The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1936-03-10

EXPRESSES VIEWS
ON GASOLINE TAX

Editor, Inc OlCILcH.
l notice that proposal is made
to levy local tax on gasoline in
Key West. Though this will be
collected of the dealers, it will, of
course, be paid by the motorists.
This presents question of advis-
ability that, it seems to me, should
be carefully considered by the
people of Key West. This city
labors already under a variety OF
handicaps. Its very existence In
the future would seem to depend
on the attraction of winter visi-
tors, who must come largely by
auto and depend on their autos
for local transportation while
here. The price of gasloine is al
ready higher here than in any
other place in the United States,
with which l am acquainted. VIII
it pay to make it still higher?
The winter visitors to Key Yves:
consist of two classes-the veal
thy who live at the Casa Marina
and think nothing of paying -s25
a day for a fishing boat. and the
persons of moderate to very mod
crate means. The first class are
not likely to be adversely affect
ed by an additional 1c a gallon
on gasoline. But the second class
are by far the more numerous,
and comprise, 1 suppose, those
from whom Key West gets the
most return. A great luxurious
hotel must send North for its Serv-
ants and managers, and buys its
supplies in Miami or Jacksonville.
1t is the second class who patron
ize your local stores and employ
your local servants.
Now how will an extra gasoline
tax, increasing the differential
already existing between this and
the mainland, affect them? Know
ing Key West as do, it will not
affect me in the least. l can af-
ford the extra four percent on
gasoline, and will take it out by
treating myself to four percent
more of sunshine and swimming.
But l have a shrewd suspicion
that it may not be universally so.
Every tourist by car will remem-
Der the barrage of hostility and
opposition through which he had
to pass on the mainland in order
to get here the first time. 1t re-
quired an absolute determination
and a firm set jaw to travel
through it. We were told that
there was no way to get here, no
place to stop when we did get
here, and nothing to see or do if
we found place to stop, that liv-
ing was very expensive, the mail
service inadequate, the people al
most barbarous, what few there
were of them, and that nobody in
his right mind ever came here,
etc, etc. On the contrary, in any
of the favored spots in which we
were told these things, everything
was so different! We were CIV
en- two weeks time in which to
return, disguised.
Now the question is whether it
would be good policy for Key West,
solely in its own interest, to add
anything to this catalogue of
woes, so many of them imaginary,
but, nevertheless, more or less
effective by permitting her COM
petitors to the North to add,
"And they even soak you for your
gasoline"
The tendency in recent years all
along the line has been to tighten
rather than increase the tax bur-
den of motorists. License fees are
being reduced. They have reached
three dollars in a neighboring
state. In California, Florida's
great rival as a winter resort,
they are but five dollars and gaso-
line is seldom if ever more than
twelve cents a gallon-I have
bought it for six cents.
It may be thought that these
are trifling circumstances, which
ought not to have much weight in
determining which way to head
the car and where to stop it. So
be it. But it is precisely trifling
things that do determine the
course of events and automobiles.
Is it worth while to add one more
trifle to the already formidable
list of obstacles that the prospec-
tive visitor to Key West must
hurdle? OF course, this is a ques-
ton that ought to be decided sole
w IN tho iIteraSt of Kew West.