Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1916-10-27

Cape May county has the first gen.
uine opportunity re- offered il of Sc
curing an inter-resort electric service,
affording quick and easy connection
with Philadelphia and Atlantic City.
AT the same time a splendid automo-
bile highway leading directly to the
seashore resorts can be secured. The
combination of electric connection aud
automobile service, if secured. would
transform the seaside resorts and the
mainland farms as well. And yet, we
find apathy, indifference, and in some
cases positive opposition to these mag
nificent Improvements.
The Necessity for Action
IL is high time the business people
of the seashore resorts and the farmers
and business men OF the mainland Of
Cape May county get together. No
honest man of ordinary intelligence
will assert for an instant that business
conditions In the county have been
satisfactory during the past few years.
The average hotel man, real estate
company or agent, merchant and far
mer have made no money. Most Of
them are lucky if they paid their ex-
penses. Not a few have run behind.
AS | pointed out In a former article, we
have had tariff changes, the automo-
bile craze, the European war and Sc
we're storms of two winters to contend
with. During the past season, when
conditions were more favorable, we
had rain in the early summer, the
shark scare, infantile paralysis and the
threat of the strike on Labor day to
interfere with business. What is true
of Cape May county resorts is true Of
every other of the smaller resorts ON
the coast. Only the largest hotels
have made money since the European
war began. General busin ess is BOOM
ing, yet people Of Cape May county
stand idly by while the great wave of
prosperity surges over our nation from
oast to coast. Mills, furnaces and fac
tories are working day and night. Man
ufacturers, merchants and business
people generally can't fill the orders
they are getting-it isn't a question of
price, but of delivery. Surely, it is
enough to arouse us people of the coast
resorts to action.
And yet, what are we doing to divert
q portion OF this flood of prosperity in
u direction? Instead of helping, we
are hindering. Instead of each of US
putting his shoulder to the wheel and
trying to push our county out of the
around cfiticising, opposing or sticking
DuT hands in our pockets and turning
our backs on the scene, as il these
things were no oncern of ours.
APIan Worth Discussing
There may be a reasonable difference
OF opinion as to the wisdom or expedi-
ency of pushing through the all-resort
automobile route to immediate COM
pletion. This question Is deoatable
and open to argument. But there is
no ground for debate and no room for
argument on the proposition to secure
the cooperation of the Pennsylvania
railroad company in building the inter-
resort bridges and in extending its
electric service from Ocean City to Cape
Nay. Every resident and property
owner in Cape May county must know
aud realize the saving the county would
make and the advantages it would de.
rive from the joint construction and
use Of these proposed bridges by the
county and the railroad company.
Central Properties Sell First
Yet, at the Avalon meeting of the
Chamber Of Com merce Thursday night,
October 10Th, there were no delegates
present from Cape May and only one
from Wildwood. 1t is true it was a
rainy, disagreeable night, but our other
resorts were represented.
1t is not a proper answer to say that
some of these other resorts are having
b~ouleyArds built in their municipal
limits hat should be paid for by the
municipality. The Seven Mile Beach
boulevard and the new roads at the
lower end of Peck's Beach and the up
per end of Ludlam's Beach are finished
and any one who chooses can look them
Dver for himself and determine whether,
has been alleged, they will be ofany
great benefit ia real estate promoters
who own the abutting lands. / have
inspected both OF these roads and /
assert without fear of contradiction
that neither Of them will be followed
by great activity in property immedi-
ately AUDITING upon them. The good
they will do will be to the communities