The Coral Gables Times

THE Coral Gables TIMES

CORAL GABLES TIMES Thursday, June 28, 1962 4 THE Coral Gables TIMES Established Jan. 15, 1926 Second Class Postage Published at Paid at Miami, Fla. 364 Sevilla Ave., Coral Gables 34, Fla. JOHN T. WATTERS President ROLFE NEILL Editor & Publisher Robert Collins Advertising Manager Murry Evans Circulation Manager Maurice Labelle, Raymond Lang Reporters Miss Helen Reynolds Society Editor Mrs. Kay Squires Classified Manager Mrs. Shirley Wiezenthal Office Manager Subscriptions: $4.20 year by mail anywhere

SIXTEEN YEARS AGO the University of Miami erected 25 temporary frame classroom buildings at a cost of more than $90,000 to meet a crisis caused by the influx of veterans. Fifteen of them have been removed, 10 are left after removal last week of a couple more. They will not be missed when they are all gone.

How to Balance Budget Without Tax Increase?

The roof nearly caved in at City Hall this week from the weight of calls and visits by irate tax payers who came to protest an increase in taxes. As we said last week, this is indeed the moment of truth for the City of Coral Gables. It is difficult to explain away how a long standing debt can be paid off and taxes go up rather than down. Most of the members of the City Commission had nothing to do with the long standing policy of deficit spending and living off surpluses accumulated during World War II when no capital improvements could be made from sanitary sewer liens and hurricane funds. But they are reaping the whirlwind. What are the complainants suggesting? Cutting back garbage and trash collections? Firing employes? Cutting down on fire and police protection? What? Perhaps some economies can be made. How about self-insurance? Consolidation of some services? Diesel operation of buses? Turning over the Municipal Court to Metro. And what of the privately operated concessions? (See editorial below). Perhaps enough fat could be cut off to minimize the increases.

Let's Look for New Ways To Run our Concessions

Revenue at the two municipally owned and operated golf courses — Biltmore and Granada — again is projected to be on the downgrade for fiscal 1962-63. This is so despite the expenditure of between $25,000 and $30,000 to promote the PGA, changes in starting time procedures, and individual and collective efforts by City officials to promote play. Why a drop-off in revenue when both golf courses have been paying propositions for years? We think the City Commission should revaluate the entire recreational system with a critical eye toward a solution to the problem of dwindling revenue in the face of increased population. The problem, admittedly, is a complex one involving many factors. But we don't think it can be explained away simply by pointing to the competitive new golf courses springing up all over the landscape. A comparison of agreements here with those made in other municipalities indicates the City has been ultra-liberal in its contracts with concession operators. These operators have had the dual benefit of City employment and private profit — enjoying all the benefits, but sharing little in the liabilities. And the point has been raised that perhaps it is a violation of the City Charter conflict of interest provisions for a City employe to contract with the City for additional services. Whatever the law may be, it seems incumbent upon the Commission to find new ways to put these facilities back in the black. Few Gableites, golfers included, are likely to support a policy of subsidization of somebody else's golf game.

Who needs Them? More Taxes? Readers Aren't Buying

EDITOR: I was interested in your editorial on June 21, 1962; "Moment of Truth is Here for Gables Financing" — especially when I received the notice of my increased tax valuation! You say: "Street repairs went begging." I have been reading in the last several weekly issues of your paper where city-proposed road and street repairs at the expense of abutting property owners were being opposed. So where does the city pay for street repaving? Also, I seem to recall reading in your paper that main arteries are county problems. You say: "Library facilities are inadequate." A library to my understanding is for dispensing books and I am told by my uncle (who has used both Philadelphia and District of Columbia libraries, that Coral Gables library has an excellent choice of reading material. Of course, if it were the intention to employ a larger staff of personnel, then perhaps the present library is inadequate. You say: "Employes are underpaid." Compared to what other occupations? In this area, not some metropolitan area up north. Also, if city commissioners, engineers and other professional staff are qualified to pass judgment on the feasibility and practicability of "surveys" for this, that, and other things, as prepared by consultant firms, then why are they not qualified to prepare those plans in the performance of the duties of their positions? The sums thus saved in management consultant, engineering consultant, etc., fees could build a library and staff it. As for schools and recreational facilities, why not ask aid from the government agency which has sponsored the increase in population which has no doubt caused the so-called "lag." High taxes of all sorts are putting a penalty on the thrifty; why save to get anything you want when you can spend your own money foolishly and then got get all necessities and pleasures at public expense? Maybe you can further explain some of these matters to me. GLADYS R. WILSON 641 Madeira Ave. * * * EDITOR: If I recall correctly only last August the Freeholders of Dade County, by the grace of Mr. McNayr, in order to save Metro, were given the privilege of voting on the question of tax reassessment. It was, if I remember rightly, overwhelmingly defeated by about 10 to one. We now have a City Commission which has the effrontery to order the City tax assessor, under the name of equalization, to do exactly the same thing denied last year. This tax roll is absolutely scandalous and a committee should be formed at once to circulate a petition for recall of all commissioners who engineered this abomination, and a petition for a referendum to throw out this unfair, unjust, and inequitable tax roll. Space does not permit me to go into the injustice done to people on fixed incomes who purchased their homes because of the favorable tax break given them by Homestead Exemption (in many instances cut in thirds by this action) and who may lose very well their homes by this callous move. Now, in addition to this, Metro is going to put into force the very thing that the people voted out last year. These actions are the most flagrant betrayal of the Freeholders that is imaginable. Don't be misled by this specious talk of state law. That's been on the books for 20 years and I think only one county has complied. State Continued on Page 5

Remember The Times 25 YEARS AGO

25 YEARS AGO R. J. Westcott was elected chairman of the Merchant's Bureau of the Chamber of Commerce... City officials were hammering together the budget for the coming year. Total: a half-million dollars (Budget for 1963 will be almost $6 million dollars)... The Chamber of Commerce was sponsoring a project to plant large numbers of Royal Poincianas... Mrs. Evan D. Roser was president of the Coral Gables Garden Club... Gablites Elizabeth W. Sudlow, Polly McKibben, Mary B. Merritt, Melanie R. Rosborough and Dewing W. Woodward were among 28 outstanding Greater Miami women whose names appeared in "American Women," a book of prominent persons. 10 YEARS AGO Coral Gables Country Club wanted to build a swimming pool... City officials were debating on whether to grant Consumers Water Company a new franchise or to buy a water distribution system... Outgoing president of the Coral Gables Lions Dr. Jack Widdersheim handed over the gavel to Godfrey Novotny... The Rev. Otto Hampton and Gerald Horn won state offices in the Veterans of Foreign Wars... Three Gables policemen, Floyd J. Neff, Jerome Steiner and Franklin F. Brooks, attended the third annual state convention of the Fraternal Order of Police. ONE YEAR AGO Residents of Sunrise Harbour opposed the proposal to erect a four-story apartment in their exclusive residential neighborhood... Don Mullen was named president of the Miracle Mile Association... The Gables budget of $5.39 million breezed through a public hearing with nary a squawk from anyone... Mrs. Malcolm Lovell, president of the Coral Gables Garden Club, went before the City Commissioner to ask for a site for her group's clubhouse... Rev. Claude I. Allen Jr. was ordained assistant minister at Granada Presbyterian Church.

FACES IN OUR TOWN by INK Alma BIR

REALTOR, HAS LIVED IN MIAMI SINCE SHE WAS 3 YRS. OLD. AS A VOLUNTEER RED CROSS WORKER DURING WORLD WAR II, ALMA DROVE AN AMBULANCE BRINGING WOUNDED SOLDIERS FROM THE AIRPORT TO THE VA. HOSPITAL. ALMA LOVES HISTORICAL NOVELS OF THE ENGLISH ELIZABETHAN PERIOD... AND NO WONDER... ALMA, WHOSE MAIDEN NAME IS STUART IS RELATED THRU A LONG LINE OF ANCESTORS TO THE STUARTS WHO RULED ENGLAND. GREAT, GREAT GREAT, GREAT GRAND PAPPY ALMA AND HUSBAND TONY HAVE BEEN MARRIED 30 YEARS. FOR THE LAST 10 YRS, ALMA HAS BEEN A REALTOR