The Palatka news and advertiser. [volume] (Palatka, Fla.) 1908-19??, 1913-02-14
PREPARING FOR
Big CONVENTION
OF Mississippi to Atlantic In.
land Waterway ASSOCia.
ton in Paiatka.
Field Secretary of Association is in
City to urge Financial Support of
Project.

Mrs. Maude Wood Henry, field sec
'etary of the Mississippi & Atlantic
inland Waterway Association, oi
which U. S. Senator Duncan U
Fletcher of Florida is president, ar.
rived in Palatka on Monday afternoon
1t will be recalled that Palatka Sc
cured the 1913 convention of this or.
ganization in competition with New
Orleans, Mobile, Pensacola and Jack.
sonville, all of which cities sought the
honor of entertaining the delegates
at the next annual meeting.
"Messrs. Roy3ter and Burt, repre-
senting the board of trade Of Palatka
made a strong appeal to US to come
here this fall" said Mrs. Henry to the
News, "and we finally decided to give
two days to this city, the third to be
spent in Jacksonville in joint conven-
slon with the Atlantic Deeper Water
way Association.
Jacksonville is planning a very
spectacular waterway meet; it is in
tended to have a floating convention
hall, built on barge in the st. Johns
river and all sessions will be held on
this barge. A pageant Of motor
boats and houseboats of the Atlantic
and Gulf Coasts, is a novel feature Of
the convention.
"The Palatka end of the meeting is
destined to be quite as interesting as
that at Jacksonville. Arrangements
for several light draft government
vessels are being made by Secretary
Royster and Secretary Richardson Of
Jacksonville and Senator Fletcher has
pledged his efforts to secure these fol
10Th cities.
"Faiatka will get a splendid adver-
tisement out Of these conventions,
Not only will many celebrated speak
ers be here, but there will be an Op-
portunity to circulate a great deal of
advertising literature concerning this
locality. 1t is the plan of the Palatka
board of trade to charter a boat, dec
crate it handsomely and carry the en-
tire convention to Jacksonville the
third day.
"When | was here two yeras ago,
we organized a Palatka branch of our
Mississippi to Atlantic Inland Water
way Association, of which Mr.. H. A.
Davis is president This branch will
be called into reQuisition to work in
conjunction with the board of trade,
to make the coming convention a sue
cess.
"Palatka, through Messrs. Royster
and Burt, pledged some funds in sup
port of the Association, in case the
convention came here and l am here
at this time to ask for this financial
assistance necessary part of the
campaign for improved waterways in
Florida and the gulf states.
"The citizens here were liberal in
their contributions to our work two
years ago, as has been the whole state
of Florida. Florida has Jared we'll in
the matter of river and harbor appro-
priations and our Senator Fletcher
has always stood at the helm, ready
to push forward every meritorious re.
quest for the st. Johns or any Other
waterway needed by the people"
Mrs. Henry is also field secretary
of the National Rivers and Harbors
Congress, the great national water.
way organization which numbers ovei
10000 of the leading business men o.
the United States, and in which shs
is the only woman working in an Off
cial capacity. She was appointed q
this office by U. S. Senator Ransdell
its president, in recognition of her
services in the southern field in con-
nection with Senator Fletcher's Mis-
sissippi to Atlantic Inland Waterway
Association.