The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1921-09-20
ONLY WAY OUT

A delegation OF the people nVlnS
along the line of the Oklawaha Valley
were visitors to the Star Monday aft
ernoon. They were little bit wrathy,
and wanted the Star to retract its re-
marks about "junking" the road. We
are not very good at retracting-un-
less we find that we are in the wrong
but we told these good friends that
they could have space in the Star for
their own side of the story, and we
Expect them to send it in, in a short
time, and it shall have due considera-
ton.
In talking to them we were i'm
pressed with the fact that they are
up against it, and stopping the trains
is a great hardship. The road mas
been running to Palatka ten years,
ard to Burbank, Fort Mccoy and Or
ange Springs longer time. So the
people have come to depend on it
great deal for the shipping of their
pr oduce, logs and ties, which If the
road is suspended will compel them
TO haul good many miles further.
That the road has run down and
become little more than connection
between two big systems is the fault
OF the people of Ocala and Palatka,
wac didn't give the little road the sup
port it needed. The proper help then
would have made the Ocala Northern
strong local road with water con-
nectiOn at Palatka that would have
saved Ocala its worth in freight rates
every year. But the little road wasn't
supported, so it soon dwindled to a
convenience for people who wanted to
shorten by few hours the trip be-
tween the East Coast and Seaboard
railways. 1t finally ran down to the
point where it couldn't pay expenses.
Its managers notified those concerned
that it was going to quit. The courts
ordered its managers to keep on run
ming the trains, but when they had no
more money to pay the men they
stopped anyhow. Then came along
the railroad commission and put it in
the hands of a receiver, who managed
to keep it running by using it in his
own business. But he didn't pay his
taxes, so the inevitable has happened
and the road is nailed down.
Some of this fault is on the head
of cur always amiable and generally
efficient controller. Ernest Amos. If
he had come down on the o. v. heavy
the first year it didn't pay taxes, it
probably would have paid, and not re-
peated the offense. But its managers,
not without reason, may have thought
that if they could get by one year
they could get by every year. This
action of the controller should have
been taken just three years ago.
II has been supposed that the road
could not meet expenses without the
business of the Rodman Lumber Com
pany, but Mr.. Pillans, auditor of the
road, says that of late it has made
expenses and little over. If this
be the case, the parties who have
operated the road the last four years
should be compelled to pay its back
taxes, and then have it taken out OF
their hands and put in the charge of :
competent man with no strings tied tc
him and given the power to make it g
good local road. It should be run fol
the advantage of the people of Ocals
and Palatka, and the communities be,
tween. 1t should run its trains so the
people on the line could go to Ocals
or Palatka early in the morning anc
have six or at least four hours tt
stay before going home.
There is a great country along that
line, with plenty of fertile land, anc
if people came in a family or two al
time and settled down to make
homes, instead of coming by hundreds
losing all their money and scrambline
out again, as in the days of the New
South Farm & Home Company, they
would in few years build up a fine
strip of cultivated country for the
road to serve.
But before the people can do this
there is one thing they must do. The