Palatka daily news. [volume] (Palatka, Fla.) 1919-1994, 1921-03-08
BURT SAYS ROAD
NEEDS IN STATE
NOW OPERATIVE

WUVv Wr[nHllVL
R. M. Burt, of Hastings, who has
just returned from a trip over the
| good roads of south Florida, says
that until "our people in this part of
the state change their anti-dated ideas
the road and land developments here
will not progress very rapidly.
eve find in south Florida, and not
very far south at that, the inhabit-
ants have the idea they can do things
with apparently poor land and bad
outlook. And because they have the
vision many beauty spots are grow
ing under their hands. The most dis
couraging said hills in the state are
being made to produce beautiful and
profitable groves, homes with fine
lawns and Towering shrubbery. And
these are the natural outgrowth of
the magnificent and generous broad
paved road, which tend to make any
country acceptable regardless of its
physical formation. Paved road, more
paved roads connecting with all high
ways, should be our daily slogan.
Paved roads is the sesame which will
open the way to the treasure of our
counties and state.
"Take Putnam county with it's
uneXcelled fruit lands, in the western
part of the county and along the st.
Johns river, these assets are worth
less because they cannot be approach
ed. Consider the beautiful lakes and
waterways, their natural scenic beau
ty, all worthless to the county, be-
cause they cannot be approached,
seen and appreciated south Florida
has the same assets and has made
them possible to the public with good
roads.
But the creates bugaboo to this
part of the state is the obcession of
mind which continues to make our
people "see things" When one talks
of developing these lands with good
roads you still hear the old stereo-
typed cry of "The freeze! The freeze!
1t will ruin you'll" Bah! Suppose the
farmers of Hastings emitted that
howl to the moon every year, too,
would they plant any more potatoes?
Suppose Crescent City was still cry
ing over its spilled milk, would it be
the beautiful and fourishing little
city it is today with its fine fruit or
chards. Consider E. S. Warner, of
Esperanto, who armed with faith in
his community knitted the bugaboo
and is now doing splendid business
in fruits. Investigate Interlachen
with its developments, freeze or no
freeze; and San Mateo developed on
top of so-called worthless sand hills.
"But what are the actual facts in
the case? Let stranger come in
and look around, admire our high |
rolling country and beautiful lakes, |
to him apparently the same as the
finely developed lands further south |
in the counties of Volusia, Lake, Polk,
and others, and let him mention fruit !
growing but once. Immediately our
worthy citizens holds his hands up in |
horror and tells this would-be citizen |
he is fool and to get out, in fact, !
will almost take a stick and run him |
out. And few days later the land !
dealer at DeLand will be laughing up
his sleeve while he sells that same |
stranger for 500 per acre a sand
hill as white as anything in Putnam
county, but on or close to a hard
road.
at seems to me the time has come
when this part of the state has got
to change its ideas and get the vision
of better development. Take the
counties of Putnam, st. Johns, Duval,
Clay, Alachua and Marion, and they
should come together on a concerted
paved road plan, advertise a winter
climatic condition which is the best in
the state, and prove that their soils
are among the best in the state with
great transportation advantages. But
as it is we stand at the gate gaping
at the crowd going south.
eff we do not take a better grin
on our faith in what we have and
what our neighbor has, we will con-
tinue to hang gaping over our front
gate and never invite the stranger in.
The time is at hand for us to learn
the keynote and sing it with lusty
voice-paved roads and more of