The Palatka news and advertiser. [volume] (Palatka, Fla.) 1908-19??, 1916-10-13

become the seventh port of impor-
lance in the United States. Miami,
that eighteen years ago was a sand
dune, is to-day a magic city of TO-
900 inhabitants. Aladdin with his
wonderful lamp never dreamed of &C
complishing such a wonderful trans
formation in so short time as has
taken place in Miami. Miami is the
favorite town of many western mil
lionairies, and they are building pal
aces upon the seashore of great splen-
dor and beauty.
1t was published in the local pa
pers of Florida last spring that Mr..
Burrows, of rustless screen fame, OF
Brooklyn, who purchased a corner
property in Miami for $4,000 a few
years ago, has refused $4,000 for it
and stated that it was not for sale.
Orlando, Daytona, st. Petersburg,
Key West all the towns along the
Atlantic Coast and the Gulf, are
growing wonderfully and behind
them the back country is developing
in a substantial way that insures their
growth and prosperity.
The tourist business is a splendid
tonic in promoting the growth of the
state, but it is the army of newcom-
ers that settle on the farms every
year that supply the bone and sinew
for this growth.
This army of home-seekers is in
creasing every year and will show
remarkable increase in the next few
years because of the widespread CO.
operative movement in Florida to adj
vertise the states advantages and to
develop it's resources.
A notable movement along these
lines is the Florida First advertising
campaign in which many of the cities
and counties are participating through
their boards of trade and other local
organizations. Funds are raised by
assessing a levy of ten cents per
capita of each community contribu-
ting and the little towns get the same
benefits from the advertising as the
large cities.
The Southern Settlement and De-
velnpment Organization under the di-
rection Of Clement S. Ticker and K.
NJ. pndell, vice presidents, is doing
splendid work for Florida and the
South generally. The great trunk
line railroads of the South are also
powerful and progressive factors in
building up Florida.
Ii is a noticeable fact that Florida'S
great opportunities for the profitable
investment of capital are more APP
preciated in the West than in the
East. The bond houses of the West
have purchased most Of the public i'm
provement bonds of Florida though
the local banks are now becoming ac-
tive competitors for these securities
as the Florida banks are beginning to
pie up with capital.
Florida mortgages paying eight
per cent. interest on fifty per cent.
valuations are among the best invest
ments and it is surprising that Eas-
tern capital has not entered this field.
These securities are among the best
Investments in the country as the day
of cheap land in Florida is passing
and values are increasing very rapid
i y.
Last but not least I want to say a
word about the newspapers of Flori-
da. I doubt if any state in the Union
has such a progressive, philosophical
body of newspapermen. They give
their columns freely to any movement
for the good of the state. Their splen-
did talents and energies are contribu-
ted lavishly to build up the states re-
sources on broad. constructive lines.
No body of men in the country do so
much for their state as the press of
Florida. Broad-minded, liberal men
that they are, they never hesitate to
sacrifice their own interests when it
is for the good of the community.
With such forces at work Florida is
bound to forge rapidly ahead.