The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1921-10-10
ENTHUSIASTIC GOOD ROADS
MEETING IN ORLANDO

for South Florida but he doesn't see
how they will ever get there unless
they ship their cars by rail or come
by airplane. He said Georgia has her
roads in fine shape and that the gap
in Florida must be finished or we viii
lose thousands of investors He said
the fivvers will come again, because
they can go anywhere, but that the
Packards will get stuck and will give
Florida a wide berth in future and
tfat it is the Packard class that we
desire to have come again and stay
with US.
Mr.. J. M. Ashley, secretary of the
Vasdosta chamber of commerce, said
he would not take up time for speech
but that we must get road No. 2. He
said Georgia gets the tourists but
cannot keep them because they are
bound for Florida, but we must pro-
vide way for them to get here.
Just about this time the meeting
was interrupted by Mr.. Tom Hamp-
ton, who announced that the local
order of travelling men had just finish
ed meeting and had pledged them
selves for road No. 2, and that they
were going to do all they could over
their entire territory to put it before
the public.
Mr.. B. B. Johnson of Jasper, made
tie next talk and kept the house in
an uproar with his humor. Mr.. john
son said if you will travel over road
No. from Waycross to Jacksonville,
you will find that two-thirds of the
road has to be bridged and the other
third has to be thrown up. He said
the state road department is spending
all its money on that road. He said
that Hamilton county gave the state
road department $165,00O two years
ago and has for her money little
grading that has made the roads
worse than they were. He says that
the engineers have the entire road
built now on blue paper and that he
believes it is hard surfaced, but what
Hamilton county wants is a road on
the ground. He stated they have paid
for road and either want road or
scme good explanation and that they
are not able to get either from the
state road department.
Mr.. W. C. Caldwell of Jasper, says
that it is perfectly right for Duval
county and Jacksonville to have road
No. but they should not have it built
with Hamilton's money. He said that
the original contract called for an
asphalt road for Hamilton and that he
has lately had a letter from Mr.. Dun
can u. Fletcher stating that the state
road department is now asking that
the federal appropriation be reduced
from 100000 to some 100000 and
that sand-clay be used as the material
in Hamilton. He stated that Hamilton
was going to have an asphalt road
rightly quick or begin legal proceed
fings to see why. He suggests that
committee be sent to Governor Har-
dee to lay the case before him and
| if no other means can be found he
suggested that we have the state road
department abolished at the next
meeting of the legislature.
Mr. NJ L. Grady of High Springs,
endorsed the suggestion of commit
tee to see Gov. Hardee. Mr.. Sealy of
Alachua, also advocated such COM
nlittee, and passed quite number of
compliments on Orlando as being in
the best part of Florida.
Mr.. j. B. Fowler of Gainesville,
took the floor next and said that
Alachua's chief trouble was in getting
the state road department to furnish
the federal government with specifi-
cations of their road and in getting
the same department to designate the
route of the road south to Marion
county He said they have the money
and were ready to start work Monday
morning if they could get the state
to select one of the four possible
routes across Payne's Prairie. He
desires to have the state road depart
ment let Alachua get as far as they
cen with road and have the state
finish it when funds are in hand. He
says his county can at least do all but
put on the last surface and the state
can complete the job when the money
| is raised.
DR.. Watkins of Micanopy, moved
that a committee of five men from
each county on road No. 2 be sent to
meet with the state road department
at its next regular meeting. This
committee is to be chosen by the
trade bodies of the respective ceun-
ties and was later amended to include
member of the travelling mems as
sociation in each delegation of five.