The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1939-08-18
PAUL MARKS GIVES
DETAILED ACCOUNT
OF BRIDGE ACTION

Continued rom Rage Onel
t facts, figures, and compilation
that ordinarily would take ;
!. Commissioner days to study. Tn.
Chairman submitted this repor
/. to the Commissioners, at least
| know to Mayor Willard M. AL
| bury and c. c. Symonette-no'
! before the meeting, but while
the meeting was in session, ano
the only Information elected wa!
the fact that the estimate showed
a total revenue of tolls of thu
amount of $212,985.5 The only
thing the Board had before them
was principal, interest. and OPP.
Grating expense of $274, 10000
per annum and a toll revenue es.
innate for the next fiscal year OF
$2l2, 10000. This left a shortage
of $50, 100000 and with that only
before the Board and no oppor-
tunity given to the Board to
make study further or examine
the report prior to the meeting
the Commission increased the
toll rates SOC per car and Csc fol-
the driver, making a total in
crease of 75c per car. Since
Ehave had occasion to examine the
report, ! quote you further from
the recommendations by Mr.
Harrison:
"An increase of $3.50 in
travel over the. period used
would produce the necessary
| income for all of the require
ments of the District at pres
emit rates. Every possible
source of income should be
explored thoroughly before
recourse is had to an increase
in tolls. Il is automatic that
an increase in rates is not
necessarily followed by an
I increase in revenue and any
increase in toll rates less than
that set out in Exhibit &c"
will not produce the amount
of revenue needed. My sug-
gestion is that a very thor
! ough survey be made OF the
Miami area to determine the
public reaction should an in
crease of so cents per car be
found necessary but / cannot
help but feel that an increase
in rates should be deferred
for at least three months and
perhaps until after the end
of the tourist season. Result
of operations over the next
six or eight months would
throw far more light on the
future income of the bridges
than any estimate that can
be made based upon present
data.
Why were these facts not
brought out at the meeting? Why
did the Chairman dump it in the
laps of the Board and then when
the resolution was proposed, vote
mo-? Did Commissioners AL
bury and Symonette and Kennedy
have any other alternative in the
matter? Why did the General
Manager, B. NJ. Duncan, who
had access to the report and
made study of the same prior
to the meeting, sit idly by and
say nothing?
In other words, there were two
suggested courses to take. Il. De-
fer an increase in rates, other
than to charge the driver 25c,
from three to six months and see
how things were going. Or 2.
Defer the increases in rates, ex-
cept to charging the driver, and
try a publicity and advertising
program and see what that would
do.
Neither of these courses were
taken, nor did the Chairman
even suggest or make any recon-
mendations when the matter was
fully in his hands for study for
/ the past two months and the pre-
vious resolution to charge the
driver alone and try out pub
licity and advertising program
was rescinded on his own insist
ence.
ask the following questions:
/. Did the Chairman seek to
embarrass some of the Commits
sioners from Key West, who were
opposed to the managership of B.
M. Duncan?
j 2. Was the Chairman opposed
to the publicity and advertising
program for any personal reasons
of his own?
8. Why did not the Chairman
4 bring out the facts and recon-
mendations of the very report
he brought down?
may be only the attorney for
the Board chat is for the time
beingD but I doubt if anyone has
any more interest in the opera
tions of the Bridge District and
Monroe County than ] have or
is more familiar with its bond re-