petition then turned to the airport itself, saying: “Meacham is in no sense an adequate, up-to-date airport,” and added: ~ “The runways are so short that the Civil Aeronautics Authority rules prohibit four-engine aircraft from using the field, and the field has no lights so only daylight op- erations can be conducted,” The county commission, said the petition, admits Meacham airport is inadequate and on Aug. 16, 1954 told National that the county was spending $636,800 in improvements. The increased fees, the petition quoted the commission as saying, were to take care of the improve- ments. No work has been started at the field, the petition continued, but the commission wants National to start paying the increased fees as of Jan. 1, 1954. The petition quotes the county’s aviation consultant (Harold Wilde of Miami) as telling NAL that when the improvements are com- pleted NAL will be able to fly Con- vairs (44-passenger) planes into | Meacham. However, the petition adds, the CAA has told National that even with the improvements the CAA can not okay the use of Con- vairs at Meacham. The petition then took up figures showing what it costs NAL to op- jerate at Meacham as compared with similar fields. National has lost money every | year it has operated at Meacham, the petition stated. For the 12-month period ended | June 30, 1954, the loss was $120,- | 372. The $310 per month NAL paid at Meacham prior to last Jan. 1, was the highest for three Lodes- tar (14 - passenger plane) flights at 10 airports where NAL operates. The average fee for 10 fields for three Lodestar flights is $172 per month, the petition said. Under the new schedule of fees, National estimates that ¢ Bank’ Will Be Started Mon. Something new will be added in Key West on Mon- day. That's the day when the “Walking Blood Bank” Sponsored by the Monroe County Blood Committee starts typing blood for the central blood donor file to be set up by the Blood Com- mittee. Registered nurses will be at Lou’s Appliance Store, 522 Duval Street, from 4:30 to 6:00 p. m. to take samples which in turn will be typed by registered technicians. Complete File Kept As soon as the blood is the donor’s name will be filed and the donor will receive a wallet- size card with his or her blood type on it. The idea of a “walking blood bank” is new to Key West but has proved very successful in several other cities. There is no charge for the typ- ing and it only involves a few minutes of time. 4:30 to 6:00 p. m. on week days and from 9:00 a.m. until 9:00 P. m. Saturday, Cooperation Asked All organizations maintaining blood donor lists are asked to Operate with the program ask all persons on their come in and have their bleod typed if they have not already done so. Remember, some member of your family might need blood and when the file is set up, it will take a minimum of time to find a doa or with the proper type. oo file will bes at the City ice station and the department will furnish transportation to and from the hospital, The Monroe County Blood Com- is a non-profit organization