Coral Gables Riviera

THE CORAL GABLES RIVIERA

AN INDEPENDENT COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER 16TH YEAR NO. 16 CORAL GABLES, FLORIDA, JUNE 6, 1941 PRICE FIVE CENTS

Gables Will Select City Officials on Tuesday

Straws In the Political Wind by JIM MOORE

In just a few more days it will be all over but the congratulating. It's been a short campaign with fewer candidates than usual. As politics go, we'd say that the whole thing has been rather quiet. No parades, only one small rally, few cigars and no free hot dogs. On Tuesday you and I will go to the polls, step for a moment behind the green curtains, and pull the levers for the candidates of our choice. It will only take a minute, but it will mean a lot. We are choosing the men to run our city for the next two years. Selecting them is no easy task, for there are many good men in the field. But that selection is up to the individual voter. Following the policy outlined at the beginning of the campaign, The Riviera is making no attempt to tell any citizen how to cast his ballot. As we said before, Coral Gables is a community composed of intelligent individuals. We believe that it would be an insult to try to tell any of them how to pick their candidates. The Riviera is backing no candidates or group of candidates. From the outset, we have endeavored to present every facet of the current campaign in a wholly impartial manner. From what the candidates tell us, we feel that we have succeeded. In no instance have we editorialized in favor of any aspirant or group. The only pleas to vote for certain candidates have been made in paid political advertisements-marked as such. In today's issue, on this page, you will find the final statements of eight of the candidates. Letters were written to each one, offering them space in the Riviera for a final message to the voters. Eight responded and one declined with thanks. We urge you, if you haven't made up your mind, to read those statements and the political advertisements in this issue. It may help you to decide upon your candidates. Next Wednesday, the election will be over and the new commissioners and mayor elected. When that is accomplished, we, as Gableites will again settle down to building our community. It is The Riviera's hope, that no matter how the election comes out, that any bitterness will be forgotten in the more important matter of continuing the growth and prosperity of Coral Gables.

Dredge Work On Canal Progressing

With the huge M and M Construction Company dredge now cutting into the old spoil bank at the mouth of the Coral Gables canal leading into Biscayne Bay, much satisfactory progress has been made since work was started on widening and deepening the canal several weeks ago and is expected to be finished within the next 60 days, M. B. Garris, engineer in charge of the work advised the Chamber of Commerce. "We are now over 500 feet east of the old hump back bridge and have dug a channel 100 ft. wide at the bottom of the canal and 8 feet deep at low tide", Garris reported. Over 50,000 cubic yards of fill has been pumped on to the former swamp lands south of the canal in deepening and widening the canal and this has eliminated the mosquitoes and sand flies which used to infest that area. According to Garris, a new road is being built from the first bridge on the Cocoplum road east and will lead straight to Tahiti Beach, eliminating curves and former possible flooding. Arrangements have been made for the construction of a new lift bridge at Cocoplum Plaza, which when completed will permit yachts up to 100 feet in length to find a safe harbor and dockage in the best protected yacht basin in the state of Florida. These large yachts will be able to use the turning basin west of Cocoplum Plaza which is 500 feet in width, Garris stated. The canal channel will extend 6,000 feet into Biscayne Bay to deep water when completed.