The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1936-03-12
DEFINITE ASSURANCE OF A
HIGHWAY

roe County Board of Commissioners, as on
March 10, they delegated Chester B.
Treadway, Chairman of the State High
way Commission, to act for them in Secur-
ing title to the inactive Oversee Railroad.
Mr.. Treadway has given ample evidence
of his friendly interest in Key West and has
the confidence of our people as he enters
upon task of unusual Importance and re-
sponsibility.
Key West has been benumbed by the
uncertainties and cross currents that have
seemed to set at naught all efforts to eX-
tricate herself from a different situation.
The action taken by the city and county
representatives of the people marks our
entrance into a new era of activity and
progress.
The amount required to purchase the
right of way and the viaducts will be off
set, in a great measure, by the taxes due
the city and county from the railroad.
True, we must forget our dream of a
restored Florida East Coast Railroad TAX
ing up the thread of activity where it was
broken off
When Judge Strum deferred his de-
cisiOn for the announced purpose of allow
ing the receivers of the railroad to en-
deaVOr to dispose of the property, the
handwriting on the wall made it plainly
eviden, that there would be no resump-
ton Of operation under the present man.
agement
hIOo. of us would have had it other
wise, out the choice was not ours to make
As it is, we have no cause to be cast down.
We shall presently be possessed of val
liable property which will be ours to use
as a super-highway, or to dispose of to an
active railroad management which may
have the vision to foresee the golden OPP
pOrtunity that commerce with Cuba is pre-
pairing TO offer. Or, if we decide to make
the most of the advantages offered by
ready access to the mainland by auto, bus
and truck, it is well within the range of
possibility that the natural growth of the
city and the keys which the highway will
traverse will develop situation which
will present an irresistible invitation to an
enterprising railroad management
will have no difficulty in ascertaining the
desire Of the electorate, and in feeling as
Sured that they proceed under a mandate
as definite as though a referendum had
been called to give them their authority to
act. Confronted with the alternative of a
highway or nothing, there can be no hest
tation i'll taking the highway.
The construction of the highway will
be financed by Federal grant of sixty
per cent of the cost, leaving us to furnish
forty per cert and with the tolls of the
road as security for this amount, there will
be little difficulty in complying with this
condition.
The idea of highway aside from the
railroad right of way might as well be for
gotten. That would require the expendi-
ture of about seven million dollars. The
government, recognizing our imperative
need for communication with the main
land and realizing that this need can be
met by the expenditure of about three
million dollars for a highway over the via
duct, has decided the question for us.
And if we once have convenient I'M
impeded intercourse between Key West
and the mainland, we can handle such
other problems as may arise without much
difficulty.
The Island City is definitely on her
way back to healthy prosperity. Prop
erty owners will see a compelling reason
to keep their holdings off the delinquent
tax list and new blood will enter into
our circulation and revivify social and
commercial life that was threatened with
stag alton.
The hopes and best wishes of Key
West attend upon Chester B. Treadway as
he assumes the responsibility of bargain
ing for our benefit