The Concordia sentinel. (Vidalia, Concordia Parish, La.) 1882-current, 1921-02-05

they spend in entertainment. Most of these peo-
pie do not go to the hotels; they have their own
homes, winter palaces by the summer sea-
These varying pOcketbOOks have caused great
variety in the decoration and cost of the hostel
ries, which seem to spring up all over Florida
There are places for the rich man, the poor man
and even for the man who has a large family, but
has the money and disposition TO give them Il
good time. There are places where one can spehd
$40 day land up" also modest little hotels,
where So and 81 a day is charged for room ana
meals. In nearly all of them the American plan
prevails. fair average charge is IS day.
Even this amounts to enormous sum. For
if each of the 100000 persons stays on an average
of two weeks, that brings the total of hotel
charges to $44SOO.OO0.
Homes Owned by Northerners.
The homes also are not all of magnificent pre-
tension. There are thousands of others. Around
St Petersburg has grown up a large colony of
reasonably priced homes, and at West Palm Beach
is another group of homes owned by persons of
unassunlng prosperity. In Miami which in the
last ten years has grown faster than any other
city In the country, and is now busting place OF
$4,000, still other houses which not neigh
bOrhOOd show places. 1t Is estimated that 10 per
cent OF the people who go to Florida their
own homes and that the average valuation is
about $1,000. But 10 per cent of 100000 is 40
900, which gives a real estate valuation of 1920.
100000 owned by NOrtherners The tax from this
is a source of profit to the state.
The cost Of travel alone Is tremendous An
erage round trip fare, including Pullman, would
be about 500, and when 100000 persons spend
that 1t means a revenue to the roads of $4,000
600. And there's the gasollnel
What Is spent for amusement can only be
guessed at, for 1t Is a sum that varies according
to the means and habits Of the Individual Some
OF those who own beautiful homes and entertain
lavishy spend sums that make the ordinary trav-
who spend month at~the great hotels also part
with considerable amounts for ordinary diversion.
This is outside the large sums which are dropped
In some of the gambling places that may make
the Southern tour exciting.
But 1t would probably not be wide of the mark
to say that an amount equal to the average living
cost Of So day is spent by every visitor TO the
Carollnas and Florida which would amount to
more than $40,OO0O00 This would include golf,
fishing. autoing boating and all the dvertng
sports that offered by the ingenuity of the
promoting population.
Golf 10 Popular.
Golf Is perhaps the favorite diversion of those
who go South. There are no better courses in the
country. From the time the first visitors to Ashe-
vile and Aiken tee up early In November until
the returning throng from Florida again invades
the Carolina and West Virginia hills there is a
constant procession of the best golfers In the
country Over the magnificent courses. Many Of
the cubhouses are huge and costly affairs and
membership fees are sufficiently large to appall
the average individual. But there are smaller
and less expensive links which crowded with
just as enthusiastic stick swingers as play the
more exclusive links
Pnehurst always opens the golf season with a
tournament early in November. Southern Pines
takes care Of many goSers, Asheville. Aiken and
Augusta all have good links, but when one reaches
Florida the number of courses almost would en-
able one to play across courses from Jacksonville
to Key West One of the most famous is the st.
Augustine golf course one of the oldest golfng
clubs In the South. There are two big courses at