The Coral Gables Times

Thursday, October 12, 1961, page 4 (of 28)

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THE Coral Gables TIMES

Established Jan. 15, 1926 Published Weekly at 344 Seville Ave., Coral Gables, Fla. Second Class Postage Paid at Miami, Fla. ROLFE NEILL | Editor & Publisher JOHN T. WATTERS | President Robert M. Slane | Advertising Manager Roy Speier | Circulation Manager Maurice Labelle, Raymond Lang | Reporters Mrs. Kay Squires | Classified Manager Miss Helen Reynolds | Society Editor Mrs. Eleanor Newsholme | Office Manager Subscription: $3.00 year by mail anywhere

How We Intend To Vote Tuesday

We hope the John McLeod circus gets its traveling orders from the voters Tuesday and that the Big Top — and the Big Blow — will disappear. We intend to do our part to see that it does by voting against life in Dade County as proposed by John McL. There are several good reasons for defeating these amendments which would gut the charter of Metropolitan Government. (There are some other good reasons for restyling Metro; but in Tuesday's election we have only a choice between the two and in the Times' opinion there is no confusion over which is preferable. Let's save Metro first and then we'll revise it). The major reason we're against the McLeod Amendments — or hysterectomy as we once called them — is because we believe they would be a deliberate jump into the dark ages of government. This is a time in the county's life when it can least afford retrogression. The interlocking needs of 27 municipalities can only be met by a Metro-type government. Let's keep a good thing and work to make it better.

Postscript

Well, our longtime city attorney, E. L. Semple, Esq., was quoted in the public prints Tuesday afternoon as to how he'll vote on McLeod vs. Metro and why. He said: One of the reasons I am going to vote for the McLeod amendment is because of prejudiced newspaper coverage. If the Miami newspapers and other propaganda media are able once more to say, 'The people of Dade County have spoken,' there never will be an amendment to the existing charter, which the newspapers themselves admit, is imperfect and needs amending. We fail to see how Br'er Semple is making a very effective vote by punishing Metro for something he lays to the newspapers. And while he lays it to the newspapers any careful reader knows that all the facts have been made available a dozen times over in the two dailies in this city. Despite their own editorial viewpoint, their columns have carried a voluminous amount of informative data. So much, in fact, we think the people of Dade County can act intelligently on these facts and will vote in favor of Metro on Tuesday.

OFF BEAT

By MAURICE LABELLE ONCE met a man who had lived 43 years in West Palm Beach without once having stepped foot in Dade County. His reason? Too sinful. In the light of that, it would be interesting to meet this fellow, eight years later, and ask him what he thinks of all the sensational disclosures of murder, illegal gambling, moonshining and other crimes that have rocked Palm Beach County since. There were a few who knew about these goings on then, but it was difficult to make ostrich-like Palm Beach Countians accept the truth. And it was easy to be branded a muckraker. There is a lesson there for every community that thinks itself above reproach. — ML — Commissioner George Wilson is what you might say an amateur newspaper hater. Which is his privilege, of course. It is interesting to hear Wilson blast the press for one reason or another. Sometimes he's right — there is always room for improvement and an honest newspaperman will be the first to admit. However good, the product could always be made better. No one has ever found a way to remove completely the human elemant from the reporting of facts. For this and other reasons it was amusing the other day to hear Wilson blast the daily press and other media for their handling of the Metro-McLeod squabble. Wilson contended that the reporting of the facts had been distorted, twisted, garbled, misinterpreted, etc. Without going into the validity of his charges, it was even more amusing when he and other commissioners then proceeded to disagree about the McLeod Amendment and its provisions. Which goes to prove that if news media report a babble of information from both camps, it generally reflects that even the experts don't always know all the facts and are often human in their interpretation. — ML — Football has proved a rough sport on Mayor Robert L. Searle's family. The mayor's son, Skip, recently fractured his left hand while playing with the Cavaliers. More recently, Jimmy was kicked in the jaw while playing with the 115-pound team at the Youth Center. The injuries apparently failed to dampen their enthusiasm, however. Cast in hand, Skip is still kicking for the Cavaliers and Jimmy has a lot of football if not foot left in him. — ML — Bad news for shoplifting customers at Gem Drugs, Miracle Mile. An all-seeing eye monitor keeps tabs on customers with exceptional shopping skills. The TV monitors, also used in other area stores, are hooked up with a central office which has a big brother watching. It's getting tougher and tougher to save a buck. — ML — Don't look for a weight reducing program for Gables city employes similar to that launched in Miami by City Manager Melvin Reese. Gables City Manager L. W. Robinson Jr., weighs in at 300 plus pounds. — ML — If any more stories appear in national trade journals about Coral Gables' new fire station, Chief Paul Matheson will surely burst with pride. How about a title like "Futuristic Fire Chief" to go along with the job of handling the most modern fire station in the U.S.? — ML — The "GGG Club" — (Gus Gotta Go) — has folded up for another year after a good start following the Pitt loss. There's nothing like victory to ruin a coach-killing campaign. UM Coach Andy Gustafson's critics are now saying tremendous team talent is making him look good. Regardless of the reasons, it's good to see the home town team winning.

The Things a Lady Shouldn't Be Asked

By PHILLIPS RUSSELL Correspondent The U.S. Department of Commerce is out to reverse a trend. It has established a Travel Service which is to encourage the incoming of tourists to offset, at least partly, the legions of outgoing tourists who annually leave our shores for foreign parts. The director is Voit Gilmore, a man who dislikes foolishness. Imagine then his feelings when he finds that a major obstacle to the growth of tourism to this side of the ocean is the law that any arriving woman, visitor no matter how refined and highly placed, must swear that she is not coming to these shores for purposes of prostitution! This is proof to the world that we are still a moral nation. In fact, we are the moralest of all the moral nations. We are so moral it is like a pain in the side, a gravel in the shoe, or an attack of lumbago. When we speak of the American union, we mean the political union of states. But there are no United Departments of America. For while the Travel Service says to travelers come in, the Immigration Service says keep out. In fact, the latter Service means to maintain our moral code even if it takes a shotgun and an insult to do it. In the battle of Travel Service vs. Immigration Service we intend to line up behind the former. But we realize the former is young and idealistic, while the latte is hard-boiled, made of iron set in concrete, and doesn't mean to give way though the heavens fall and the country be tarnished in the eyes of an on-looking world. The moral is that if you are going to be moral, you got to be moral all the way, even if it kills you and the country too.

Remember The Times

ONE YEAR AGO THIS WEEK The yes-no question of whether Doctors' Hospital meets the requirements of a tax exempt medical institution continued this week in the wake of a spot audit showing the institution does not meet certain tax requirements. The University of Miami announced that it would entertain the Duke and Duchess of Veragua at a luncheon at the Riviera Country Club Oct. 14. TEN YEARS AGO THIS WEEK Coral Gables prepared to go to court with three specific suits aimed at use of residential property by UM students. Neighbors had been complaining of frequent disturbances. Coral Gables rolled out the welcome mat today as the vanguard of delegates to the 1951 American Legion convention began arriving for the biggest convention ever to be held in the Greater Miami Area. TWENTY-FIVE YEARS AGO THIS WEEK An increase of two mills for operation was ordered at a special meeting Tuesday by the City Commission when that body, by a four to one vote, set the millage for operation for the current year at 14 and the debt service millage at five. The Coral Gables Elementary School PTA's membership drive resulted this week in that organization reaching a total of 650 members, Mrs. Martin Avery, president, announced Wednesday. This makes the local organization one of the largest in the state.

INK SPOTS

by INK THE CITY IS ABOUT TO CELEBRATE THE RETIREMENT OF THE LAST TAX PARTICIPATION CERTIFICATE, ISSUED IN 1937. THEY WERE ISSUED AS PART SETTLEMENT OF A DEBT INCURRED BY THE BOOM TIME BUST OF THE 1920'S REV. FRANK A. MATHES ANNOUNCES THE GRANADA PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH WILL DEDICATE ITS NEW ONE HALF MILLION DOLLAR SANCTUARY THIS SUNDAY AFTERNOON. THE CHURCH WAS FORMED IN 1947 WITH 36 MEMBERS. IT NOW HAS OVER A THOUSAND. GOOD WEATHER FOR PEOPLE! THIS HAS BEEN JUST ABOUT THE DRIEST SUMMER ON RECORD. HOW NICE! MR. SEGHERS' PHOTO WASN'T REALLY RIGHT WE DON'T SPEND DAYS A-LOVIN' WHEN WE'VE GOT THE MOON AT NITE! THE CASE OF THE UN-DUG CANAL IS ABOUT TO BE SETTLED. CITY COMMISSION DECIDED TO SELL THE LAND TO ABUTTING PROPERTY OWNERS. IN THE PARTICULAR CASE OF DR. JOHN GIBBY, HE WILL BE GRANTED A VARIANCE WHEN THE RED TAPE CLEARED.