Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1916-10-06

TO the Cape-tore off the front of near
~ every seaside resort in the state.
And in 1914, when it seemed there
WAS nothing more that could happen,
in the midst of a far from prosperous
summer season-why, then came the
Great Catastrophe! In the tremend-
Gus vortex caused by the European
War, the whole system OF credit col
lapsed, wa swallowed up and vanish
ed in the twinkling of an eye. In
place of dull business there was no
business, in place of slow payments
there were no payments, in place of
real estate buyers there were real es-
tate sellers! Truly, that was the buy
ers and renters market
Naturally, what affects the seashore
resorts affects the mainland as well and
the result has been a countrywide
period of depression. What wonder
is it that Cape May county, laboring
under these adverse conditions, has de-
termined to make every public inn
provement, to secure every attraction
possible to offset them? Surely, if
adversely brings people together then
Cape May County's citizens should be
united to-day
Not to make this a lamentation of
jeremiah, l will say that, well, it looks
to me as if the tariff will be properly
adjusted before that flood of foreign
goods can reach our shores, thus dis
posing OF the tariff question as a pos
sible adverse factor in the business
situation.
Also, l think the European Wal will
terminate next year, thus putting an
end to uncertainty and unhealthy con-
ditions incident to war times and open
ing the European and Asiatic markets
to normal American exports, especially
machinery, food stuffs, cotton and
other raw materials.
Finally, should another yer storm
occur, it should find the coast pretty
well protected.
So far as the automobile is concerned,
the craze, as a craze, is nearly owe and
the readjustment incident to the intro
duction of the low-priced car having
occurred, the inevitable equilibrium
has once more been established. If L
were thinking of buying a seashore lot,
l would buy it now, because it looks as
if next year the demand will be greater
and the prices considerably higher.
THE ALL-RESORT AUTOMOBILE ROUTE
Now, the spirit of progress which
has been aroused in Cape May county
is demanding more than anything else
the linking of III sea islands together
by the all resort automobile route, in
order that closer connection may be
established between Cape May county
resor S and Atlantic City. The Cor
sons Inlet bridge is to be built this
winter, thus giving Sea Isle and Ocean
City easy access to each other and to
Atlantic City, via the new Longport
boulevard.
How long will Cape May, Wildwood,
Stone Harbor and Avalon have to wait
for the forging of their links in the
inter-resort bridge and boulevard
chain?
At the Chamber of Commerce meet
ing it was stated that so 900 motor cars
cross the Ocean City bridge in a year.
1t was also stated that the bridge tend
er at the Somers Point end of the bridge
says that rs many cars turn back as
cross, when their owners are informed
of the toll they must pay. Also they
say that seventy-eight per cent. of the
c4rs that cross the bridge go through
Ocean City to other points in the oun
ty.
And there are other possibilities pre-
seDted by the situation, which will
develop, perhaps, later.