The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1911-03-31
KEY WEST

! Key West, and the completion ~
, panama canal will soon be the crown
inc events of the present century, anu
will bring Key West very much into
prominence.
That city will be the gateway 70
r,ha Central and South America and
the Pacific ocean.
It seems to us that Key West must
figure very prominently in the future
commerce of this country, and In case
of war it will be one of the great STRAIT
egic points.
AS this paper wants to see all Sec
tons of Florida grow in population
commerce, and along all lines OF en-
deayor. it takes pleasure in TRANSCRIPT
ing TO its columns an article entitled,
E"What Key West Offers to the Invest
or" written by Mr.. Bart A. Riley OF
that city.
The article is as follows:
It would be difficult to overrate the
opportunities for investment that
abound in Key West; but in outlining
them, it is well to consider every de-
tail that an investor and future home
seeker would take into consideration.
The quest of the healthfulness OF
the locality where man proposes to
establish himself in business is one
that would initially engage the atten-
ton of every investor and govern MS
actions. Therefore it is imperative
to state that Key West possesses "a eli
mate void of the excessive heat OF
summer and the rigor of cold win
ter. 1t is a land Of perpetual sun
shine. Frost has never been known
to visit the island; sickness among its
people is an exception; the death rate
is lower than in any other city in the
United States of its size. 1t is an
ideal spot for the home. Recreations
in many forms exist for children and
grown folks. The fishing, boating and
swimming extend throughout the en-
tire year. The city is vast play
ground, where the element of weather
will never interfere with recreation.
It's location in the gulf gives it
breeze all the year round, and its gen.
eral healthfulness makes it the home
seekers paradise-the Mecca of tour
lists.
would endeavor to trace an outline,
as far as / may, of those industries al
ready established; the possibility of
improvement on these industries; and
the chance for the opening up of more
avenues of wealth and the establish
ment of many new forms of trade
Cigar-making is the leading industry
on the island-there being about fifty
cigar factories in the city. Sponging
fishing and canning turtle soup may
be mentioned as following next. The
working population is divided between
these industries, with a majority MAX
ing cigars. There is abundant oppor-
tunity and a money inducement for
the establishment of more cigar fac
tories in the city.
As city of $4,000 people, it has it's
quota of mercantile houses, including
grocers, butchers, dry goods mer-
chants and druggists. There is plen-
ty of room for starting new stores of
the same kind, and in the old stores
the need of experienced clerks is very
noticeable. Among the city's skilled
mechanics, the cigar-makers rank
first in numbers, carpenters, plumb
ers, tinsmiths, blacksmiths and cleo
tricians follow. Still there is an op-
portunity for all these trades to be in
creased.
Now, in analyzing these conditions
from the viewpoint of an investor, one
fact stands out clear and distinct. For
city of it's population it lacks many
factories, mercantile houses and skill
ed laborers.
The factories which can be estab-
lished here on paying basis are box
factory, a bonus being offered any in
weston who will bring one here. The
manufacturing of furniture from ma
terial coming from virgin forests of
South America; the installation of a
cigarette manufacturing plant, there
being no large factory of this nature
on the island.
A canning factory for the preserv-
ing and packing of turtle soup, clans
and crawfish. There is only one such
factory here, and it may be mentioned
in this regard that the waters around
the island abound with every form of
fish. This gives possibilities for ex-
porting fish, either fresh, sailed or
canned.
A building venture that is sure of
success is the building of large pack
ing house for receiving meats from
the west and shipping them to South