The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1939-08-21
Paul Marks Gives Account
Of Other Matters DEALING
Observation-Disclosures

scribed lands therein from Key
West to Lower Matecumbe, and
if you will check the description
set up in the pamphlet at the
Bridge Office, you will find this
to be a fact. However, the Act
only empowered the District to
build roads and bridges between
Lower Matecumbe and Big Pine
Key, so / think the people of
Monroe County should be given
a say in this matter if they are
going. to be subjected to taxation.
/ know the District wants to
cooperate with the RFC, the
holder of their bonds, and have
been doing SO at all times, but
after all the RFC is in Washing
tbn and the individuals represent
ing that agency look at books and
figures and are interested in their
money and not how we collect
the money or the tolls. So long
as the Bridge District meets its
principal payment and interest
as they go along that is all the
RFC could ask of them like any
other mortgage. So see no OBJ
lection why the District cannot
properly reduce its tolls back to
a dollar and make an additional
charge of Csc on the drivers, using
these funds for a well planned
out publicity and advertising
program.
Why could we not follow such
a program for a while in accord
ance with the suggestions of F..
e. Harrison, who made a study
and survey of the Districts traf-
fic and tolls and feel our ground
before going into a high toll
right off the bat?
Suppose we had to operate on
an unbalanced budget for the
time being, is there any harm in
that? The United States Of
America has been operating on
such an unbalanced budget for
some time and / see no danger
of Uncle Sam going into receiver
ship.
Jesse Jones, head of the RFC,
recently testified in a Congress
sional investigation that over $50
of the RFC loans had 'soured"
on him.
I think the Bridge District will
be self-liquidating and bonds of
the District will sell for par but
how can that be accomplished if
our hands are tied in the
meantime unless il is for the in
terest of some individuals to see
the District operations taken out
of the hands of the people of
Monroe County. | trust that the
majority opinion of the Board will
prevail-like it should--and that
the tolls, will be made reasonable
to encourage traffic and not dis
courage it.
III
Numerous Key Westers have
talked to me in the past several
weeks that they were afraid the
dropping of B. M. Duncan as gem
eral manager by the Bridge Dis
trict might offend certain fed
eral officials and hurt Monroe
County, that such action might
stop the water, the roads from
Florida City and Matecumbe and
Big Pine Key to Key West and
Monroe County and just about
put Key West behind the eight
BALI.
Personally, I don't think such
a situation would exist or could
exist. In the first place, what
about Sentaor c. o. Andrews and
Senator Claude Pepper and Con-
gresham Pat Cannon-would
they stand for such thing?
Is the Bridge District required
to carry 3. NJ. Duncan for life at
a salary of $4,000 per month,
plus his gas and oil from Key
West to Marathon every day and
return. in addition to his meals
there, just because if the District
drops him we may offend him
personally and he in turn will
take it out on the people of Mon
roe County? Would B. M. Dun
can refuse to further help to get
the water through the Florida
Keys Aqueduct Commission since
his services have been dispensed
with and take such steps to block
constructive things for Monroe
County? Could he not carry on
through the Florida Keys Aque-
duct Commission just the same2
What about Governor Fred p.
Cone helping out on the roads
through the State Road Depart
ment?
In Conclusion
It is very probable that the af-