The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1951-12-28
THIS
ROCK
OF
OURS


Let's give the promoters OF a
/ public swimming pool here in
Key West the benefit Of every
doubt.
Let's say that nowhere within
their plans is any thought being
oiven to the personal profit of
! dollars and cents TO be derived
from the construction and main
tenance of such q project
Let's consider just the taXpay-
CT, the winter vacationists. and
u most imnortance-the health
and welfare of our younq people
The taxpayer, and that word
includes every man, woman, and
child in Key West--white or
bisck-is entitled to the utmost
returns for each dollar ne spends.
II we built normal size poor ii
could not be enjoyed by the pub
lie as 8 whole. Such public shar-
ing Of the place would require a
time schedule and rules that
would immediately cancel any
pleasure derived from the min
ute or two spent in the water.
For instance, was permanent
party at Lakeland A Base for
quite awhile. We had about thir-
ty thousand men stationed there,
constantly being rotated for
training. Not one but several
swimming pools were dedicated
to theiF pleasure %.
Did they enjoy them? Well.
you decide.
First, everything operated on
split-second time schedule. We'd
fall the men in by Flights, march
them TO the pool, and give them
perhaps five minutes in the
water. AT the sound of a whistle.
in order to make room for the
next Flight, everyone had to as
semble and march away IN the
hot Texas sun and dust.
The only virtuous aspect OF the
whole situation was that the
water was clean. Keeping it so.
necessitated a guard being post
ed to insure that every man
took a shower--with soapi--be-
fore entering the pool. Failure to
take such shower was a court
martial offence. Moreover, under
penalty of court martial proceed
ings, no man who was even sus-
pected of being sick. having a
contagious disease. etc, could go
swimming. They all received pc
riodical health checks.
Do you think the City of Key
West can even halfway meet
such safety requirements?
The local Navy installations
are used as an example of why
we should have a municipal pool.
I'm not too familiar with Navy
regulations but l imagine they
pretty well parallel the Air Force
or Army. If so, the rules that APP
ply to the men are also strictly
followed by their dependents
wives, children, and friends.
Remuneration alone m k e s
Navy pools a success. And regi-
mentation doesn't exactly suit
the people of Key West.
Things that are possible IN the
Service are completely unwork-
able outside.
/. Down in the Canal Zone, a Sc
ries of unpleasant incidents
caused a co to issue orders that
mo feminine dependents would
publicly wear shorts and halters.
Such an order issued In civilian
life would probably make "Duk-
hobors' out of our ladies and
tlssS Would Sired all tBeir s6thes
n rebellion.
won rf6neS spent 81 - or q beathes
instead of concrete hole-in-the-
ground would give twice the
pleasure 10 ten times the number
OF people. Moreover, il would
make a healthier. more natural
recreation area.
Sure! Other cities have pools
But they don't have our beauti-
full snrf-free ocean water! They
don't have our sunny, warm
climate! Our potential beaehes'
And even so, their pools are the
first places closed when disease
is prevalent. They have built the
nools 10 initiate the God-glVen
beauties of Nature with when
we already are blessed. In the
name of common sense, why
should the greater initiate the
lesser? That is what we are CON
templating with regard to
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