The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1915-09-14

| tant time as this controversy
should arise between the towns of
Lakeland, Auburndale, Lake Alfred
and Winter Haven because Auburn
dale and Lake Alfred are in this
controversy, even though not promi-
nently mentioned in that regard)
Up until the time when the Win
ter Haven Chamber of Commerce
passed resolutions, asking that the
road from Haines City to Auburndale
through Lake Alfred be cut out,
from the system agreed upon by the
commissioners and by them submit
ted for the approval of the Polk
County Good Roads Association, AMI
not vice versa, and also asking fur
Their that the road from Auburndale
to Lakeland be made a nine instead
Of fifteen foot road, there had been
apparent harmony in all the differ
ent districts. Lakeland resented this
action and in the last issue of the
Winter Haven Chief. an editorial
asks this question: Have we
reached the point where the Lake
land Board of Trade is in a position
to designate road route through the
Winter Haven district?" The Lake
land Chamber of Commerce is desig-
mating no roads either in the Winter
| HaNpn or nf ictv NJ Ae
stated already, the particular road in
] controversy was includedin the sys-
! TEN of roads to be constructed by the
! county commissioners, and il was
J stated by them as a fifteen foot road.
| The Lakeland Chamber of Commerce
simply voiced it's protest when the
Winter Haven resolution came up
petitioning the commissioners to cut
out part of the road and reduce the
! balance to nine foot highway. If
this was debating with regard to
roads in the Winter Haven district,
what about the proposition to reduce
! the width of L.akeland's road to Au-
burndale and is not this action just
exactly what the article in the Chief
and the Winter Haven representa- &.
tive at the Barlow meeting CON
demned; yet the Winter Haven reso-
luton started the controversy and
proposed this dictation, as she calls
it. and which later she resents.
The statement is also made that
Lakeland is attempting to secure the
lions" share of the proposed bond
issue. What are the facts? The
Lakeland district has been content
with the commissioners proposal to
elbow only twenty miles of road in
that district. while representatives
of the Winter Haven district are far
from content with seventy miles, as
proposed by the commissioners, and
which is one-third of the whole mile.
age proposed for the county, in
'olving approximately the expendi-
ture of one-third of the entire pro-
posed bond issue of one million dol
lars in the Winter Haven district
alone. 1t is appreciated, however,
| that the Winter Haven district is
| very much larger than any of the
others, and especially larger than
Lakeland, yet the Lakeland district
is earnestly endeavoring to carry the
countrywide bond issue, which will
| luild the roads in her own district
and help to build the roads in other
districts, but she cannot be expected
t. remain passive when an effort is
being made to interfere with the
Will of the county commissioners in
/ a matter which concerns her welfare
| and that of her immediate neigh
bors. 1t would be her right and priv
| ilege. If this injustice sought to be
done by Winter Haven's action were
carried out. to defeat, so far as she
| were able. the bond issue and join
with these neichbors in building the
road in controversy by means of q
district bond issue While it is true,
| perhaps, that Winter Haven might
defeat the bond issue if this particu-
! lar four miles should be insisted on.
il is not believed that she will do
so. Winter Haven does not feel this
way about it, as was exemplified at
the good roads meeting the other
day 1T would be foolish for her 30
do such a thin. Winter Haven dis
trict needs the help of the other dis
tricts to enable her to build the sew
enty miles outlined for her, and
which. without other roads she is
asking for, would cost approximately
/ one-third of a million dollars or
more. Doubtless. some Winter Hav-
CT citizens have figured how much
more it would cost the taxpayers in
that district to build those same
seventy miles without the co-opera-
tion of the county at large. Lake
land district could easily build its
twenty miles with its present road
tax on a district bond issue, and save
lot of money but, so far the people
have not felt that way We want