The St. Lucie County tribune. (Fort Pierce, St. Lucie County, Fla.) 1905-1920, 1909-05-21
Short Items from
all Sections
of the State

new court house.
Representative Chase, of Duval
county, has introduced bill in the
House giving Jacksonville commits
sion form of government.
The county commissioners of Sump-
ter county have let the contract for
handsome new court house, and also
the contract for building thirty miles
of hard road. Sumpter is the sixth
smallest county in the State with
land area of 500 square miles and has
only nine mill tax.
After much discussion the house,
Saturday, passed the bill prohibiting
the paying Of poll taxes by other than
the voter for whom the tax is paid,
and the bill requiring newspapers to
mark all news, editorials and cartoons
which are paid for as advertising
matter. Five voted against the latter
measure.
The general merchandise business Of
J. w. Johnson, at TT. Lauderdale, was
destroyed by fire last week; loss about
SO, 900. Mr.. Johnson estimates his loss
on the contents of the building at
about $500, holding 5000 insurance on
an outlay of $1,000. How the fire
originated is mystery. The business
will probaly be resumed as soon as a
building can be erected.
The prospects are good for the early
completion of new railroad in West
Florida. 1t extends from Marlanna,
Jackson county. to Blountstown, in
Calhoun county. The road will be
about thirty miles in length when COM
pleted, and will pass through POO, 600
acres of fine timbered lands, over 20, 600
acres of the lands having been bought
by the firm of Pennington & Evans,
who will establish a sawmil on the
above road and manufacture lumber.
Three men were instantly killed and
twelve others injured Friday when
700 pounds of dynamite exploded on
Quarterboat No. at Codjoes Key,
about twenty miles from Key West on
the Florida East Coast railway ext en-
sion. 1t is believed that other work
men on the boat were also blown to
atoms by the terrific explosion, which
badly wrecked the boat. The injured
men were brought to Key West and
placed in the Louise Maloney hospital,
where Drs. Maloney and Warren are
attending them. Most of the injured
men are Americans.
The delegation of Florida Orange
growers, headed by DR.. +. w. lnman,
of Florence Villa, arrived in Jackson
vile Monday on their return from
California, where they went on trip
of inspection. They were met at the
depot by Assistant Secretary Reed, of
the Board of Trade, and were enter
tanned during their stop there. DR.. In
man, in speaking of the trip to the
West stated that the delegation was
treated royalty by the growers Of
California, and they looked upon them
as friends. The members of the party
are greatly pleased with the orange
industry in California, and think that
they have something important to tell
the Florida growers at their convention
in Tampa next month.
/ Henceforth the Florida Orange crop
will be marketed direct, according to
j. C. Swinging, president of the Flor
ida Fruit Growers Association, who
was in Denver, COL. last week. "The
orange crop of Florida this year." he
said, Twill exceed that of any other
year since 1895, and we will produce
half as much as the entire crop of Cali
fornia. For years we have submitted
to the abuses of brokers, who practically
regulated the market, making the
profits, and keeping up the prices Of
oranges. From now on we will market
the Florida output direct and this will
reduce the price of oranges 40 per
cent. Before this fight is over oranges
will be selling at the rate of three for
5 cents, instead of cents apiece"
The Grand Chapter of Royal Arch
Masons of Florida has elected the fol-
lowing officers: Samuel Pasco, grand
high priest, of Monticello; Il. Picton
Warlow, deputy grand high priest, of
Orlando; Frank B. Stoneman, grand
king, of Miami; Robert Mcclellan,
grand scribe, of Gainesville; Marcus
Endel, grand treasurer, of Jacksonville;