Evening star., 1925-10-25
PROSPECTS OF FLORIDA GOOD.
BUT NOT FOR HOUSE LOT BUYER
State Certain TO Grow, But White-Staked Acres Are
Likely to Stand for Long Time Symbols of
Credulity and Broken Hopes.

| the representation that II II is bought
! 1t will double in value before snow
| flies in the North. The lot, in the
greater number of cases, is bought
/ with the intention of sticking 1t off
on somebody else at a profit - not
! bought with the idea of building on it
and making a home. This argument
is contested by the boosters with the
! statement that thousands of people
are coming to Florida to live.
And while 1 have heard them quote
! figures TO the effect that only 1000 900
acres of Florida s 35, 900, 900 acres are
under cultivation, l heard none of
, them proclaiming on either the high
ways or the byways. that some
10000 600 acres, according to one esti-
mate, have been plated into town
sites and 50-foot lots. If these figures
are correct, and If there are six lots
to an acre, there are some 10000. 900
lots on the market in Florida today,
for due allowance must be made for
streets, golf courses, etc. II there are
four and onehalf persons to the aver
age home, this means that Florida is
the future dwelling place for some
10000, 600 people, provided they buy
all the lots on sale and come to Florida
to live.
Travesties on Common Sense.
down here for the purchase of the
average 50-foot lot are travesties on
the common sense of the purchaser.
The school teacher. the Government
clerk, the men and women of small
means who have saved a few thou
sands of dollars, will swallow open
mouthed, statements which, If they
were in a normal state of mind, would
be laughed off as so much hot air.
W. u 60 &hD<
Florida has been fed to the tourist in
such large and exaggerated doses
that he believes dollar buried In it's
soil will bring forth two with no eff
fort on anybody's part. In addition
the tourists. already primed for the
slaughter by a carefully prepared
diet, are put through ordeals of high
pressure salesmanship which amount
to hpynotism. In the end, the sales
man says: You are Mr.. Dodo, the
celebrated millionaire. Sign on the
dotted line"
And in his somnambulistic state, the
victim signs and goes away wearing a
mYstitied expression.
Before actually buying his Florida
lot the tourist or would-be invest or
has been lured to Florida by eXcur-
SionS on boats. trains or buSSes. In
Florida he may virtually tour the
state III lue DuSSeS Oh Dig ueNelOD-
ment companies, and the tours are
made at. ridiculously low prices. In
the magic State of Florida ne sees
the homes of men whose names are
by-words from one end of the coun-
try to the other. He IS driven along
beautiful roads, past orange groves
IN the country and budding SKY
scrapers in the city. Finally he ends
up on the site of the development
company, which has brought him to
Florida. He hears a lecture from n
golden-throated orator whose every
word paints picture of a bigger, bet
Ter future. Statistics are fired ct him
with the rapidity and precision of
we'll aimed machine gun, leaving him
daZed and staring. He hears tales of
men and women who have bought
OTIS and doubled their money. He is
assured through an 'unwritten guar.
antee" that he will realize from 100
to 700 per cent on his investment He