The New York herald. [volume] (New York, N.Y.) 1920-1924, 1920-12-19

"HE golden migration to the Carolinas
and Florida from the North, that
- endless stream of seekers after
pleasure and health, is again under full
Roadway. Every year it flows before the
chill winds of winter along the accustomed
path set by tradition and society," leaving
behind a plentiful supply of dollars to be
gathered by Southern tradesmen and those
who have made pleasant the way Of the
vacationist.
This season is looked upon by those sec
tons Of the South where the Northern tour
list focks as one of harvest Crops and
fruits, for which Florida is known take Sec
ond place a source of revenue. The hotels
are crammed to OVERLOOKING cottages and
bungalows are filled for the entire season at
rents which make that Of New York apart
ment seem fairly reasonable. the beaches
swarm with bathers forgetful of sthe ice
which binds the Northern waters and the
rack Of the golf ball sounds from Asheville
TO Key West
sroo,ooo,ooo Was Once the Estimate of
Southern Spending; Now It's Higher
70 take part in all this costs money. Just
how much nobody knows Estimating 1t is
Shipping Board spent. 1t used to be said
that 500, 900 was spent by tourists in
Florida every winter, but that was before
the war, and the cost Of touring has gone
up. The estimates must be revised, and
when one considers that spending begins in
other Southern States long before the Flor
ida season is on and continues after Florida
has become passe, after the fashionable
throng and their followers have swung
through the charmed circle and turned
north again, the frenzied calculator begins
to find his figures running up toward sum
that would make an appreciable dent in the
national budget.
Some approximation of the facts can be
obtained, however. by diligent search among
the railroad records. Passenger agents who
make 1t their business to get ready for this
Southern trek every year have a fair idea
OF the number who go South. This year
they are anticipating a greater travel than
ever before. This winter travel started
earlier than ever, Is even now heavily under
way, and expectations are that the South
will have a golden harvest which will make
up In some respect for the falling cotton
market.
Through these trayel figures the safest
approach is made to an estimate of what the
North spends each winter in the South. The
season lasts for about fifteen weeks--it
starts little earlier in the Carolinas than
in Florida, and then laps over again after
the Florida season, but the season Of ca
pacty Is considered by railroad men to be
approximately fifteen weeks During this
period the travel South is fairly constant
There Is not a reservation to be had at pres
ent on Southern sleepers, which are booked
weeks in advance. There are two main
gateways for Northern approach to the
South. Chicago and New York Out Of Chi
cago there are now running every day fifty
Southern sleepers. which hold on an average
OF 1000 persons From New York by rail
and boat there leave about the same num-
bers 1000 persons In all With a season of
about 100 days that reaches total of
100000 persons who travel by rail and boat
The automobile traffic carries others who
are no inconsiderable part of the whole A
railroad man walking about Augusta a few
days ago counted more than 100 automobiles
from various Northern States bound for
Florida He estimates that with other high
ways OF automobile travel this would indi-