The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1916-03-27
POLK CCUNTY'S ROADS
(Auburndale News }


mercial last week made complaint
and gave warning that is merited.
The editorial says. in part:
There are some most exasperating
missing links in South Florida roads,
and Polk county furnishes two of
the worst thorns in the sides of those
who reside in this section and want
to get to points farther south.
"a few days ago Messrs. Nichols
and White, winter residents of Lees
burg, decided to go to Lakeland.
They motored down to Groveland
one day to make inquiries ABOUT
the air line route. They were told
that the road itself is all right if
one can find it, but the chances are
sixteen to one against a stranger
keeping the proper tracks. SO they
gave up the idea of taking the short
cut until the Polk county roads are
marked.
Setting out TO go by way of Or
lando--at least twice as far from
Leesburg to Lakeland that way
they were delighted with the roads
until they reached a point south of
Kissmmee 1t was the polk county
line, TO be exact, that they began to
entertain symptoms of evaporation.
1t was like bucking snowdrifts to get
over the Loughman hills and into
Haines City. From there on they
did aot experience any trouble. al
though they went far out of tn, di-
rect line looking for better roads.
Polk county is missing a good
chance. If Sumter county beats her
to the road building in this direction
there will be much remunerative
travel diverted through that coun
ty"
the Lake county line was not includ-
ed IN the proposed estimate for as
phalt paving. Auburndale tried hard
enough for this, but as usual the
larger towns in other parts of the
county secured the roads that would
more directly touch them. However,
as reported elsewhere in this issue,
ice in no
need of this road and have already
provided for paving a good portion
of it with hard clay, which will be
extended to the line to meet the Lake
county clay road at the earliest pos
sible date. The balance of the road
has recently been repaired and is
really in very passable shape.
1t is regrettable that stranger
cannot find his way about in Florida,
but Polk county is not conspicuous
sinner in this respect, since probably
not more than one per cent of the
States roads are marked. But the
Commercial will please note that the
roads leading east and west from
Auburndale have just been most
thoroughly marked by some fifty
Goodrich guide signs as far as Haines
City and Plant City, respectively,
through the efforts of the Auburn
dale Commercial Club and it is the
intention of the club to continue this
good work as rapidly as possible.
In all probability the road north from
Auburndale to the Lake county line
will be next marked.
The above facts are cited for the
benefit of the Commercial. But they
do not diminish the gravity of the
warning to Polk that she must bet
ter her roads AT ONCE. If Sumpter
beats us to building we will
lose much travel-even as we now
are losing much of the east to west
travel which naturally prefers to
run tc Tampa partly over Lake coun-
tvs asphalt boulevards rather than
over our poor Lee-Jackson Highway.
That travel will be permanently
alienated unless we bestir ourselves
at once.
The opponents of bonding can put
this complaint. and many Others, in
their pipes and smoke them While
they shout that we are famous as
1.-THE county without bonded indebt-
| edness." no one else knows or cares
rap about that What they do
know, and care about, is that we are
infamous as 1.-The county with the
worst roads in the state A cash
basis is a pretty-sounding catch
| word, but you can't haul one ton of
farm produce or drive even a Ford
over il. The issue before us is not
whether we shall incur Indebtedness,
but whether we shall get roads at
once. Complaints like these are APP
pearing constantly in paper after
paper. Tt is ruinous advertising and
the more so because true. How lons
shall Polk county be a 'by-word and
a mocking among the counties OF
Florida? If much longer, no amount
of pretty catchwords and slogans car
save il from disastrous loss.
It's up to you, Mr.. Voter.