The Palatka news and advertiser. [volume] (Palatka, Fla.) 1908-19??, 1913-05-30
What Good Roads Would Mean to
Florida.

In special correspondence in this
weeks issue from Tampa some sug-
gestions are made as to the import
ance of the building of good road
connecting Jacksonville and the West
Coast at Tampa. The cost as re-
ported would be exceedingly small in
proportion to the good to be accom-
plished; but while the State and the
counties between Jacksonville and
Tampa are considering such a propo-
sition as this attention should also
be given on the East Coast of Florida
to through road connecting Jack
sonville and Miami. There are fair
ly good stretches of road between
Jacksonville and Tampa and between
Jacksonville and Miami, but their va
lue is largely destroyed by the fact
that they are not connected up. 4,
While Florida is studying the prop
osition for a network of great high
ways throughout the State, these two
propositions are worthy of immediate
consideration by the counties through
which these roads would run. 1t is
reasonably safe to say that if there
were two first-class motor roads, one
from Jacksonville to Miami and one
from Jacksonville to the West Coast,
there would be almost an unbroken
line of automobiles to be seen on
these roads during the entire winter.
New England, with its splendid
roads and its fine summer climate,
draws tens of thousands of motorists
who annually leave in that section
many millions of dollars. Indeed, it
has been carefully estimated by rail
road men that the tourist business
yields to New England an annual crop
Of $60,000,000. This is probably a
conservative estimate. Moreover, it
is increasing more rapidly probably
than any other crop in the country.
New England does not appeal to the
motorist for a summer trip so strong
ly as Florida would appeal to the
motoriSt for winter trip if two
main highways, well constructed,
existed in Florida, one down the
East Coast and one to the West
Coast.
The tourist business to Florida is
capable of indefinite development. 1t
is possible by active work on the part
Of the people and the railroads to
easily quadruple the tourist travel to
that State, as great as it now is. The
most powerful factor in accomplish
ing this would be good roads. There
ought to be good roads all over Flor
ida connecting up every county seat,
but in the meantime two main high
ways such as suggested would be
worth annually many millions of dol
lars to the whole State. On these
roads motorist would scarcely ever
be out Of sight of another automo-
bile, for Florida is pre-eminently the
predestined great winter-tourist point
and play ground and health invigor-
ating region for the people of the
whole North Atlantic and Eastern
section Of the country and of much
Of the West. The sooner the bust
ness men and the counties and the
State officials take up this work the
sooner will the State reap this rich
harvest. The drainage of the Ever
glades is a great piece of work,
fraught with great possibilities for
the wealth of the State, but the
draining of the Everglades is of
small Importance to Florida as COM
pared with the results that would
follow the building of these two first
class Observation-Disclosures Re
cord, Baltimore, Md.