The Palatka news and advertiser. [volume] (Palatka, Fla.) 1908-19??, 1912-10-25
PALATKA SHOULD
own WATER FRONT
Says a WeII.KnOWn Booster
in a Letter TO Board
of Trade.

In communication to the Palatka
board of trade and which was read at
the Monday night meeting of that or
ganization, a prominent citizen of this
city who evidently is as modest as he
is sensible for the reason that his
name is not signed to the letter,
points out some very excellent and
telling reasons why Palatka should
own a water front and municipal
docks. The News has been favored
with copy of the letter, and which
it gladly publishes in the hope that it
may wake us up to the importance of
the situation. The letter, addressed
"to all who love Palatka," is as fol-
lows:
"Your attention is respectfully call
ed to the fact that the time has come
when every loyal ciizen of Palatka
should unite on some plan by which
the most vital and essential need of
Palatka-public docks and deep water
to the ocean-may be obtained.
"No city with water transportation
facilities since the time city building
first began, has been really 'on the
map until she could invite the COM
merce of the world to seek storage or
her docks. With public docks we can
get the water. Our National Govern
ment has taken the position, and very
justly, too, that no more great appro-
priations will be made to deepen
channels and harbors for the benefit
of any port, unless that port shall own
her own docks; for, by this means on
ly, can the public and the transporta-
tion companies be protected from the
exhorbitant charges of private dock
owners, and freight combine@ This
is entirely just, because as public
moneys are raised by public leNys,
they should be spent for public bene-
fit.
"The st. Johns river is Palatia' S
greatest asset, and yeI she does not
own a decent roadway 10 the part of
the river where most of the business
is done.
public docks and a 20 foot chan
mel to Jacksonville would free not on
ly Palatka, but thousands of square
miles of territory from which she
draws her supply, from any possible
freight combine between transports
ton companies, as no amount of leglS'
lation or rulings of railroads commits
sons could possibly do. The rate &c
tween New York and Palatka is much
lower on the same article and by the
same line, than between Palatka and
New York, and why? Every citizen
who has investments IN either DuSl-
ness or real estate is directly interest
ed to the full extent Of such invest
ment in public docks and deep water
to the ocean.
every railroad touching Palatka
would do many more times its present
business; every saw mill and turpen-
tine interest; every farmer and cattle
raiser for 100 miles south and west OF
US, would be equally interested in
public docks and deep water from Pa
iatka to Jacksonville.
"There has recently been called a
special session Of the legislature for
the express purpose of enabling Jack
sonville to own her docks. If neces-
sary. why cannot Palatka apply to
the legislature for the same enabling
powers-for certainly what is good
for Jacksonville is good for Palatka.
Let M the city BOND itself for the pur-
nose, and let the bond issue be am
pie to secure property along the riy,
er front; and adopt plans to build
such docks as may be needed to ac-
commodate the business of a city OF
100000 population, and thus show to
the next Congress that Palatka is
willing to do her share towards get
ting deep water, and there is no
doubt in the world, that Congress
will make a continuous appropriation
which will give us the deep water we
need"
every truly,
"a PALATKA BOOSTER"