The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1922-07-15
STIRRING UP THE
MOTOR CIRCLES
Important Visit to Marion County Of
the Field Secretary of the Ameri-
can Auto Association

Chas. A. O'Connor, field secretary
of the American Automobile Associa-
ton, addressed a meeting of the
Marion County Motor Club at the
Chamber of Commerce last night. Mr..
O'Connor stated that it would be nee
essary to get at least three hundred
members in the club in order to prop
erly finance the organization and to
equip it properly for taking care of
its service to members and for taking
care of the great increase IN motor
tourists who will come to Florida this
winter. Mr.. O'Connor stated that the
new highways into Florida from Chi
cago to Fort Myers and from Cleve-
land to Miami would be in good pass
able condition by October 1st, that
hundreds of cars would come through
Ocala daily and that these cars would
expect service from the Marion Coun-
ty Motor Club as an affiliated unit of
the A. A. A. The field secretary stat
ed that motorists coming into the
state by way of the east coast route
would want to leave it by way of the
central Florida route and vice versa.
Today Mr.. O'Connor is assisting the
membership department of the motor
club, of which Mr.. w. T. Gary is
chairman, with a campaign for new
members. He is assisting the me-
chanical service department, of which
Mr.. R. V. OFT is chairman, with the
installation of the mechanical service.
A delegation from Citra appeared
before the meeting ard extended a
hearty invitation to the members of
the motor club and to the people of
Ocala to attend the big barbecue and
good roads rally at "the home of the
pinapple orange" on July 9th. Mr..
H. L. Borland introduced the repre-
sentatives from Citra, Mr. E. L.
Wartmann, Mr.. Carl Sommers and
Mr.. II. Gilbert. Mr.. Wartmann ex-
tended the invitation and asked the CO.
operation of the motor club in secur-
ing the early construction of the road
from Citra to Orange Springs and the
stretch of one mile necessary to con-
meet Citra with the new highway
Alachua county is building across Or
ange lake. The club named commit
tee consisting of Mr.. A. G. Blowers,
Dr. C. B. Aver and Mr.. L. T. Izlar to
work up attendance at the rally.
Secretary Louis H. Chazal, of the
Chamber of Commerce, and chairman
of the publicity department of the
motor club, will cooperate in giving
publicity to the Citra gathering. The
two roads which the people of Citra
want to see constructed at an early
date are links in important highways
from Jacksonville to central and
southwestern Florida. Mr.. O'Connor
told the meeting that the county COM
missioners of Hamilton, Columbia and
Alachua have made written agree
ments to put maintenance crews on
the stretches of state road No. 2
needing them, thus insuring a main-
tenance of this highway in good pass
able condition from the Georgia line
to the Marion-Alachua county line by
Sept. 1st. At the request of Mr..
O'Connor, that a similar agreement
be obtained from the county commits
sioners of Marion county, the club re-
ferred to Mr.. C. G. Rose, chairman of
the roads. streets and bridges depart
ment of the club, the matter of con-
ferring with the commissioners for
this purpose. 1t was pointed out that
the construction of state road No. 2
between Belleview and the Lake coun-
ty line would be finished this fall
The convict crews now grading the
road between Belleview and the Lake
county line, it was stated, will be
transferred to the north md of Mar
ion county to work south on state road
No. 2 and that detour in the north
ern end of the county would be neces-
sary. This detour and the stretches
of road just north and south of Ocala
can be maintained in good condition,
it was thought, at a comparatively
small cost.
Mr.. O'Connor stated that the main
tenance of the highway from Chicago
south to Chattanooga has been ar
ranged for and he leaves in a few
days for Georgia to line up the coun-
ties between Chattanooga and the
Florida line.
Mr.. O'Connor told the meeting that
information and photographs furnish
ed by the publicity department of the
Marion County Motor Club would be
incorporated in articles that will ap-
/ pear in several of the big magazines
in August and September as part of
a publicity campaign to advise the
motorists of the country that for the
first time IN history. there will be two
roads in good pasasble condition into
Florida this coming season.