The Ocala banner., 1914-01-30
EDmoNDs WRITES ABOUT FLoRL
DAs ROAD NEEDS


Manufacturers Record, who is spend
ing the winter al Daytona Beach,
writes the Tribune interestingly about
the advantage to come TO Florida
from better roads. Mr. Edmonds de-
sired TO locate for the season on the
West Coast but could not find
suitable house. He will visit this part
of the state, however, later in the
season.
Editor Tribune: Your editorial re-
ference yesterday to the fact that
am spending the winter in Florida
was more than kind hope to have
| the pleasure of spending a few days
on the West Coast before leave the
state. 1t had been my hope to find
furnished house for rent on the
West coast and | had several personal
| friends and some real estate people
looking for such house for me but
none of them found one quite salts
factory, and so | had decided to spend
the winter motoring through the safe.
Hotel life, however. is rather tire
some, and on the journey down the
East coast, | happened to find very
comfortable house at Daytona Beach
and here am located for the season.
/ never think of Florida without
hearing "the call of the West coast"
1t sounds very loud to me and if |
can heed it only for a few days this
winter, | hope that / may be able TO
make a somewhat careful study Of
the progress that is being made and
in prospect on road building. find
that within the last two years the
road from Jacksonville to Daytona
has been wonderfully improved. Two
years ago it was an abomination. Now
with the exception of few short
stretches, it is a fairly passable road.
The first fifteen miles of brick high
way out of Jacksonville is a dream.
A similar road from Jacksonville to
Tampa would be worth many millions
of dollars to the whole state and
especially to the West coast. | have
repeatedly said that good modern
highway without any bad breaks in it
down the East coast or from Jack
sonville across to the East coast
would, during the large part of the
year, be so full of motorist that one
would scarcely be out of sight of a
car from early DeceTsber to the end
of March, but really the people who
| visit Florida for the winter ought
never to leave the state before the
end OF April
A few day ago | found good il.
lustration of how even fairly good
roads quickly develop motor tourist
business. The road from DaytOna to
New Smyrna and some distance be-
yond is fairly good although rather
narrow in places Taking motor trip
two or three days ago down this road
for twenty miles, / think we were not
out of sight of a car in the whole
forty mile trip going and coming at
any time more than two minutes. In
deed the number of cars on the road
was so great as to be almost uncom'
Portable, necessitating constant turn
ing in and out to meet or pass. There
were cars from nearly every state in
the North and West; Main. Mime
sofa, Vermont, Michigan, Rhode Is
land, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, New
Jersey, New York, Tennessee, Massa-
chusetts and even one or two from
parts of Canada, one being from far
away Winnipeg
4 BY reason OF the knowledge that
there is a fair road from Jacksonville
to Daytona, a great many people have
their cars shipped to Jacksonville and
then motor up and down this section.
What was seen on that forty mile
road would, to considerable extent,
be duplicated on any good brick high
way nearly every day of the winter,
if it was long enough to connect up
Jacksonville as a gateway for the
whole East coast or across the state
to the West coast.
The tourist business which could
thus be developed would bring to the
state annually far greater wealth
than the entire citrus fruit industry,
as vitalIy important and as large -as
that is.
The work that is being done on the
West coast in road building is at
tracing attention all over the country
and when the proposed brick high
way from Jacksonville to Tampa is
completed, the line ought to be open
ed up with celebration worthy of
the achievement.
RICHARD HI. EDMONDS