The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1921-01-29
A GOOD YEARS WORK
Continued from First Page

not belong IN tire citrus DelL OF the
state. Last year and this your secre-
tary has advocated the planting Of
more orange trees in Ocala for dec
orative purposes and as means OF
calling attention to the fact that Mar
ion is prominently a citrus county.
This matter has been before the
Board of Trade several times, and a
committee will make drive shortly
TO secure the planting of trees in the
city. Encouragement and assistance
has been given the Florida Orange
Corporation which win plant about
100 acres of citrus fruits just south
of the city.
New Industries
During the year information has
been given several parties figuring or
the location of new industries in this
section of Florida. One proposition
was investigated by committee ap-
pointed for the purpose and recon-
mended against. Through the instru-
mentality of the Board of Trade your
secretary has good reason to believe
that "a new industry will very shortly
be located in this county. He is not
liberty to give the project any pub
licity at this time.
River Transportation
An effort was made to arouse inter
est in the development of freight traf-
fic on the river, with view to giving
Ocala lower feright rates generally,
but no Roadway was made in this most
important problem affecting this city.
And attention should again be called
to the fact that the army engineers
have given warning tina: the spending
of money on the improvement of the
rivers is dependent upon the develop
ment of traffic and provision for pub
lie docking facilities.
Miscellaneous
In July your secretary attended a
meeting of commercial secretaries in
Orlando and had the honor of being
elected secretary-treasurer of the
Florida State Commercial Secreta-
RES Association. The Board of Trade
endorsed the Townsend bill providing
for national system of highways.
Your secretary attended a meeting
held in Gainesville by the chamber of
commerce there for the purpose of
protesting against articles in the
Country Gentleman disappearing
Florida. Your secretary had previous
ly written letter of protest to the
editor of the Country Gentleman. Dur
ing the watermelon shipping season
the United States bureau of markets
representative had an Office in the
Board of Trade room and distributed
daily bulletins all over the state from
this point. Whenever it had an oppor-
tunity the Board of Trade co-operated
with the various railroad representa-
tives. Your secretary has co-operated
in the forming of the Ocala Baseball
Association to promote a season of
games in Ocala during the coming
summer By correspondence and in
SO. Ii1Ol was
Mr.. Fred "Good Roads" Smith, of New
Jersey and St. Petersburg, looking to
the transporting of small pleasure
boats from Silver Springs to the
Withlacoochee and to thus save many
miles between the eastern ports and
the cruising grounds of the gulf coast.
The Board of Trade hall has been
used for the meetings of various kinds
by other organizations. Though with
out result the Board of Trade CO.
operated with the commercial bodies
of Gainesville and Leesburg in an eff
fort to have the Atlantic Coast Line
operate the "Pinellas Special" thru
these cities. A committee has been
appointed to look into conditions at
the union station requiring passengers
from trains to alight in rain and mud.
A protest was sent to the United
States Shipping Board against d
change of ocean rates on phosphates,
as between Atlantic and gulf ports.
Employment has been found for a
number of persons during the year.
Other organizations in the city, coun-
ty and state have been co-operated
with. Arrangements were made for
temporary landing field for air
planes in the eastern part of the city
and many persons have as result
enjoyed plane rides, both last year
and this. 1t is not possible, of course
to recite the innumerable small serv-
ices rendered during the course of the
year; services which it is the business
of no other organization in the city OF
county to render.
Correspondence
Your secretary has answered 120C
letters during the year, not including
form letters that have been written
OF the letters answered 573 were In
reply to inquiries concerning Ocala
and Marion county. This is a very
small number of inquiries The town:
ard counties in the state that are ad
vertising are getting as many anC
more letters in one month than the
Marion County Board of Trade receiv
ed during the entire year And these
communities are not making any grea
expenditure for advertising either
the Tampa Tribune in an editoria
comment on the Marion County book
let very properly stated that a count,
or city getting out a booklet shoult
use advertising in order that the hook