Coral Gables Riviera

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CORAL GABLES RIVIERA

AN INDEPENDENT COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER 17TH YEAR NO. 52 CORAL GABLES, FLORIDA, FEBRUARY 14, 1941 PRICE FIVE CENTS

CORAL GABLES IS GROWING UP DO YOUR PART- Buy It In THE GABLES!

400 Cadets Expected for Air Course Here

OUR TOWN

by Jim Moore Several times during the last few weeks, Gableites, living in the vicinity of the Granada Golf Course, have called the police to break up what they thought was a gun battle raging near their homes. Arriving at the scene of the so-called "gang war," the law found a group of boys in Scout uniforms, cracking long bull whips with all the gusto of a South American Gaucho. The lads are members of Boy Scout Troop 7, who are readying an act for the annual Boy Scout Circus. Because of the complaints, the boys are much concerned, and have asked me to offer an explanation of their activities. Troop 7 is the only whip-cracking troop in the South, and while some residents may wish that "South" meant "South Africa," we still have to hand it to the boys for their ingenuity. It takes a lot of skill to master the cracking of a bull whip. Those of you who remember Doug Fairbanks in "Don Q" will agree that the big "pop" from the flexible leather takes plenty of dexterity. Most of the boys are using 10-foot whips, while some have them as long as 20 feet. They are working hard on their stunt for the circus and can't afford to stop practice now, as they have quite a bit of money invested in the whips. They had a meeting this week and decided that the boys will not crack their whips any more at patrol meetings, which are held on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday afternoons Therefore residents will be subjected to the "gun battles" only on Tuesday evenings when the troop meets. The boys will practice on other days in their own yards and will absolutely stop cracking them around the troop cabin on the golf course every day except Tuesday-and then no cracking will be done after 9 p. m. The Scouts wish me to state that they apologize to those who have been annoyed and hope that their new declaration will bring the neighbors a little more peace and quiet. Now this sounds like a pretty fair proposition to us. We can see how this whip cracking every night in the week would get anyone's patience, but the residents should be able to bear up for one evening a week. We admire the boys for their determination to work up an act for the circus that is really different. Just imagine the time when their whip cracking performance should be the hit of the show. If there are still Gableites who are disgruntled about this new program, we have but one suggestion to make. Instead of sitting fuming in your living room, with cotton in your ears, stroll over to the Scout cabin and watch the boys work. We'll guarantee that you'll become so interested that you'll forget all about the noise. Maybe you'll take up the hobby yourself.

Cavallettes Go To Homestead

Thirty-two Cavallettes will journey to Homestead Friday night to drill between halves of the Cavalier-Grower cage clash. This is paying back the visit the Homestead girls paid Ponce during the first game of the series.

Police Open Total War On Increasing Accidents

Looking back on a month that exceeded all accident records for Coral Gables, Gables police this week resolved to clamp down on reckless driving in an attempt to lower the rising accident rate for the city. With 48 accidents in January, 1941-10 more than in January of 1940-the city had its worst monthly accident toll since the incorporation of Coral Gables. Checking accident records in an effort to find the main cause, L. C. Reeves, captain of police, stated that too much speed and lack of regard for stop signs were the two outstanding factors in January accidents, "This week is the beginning of a campaign to stop this recklessness," Captain Reeves declared. "We've made every effort to warn speeders and reckless drivers; but it looks like we'll have to go farther than that. Where we've been handing out one or two summonses in the average shift, we're now giving 18 or 20." Reeves explained that after every effort to cut down drunk driving had failed, a stiffer fine and a compulsory five-day jail sentence had knocked down drunk driving arrests to less than 10 percent of the previous number. "Apparently that's the way we'll have to control these accidents-by stiffer police methods," he said. The police department is now preparing a campaign for stiffer stressing traffic laws for the business section. Among the infractions to come in a ban on U turns at any point except the end of a block; while all one-way streets are going to be more plainly marked, as are all parking limit areas. Another driver fault that will bring fines where warnings were often given in the past is the habit of ignoring stop signs. The police have been instructed to overlook no violators who flagrantly ignore stop streets; although those who cross stop signs in clear areas at one or two miles per-hour will not receive such strict treatment. "On top of the bad January record," Reeves stated, "we've had 20 accidents up to the 11th of this month. It looks like high time to close in on violators."

Hanks Speaks

At the 84th weekly luncheon of Republican men at Walgreen's Tuesday, Bryan Hanks, former Florida Power and Light president and a leading Miami attorney, made an address on "Our Major Community Problem."

Big Advance In Power Use Is Recorded

Growth of the Coral Gables district in winter population and new homes is graphically reflected in the Florida Power & Light company's records of electric-meter connections, which in January showed an increase of 13.46 percent over the same period last year. With this percentage of increase, Coral Gables led the Greater Miami area. with 12.36%, while the city of Miami's increase was 8.5%. Average increase for the entire playground area here is 9.5% or 7,472 more customers than in January 1940. Another indication of mounting demand for electric service was a new peak load registered on the entire Sunshine Service system this week of 166,600 kilowatts, a record "high" in the history of the company. Last season, during the period of cold weather the highest peak reached 152,100 kilowatts. Anticipating this population growth of the Miami area, FPL completed installation of a new 30,000-kilowatt generator at its Lauderdale station, near Dania, in December. It has since been feeding power into the company's statewide interconnected system. Another 30,000-kilowatt turbo-generator unit was ordered last July and will be installed in the Miami Beach plant this year. McGregor Smith, FPL president, who incidentally is a Coral Gables resident, stated yesterday: "We feel that with the many new defense projects planned in Florida and the growing populations of this area, we were more than justified in reaching a decision almost a year ago to enlarge the Miami Beach plant, particularly in view of the fact that fabrication and installation of one of these giant generators take approximately 18 months in normal times. We plan to have the new Beach unit ready for service by the end of 1941, but it would not have been possible if we had delayed our decision. With defense orders crowding manufacturers' (Please turn to Page Five)

More Marching Men In Coral Gables

More Army units will be seen drilling in Coral Gables if the University plans for a 400-man class of air navigation continue to meet with Army approval. Like the above group, which is part of the class of 200 now attending the Army classes at the University, the new cadets will receive their ground training as well as air instruction here.

One Per Cent of Earth Shares Florida Climate, Says Expert

South Florida has a climate so exclusive that only one per cent of the earth is able to share the same type, according to Dr. W. Gorczynski, who is so sure of his facts that he is about to publish a special volume at Miami University to elaborate on his theme. Classifying it as a Mediterranean climate, Dr. Gorczynski said that the type of climate found here is found mostly between 30 and 40 degrees latitude in both the northern and southern hemispheres. Enumerating the sections in the world's hemisphere which enjoy what he calls "privileged climate," Dr. Gorczynski named the greater part of the Florida peninsula, the South Pacific shores, southern and lower California, the eastern part of the Gulf of California, which includes the Mexican states of Sonora and Sinaloa. Dr. Gorczynski refused to commit himself as favoring the climate in any section to the detriment of another, although he avows a preference to the Mediterranean climate over all the rest. "There is no doubt that only one kind of climate represents the most suitable climate for white men for settlement, travel or for health seekers and invalids," says the scientist. "That is the so-called Mediterranean type of climate. But which place is the better? Is the Mediterranean-Riviera better than Florida? Are the shores of Southern California more pleasant than those of Portugal, Spain or Morocco? Is the climate of the southwestern corner of Australia better in comparison with those of territory around Cape Town in South Africa or some places in South America? "All these questions cannot be answered by a simple yes or no. It is impossible to say which climate is absolutely the best without taking into consideration the person or group of persons interested in this delicate problem."

Jesse Stuart Next Speaker At Institute

After a highly successful opening week, the Winter Institute of Literature launches its second program of the season Monday afternoon when Jesse Stuart, writer, teacher and poet, will begin a series of lectures which will continue through Friday evening. Stuart, who has gained fame with his treatment of his native Kentucky scene and people in his books and poems, will discuss both poetry and the short story in the four scheduled sessions. Monday afternoon Stuart will speak on "Poetry: And an Author's Background." Tuesday evening will bring a talk on "The Creation of Poetry." Stuart will discuss "The Marketing of Poetry" Thursday afternoon; and Friday evening will bring "How I Write a Short Story." An eminent figure in American letters at 33, Jesse Stuart is the author of such books as: "Man With a Bull-Tongue Plow," "Head O'W-Hollow," "Beyond Dark Hills" and "Trees of Heaven." The Winter Institute of Literature under the direction of Walter Scott Mason, brings to the University of Miami each winter a group of the foremost American authors, who discuss trends of modern literature in open seminars.

1,500 Expected To Turn Out for F. B. A. Dance

While advance reservations keep piling higher each day, the Fireman's Benevolent Association is making plans to receive a huge mob at its dance and revue at the Coral Gables Country Club Friday night, Feb. 21. Association officers expect a crowd approaching the 1500 mark, and are planning a show fit for 1500 kings. With the entire show of the Mayfair cabaret slated to appear, headed by Benny Davis, and with Joe E. Lewis due to drop in for a round of laughs during the evening, the show, which is approved by Theatre Authority, holds promise of being one of the highlights of the season.

C. of C. Votes Aid to Ponce School Band

At a meeting of the Coral Gables Chamber of Commerce board of directors Wednesday night, the Chamber voted to aid the Ponce de Leon High School Band in its drive for funds to carry on its musical program for the remainder of the season. Carl Fein, Ponce bandmaster, made an earnest plea for help, not only financial, but also for aid in influencing the school oard to drop its attitude of regarding Ponce de Leon as a "poor stepchild" of the Dade County school system. Citing the substantial profits made by other Dade County high schools from football and other athletic activities, Fein said that it was impossible to consider Ponce in the same light as Miami High or Edison in its use of athletic funds to support its band. The Chamber immediately voted to divert a $35 fund, marked for membership dues in the Miami Civic Music Association, to the use of the Ponce band, and set up plans for a committee to aid Fein in getting cooperation of civic groups in Coral Gables to keep his youthful musicians supplied with operating funds pending some change in the attitude of the school board. The planned discussion of methods of planting the palms destined for Ponce de Leon Boulevard and Coral Way was postponed until the city planning board could devote more time to a solution and analysis of the problems involved. City Manager Curry, who attended the meeting, said that the planning board regretted not being able to be present, but that the planting program simply required more time for study. At the same time the board of directors: Voted that no funds were available for a proposed color motion picture to be taken by Dr. Lloyd Rankin. Heard a report on the new Coral Gables billboards from Holder Collier, who said that the billboard idea (example: In New York it's Westchester-In Miami it's Coral Gables) was arousing much favorable comment.