The Bolivar County Democrat., 1921-02-05

SA W way And it is Nefltaple soius'' +,
food Here some of the facts
about it,
Tourists to Southern winter resorts-traveiers
by rail 100000; by steamer and private yacht
10000; by automobile 10000; total, 100000.
Hotel expenses, $44,S00.00O
Amusements, S40,OOO,0Oo
Cottage and bungalow rents, S30000o0O.
Value of homes owned by Northerners, S32o,-
100000.
Yes, the migration is About 100 sleeping
cars leave New York and Chicago daily for the
South, and at least 500 automobiles begin the
Journey every day
OF course California has also a golden winter
flood from the East-which is another story
And the North has return flood from the
South in the summer-of which something later.
This migration season is looked upon by those
sections of the South where the Northern tour
st locks Of harvest. Crops and fruits
for which Florida is known, take second place as
a source of revenue. The hotels are crammed
to overfowing, cottages and bungalows are filled
for the entire season at rents which make that of
a New York apartment seem fairly reasonable,
the beaches swarm with bathers forgetful of the
Ice which binds the Northern waters and the
crack of the golf ball sounds from Asheville to
Key West.
This costs money. Just how much nobody
knows. 1t used to be said that $1O0,OO0000 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.
Some approximation of the facts can be OBJ
taned, however, by digent search among the
railroad records The season starts a little
earlier in the Carolnas than in Florida, and then
laps again after the Florida season, but the
season of capacity is considered by railroad men
to be approximately fifteen weeks. During this
period the travel South is fairly constant. There
are two main gateways for Northern approach to
the South-Chicago and New York. Out of Chi
thnra nn lau bnr
sleepers, which hold on an average of / 600 per-
SINS. From New York by rail and boat there
leave about the numbers, 1000 persons in
all. With season of about 100 days, that reaches
a total of 100000 persons who travel by rail and
boat.
100000 to Go South.
The automobile traffic carries others who are
no inconsderable part of the whole. Fully SOD
cars day are going South Three persons
to and 100 days of travel would indicate
that 10000 persons find the Southern touring a
pleasant relief from bucking snow drifts.
In all. about 100000 persons will go South this
year. These figures can be checked up somewhat
with the hotels. There are some famous places Of
recreation which filled from the time they
open until the end of the season. hotels in resorts
such Asheville, Pinehurst, Aiken Southern
Pines in the Carolinas Augusta and Thomasville,
in Georgia, and Belleaire. Manu. Palm Beach, st.
ida.
The total hotel capacity of these places is 49,
667. The average stay at most of these hotels can
be reckoned at about two weeks That would
give population in these better known hotels
for three months of about 2S0,000 persons The
other 100000 find their way to the smaller places
and to bungalows, cottages and boarding houses
1t is from this great majority, also, that the
bulk of the revenue comes One is apt to think
of FlOrida-for Florida is the Ultima Thule of the
Southland and has more recreation places than
all the others put tOgether-as a place dotted
with million dollar homes and surrounded by a
protecting fota Of costly yachts. But, as mat
ter of fact, the great majority of the people who
go TO Florida are neither enormously wealthy nor
great spendthrifts.
Bungalow colonies are growing all over the
state built by people of moderate means, who 90
to Florida not for pleasure only. but for their
health There are, it is said more old people in
Florida than any other state in the Union; they
go there to keep alive.
The people of wealth, whose names associated
with Palm Beach have made it of the most
famous resorts in the world, very few in num-
ber, but make up for that by the vast amounts