The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1913-09-12
col. w. =. STOvALL WRITES
SPLENDID GOOD ROADS
LETTER

The following extracts are from a.
magnificent letter written to the Tam
pa Tribune by the editor, Col. w. F.
Stovall, while in New York recently.
1t should be read by everyone in the
state:
New York, Sept 5.-The Tribune
has always contended that what Flor
ida needs more than anything else is
more people and more money. In
place of the legislature squandering
thousands of dollars in vain effort
to harrass and humiliate Peter o.
knight and the corporations of Flor
ida, it should advocate a bill appro-
priating a sufficient sum of money to
send the entire legislature to New
York City SO that it can see how big
things are accomplished
| The county commissioners of Hills
boro county are to be congratulated
! for advocating and carrying a bond
election of $1,000,000 for the purpose
of building highways. Every county
in Florida should emulate this scheme.
Certain legislators and newspapers in
the state of Florida should hang their
heads in shame for opposing the $50,
, 100000 bond issue which Senator
Stringer of fernando introduced and
] the Tribune advocated at the last
legislature. Just one weeks visit in
New England would convince every
! nincompoop who opposed this meas
ureof the fallacy of his argument.
{ With a paved highway from Pensa-
cola to Jacksonville and from Jackson
vile to Miami and Jacksonville to
Tampa, the winter visitors would
amount to more to Florida than its
orange and avegetable crops in past
years.
How any man of any intelligence
can oppose any scheme whereby
community can be benefited by sys-
tenn of good roads is more than we
can comprehend.
1t is very clear that Florida needs
improved roads over which automo-
biles can travel from point to point
with comfort. On the roads of New
York, Massachusetts and Rhode Is
land there are thousands of automo-
biles passing every day, probably at
least half of them at this season of the
year coming from other localities and
touring over the good roads. These
tells, and the general estimate is that
each person spends an average of So
to so a day, and some much more
than that. But they invariably stay
where the roads are good.
When Florida gets a system of i'm
proved highways it's superb climate,
its fruits, vegetables and farm pro-
ducts, it's fresh air and its numerous
other advantages, will make it the
greatest winter resort for the whole
north, east and west, which will
bring them in thousands, with their
cars They will tour the state, stop
ping at our hotels, eating our pro-
ducts and spending their money on
the American Riviera, instead of
across the Atlantic.
When you get to figuring on what
good roads would do for Florida, you
become amazed at the results. 1t is
our firm belief that when we get a.
system of good roads, connecting most
of the principal points and resorts in
the state that at least 100000 will
come to Florida every winter with
their cars. One hundred thousand
people at $40 a day each would make
total Of a million dollars day spent
in our state by visitors for a period of
three to four months. 1t almost stag
gers credulity, but it is what one sees
in this country, and nothing is
thought of it. The hotels are we'll
kept, because they have custom
enough, and mostly from the motor
travel, so that they can afford to keep
them in first class style.
Here they are spending millions of
dollars on the roads. Most of the
states have more than one method.
The main roads are called state roads
and are built by the state. The lesser
roads are county roads and town
roads, which the state helps to build,
paying from one-third to two-thirds of
the cost, and sometimes more 1t is
the state roads that attract most of
the visiting motor travel, the county
and town roads being used chiefly by
local traffic, though in the main they
are well built, and offer many attrac-
lions off the beaten paths.
Ten or fifteen years ago there were