Diario las Américas., 1958-04-20


gument about the historic bottle
neck On highway Ala in st. Au-
gustine still goes on. The State
wants to make it a four-laner past
the old fort, Castillo de San Mar
cos The National Park Service and
certain historical groups objected
on the ground that a wider high
way would endanger the beauty of
the ancient structure. This week,
the Assistant Secretary of the In
terror, Roger Ernst, has submitted
a compromise plan to the officials
of St. Johns County, the City of
st. Augustine, and the State Road
Department 1t is now up to those
groups to study the plan and
see if it is sound and if it will
break the present traffic bottle
neck.
FLORIDA WORK FOR FLORI-
DA FIRMS - This is the story of
a long distance phone call. From
Spessard Holland in Washington
to Genera! William o. Senter, Di,
rector Of Procurement and Pro.
duction at Wright Patterson Air
Force Base in Dayton, Ohio. Sub
ject: let's give Florida business to
Florida firms. The Air Force is
getting ready to build a huge com
munications network between Egg
lin Field and Tampa as part of the
Gulf Missile Range. Two groups
n bidding on it. One is a Flori
da group (small %business). An
other is a big corporation from
out of the State. Senator Holland
feels strongly that if the Florida
firm can do the work satisfactor-
lily and their price is right that
they should get the job. He lodg-
ed his first appeal with the De,
partment of Defense and the Air
Force in Washington. But to be
sure that the word trickled down
to the man who would place the
job - he called on the phone and
gave it to him personally. Out
come is a question, Major hurdle
is the fact that the present ad-
ministration favors big business
over small business. And they
have the final say-So.
NJ Gid IECT NTCUT AID
PROACH - Congressman Charlie
Bennett likes to work on his favor
lite projects while the Congress is
in recess. That way, he says, he is
able to find department heads with
more free time to listen to him.
This week he met with Secretary
of the Army, Wilbur M. Brucker,
and some of his top brass. They
talked about the Florida cross
state barge canal.
Bennett, champion Of the canal
in Washington, wants the Army
to establish the need for the canal
on its military value. Brucker
agreed that every cent spent on
the canal could be justified from a
military standpoint. Just looking
back on the losses OF oil ship.
mentS in the last war would prove
his point. Also, the canal would
permit oil to be s'barged" up the
coast instead Of being shipped in
large seagoing tankers.
the problem is to find a formula
for figuring the actual value in
dollars to the military so that the
proper sort Of presentation car be
made to the Appropriations Com.
mittee. Always before this has been
presented on the basis of its com.
mercial value. Although this for.
mula shows. the canal would be a
sound project it has had to stand
in line behind others that looked
better, or that didn't cost $3.50
million.
Benefits new approach was to
ask the Army to consider the can.
al for its military value. He asked
Brucker to come up with a definite
proposal for beginning work on it.
He wants Brucker to make a state.
ment on it before the Appropri
tons Committee and to ask for
half a million for a. beginning
next year Bennett said that after
his Pentagon meeting Brucker
said he favored the idea, and tina
he likes the new approach. He said
he would try to have material
ready for the Appropriations hear.
ings that begin next week.