The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1912-01-24
WEDNESDAY. JANUARY "a, 1912.
The City Water Front
And Public Wharves.

The matter of the control of the
waterfront is a live question in other
cities as we'll as in Pensacola.
Jacksonville has been aroused to the
importance of acquiring municipal
waterfront. The Times-Union says
the people Of that city have been
asleep on this subject until, at present,
about all the waterfront of the city is
owned by private corporations, and the
city, in order to acquire any of it, will
have to pay a high price.
Another difficulty. according to the
Times Union, is that the city is not
in position to buy such property. ut
must be DONE" says the Times Union,
by private capital but to secure good
results it must be combined for public
use"
A committee Of the Jacksonville
Board of Trade has this matter in
hand and is moving with all possible
dispatch toward acquiring property
that should have been acquired years
ago. But it is apprehended that the
cost will be enormous, judging from
the Times Unions remarks, as fol-
lows: NO one should be staggered if
the figures necessary to the accom-
pIishment of this purpose be large.
This is a big town ard a liberal town
"a town that can do what it wishes.
If the people of Jacksonville can he
made to realize the necessity of this
work it viii be done. and that with
out unnecessary delay"
Commenting on this situation, the
Tampa Tribune says:
Fortunately for Tampa, the improve
ment Of the estuary embraced plans
for the requirement of municipal wa
terfront, and this waterfront is to be
improved with public docks. The
city is also to have supervision of the
entire waterfront and to regulate the
charges to be made for wharfage.
This was a very fortunate stipulation
of the project as adopted by congress,
and this city has taken the necessary
steps toward carrying out the pur-
poses Of congress in making this pro-
vision. Tampa will own, for public
purposes, a very liberal proportion of
its waterfront, and this will prove of
incaiculable advantage to the city and
to the development of it's commerce.
It win absolutely prevent the bot
Ting up" of the harbor and the own
eFship of the entire waterfront by
private interests, as is the case in
Jacksonville.
Jacksonville must proceed now to
buy public dock room at exorbitant
prices; but Tampa has taken the pre-
caution in time to avoid this costly
process.
These facts and the comments there
on are pertinent to the situation that
confronts Pensacola today.
The only available waterfront prop
erty that the city now possesses for Il
public wharf is that lying east of the
L. & n. railroads Muscogee wharf.
The L. & N. franchise now pending
will bottle this up so as to be of no
use to anyone except by permission
of the L. & n.
The city council can easily prevent
such thing by simply writing into
the franchise a provision binding the
L. & \. Railroad Company to make a
physical connection with any wharf
track which the city may build or
may authorize to be built from this
city waterfront property.
If the railroad company does not
want to control this valuable city wa
lection to such a provision. If it does
want to control it, then the council
should write the provision into the
franchise anyway.
The whole matter is in the hands of
the city council.