The Times

The TIMES

the local community newspaper for all South Dade. John T. Watters, President & Publisher William von Maurer, Editor Robert M. Slane, Advertising Manager Subscription: $3.00 year by mail anywhere

Time For A Crackdown

Young mothers who won't allow their children to cross the street in front of their homes will risk their lives without a thought. Matrons who are eager to support safety campaigns will abandon all caution and jeopardize their own lives, and even worse, the lives of others. Gray-haired women who wouldn't step in front of anyone without a polite "excuse me" suddenly become defiant and contemptuous of the law. Conservative fathers who lecture their sons on the danger of recklessness become a public menace with no regard for others. We could extend this list indefinitely to emphasize the unbelievable metamorphosis which the characters of otherwise respectable and law-abiding citizens undergo once they get behind the wheel of an automobile. And to make things even worse, this Jekyll-Hyde personality is more in evidence at this time of Peace and Good Will than at any other time of the year. Because substantial citizens and women with loved ones and families they want to protect will not observe common courtesies once they get into their automobiles, it seems to that the only thing left is to treat them like children by punishing them. Greater Miami is crying out for a traffic crackdown with no mercy for violators. Traffic enforcement in this county is in chaos. The newspapers have even reported stories about drunk drivers, the worst threat of all, being set free because of legal technicalities while the death toll mounts and mounts. It is possible to achieve a sane traffic record. Other cities have done it. The drivers of Greater Miami, careless and discourteous, have turned our streets into a labryinth of mayhem and death. It is time for law enforcement officials of this community to launch a traffic safety campaign that carries with it penalties for violations that only the most defiant drivers will ignore. If the mothers, fathers and respectable cititzens of Greater Miami won't exercise common decency toward their fellow drivers, the police must force them to do so. A too scathing condemnation of our citizens, you say? Take a look at the figures for 1960. There have been 139 persons killed this year. Of the 300 pedestrian injuries this year, a large number of them have been children. Yet drivers continue to take risks and defy the law. If traffic safety is ever to begin, it must begin with you.

. . . Good Will Towards Men!

Remember The Times

25 Years Ago The struggle by parents and teachers at Coral Gables Elementary School to install heating for pupils was successful . . . The Coral Gables City Commission, interested in publicizing the area's attractions, voted to publish a 24-page brochure . . . Firemen, used to sliding down the emergency pole after hearing the clang-clang of the fire bell, were making toys for underprivileged children. 10 Years Ago Should anything unsightly be allowed in Coral Gables? No! That was the city's resounding reply to a tax company's request to build two towering radio antennas . . . Accidents in Coral Gables ran wild as the excitement of the approaching Christmas caused people to act, before they thought . . . The City of Coral Gables renewed efforts to locate Mrs. Richard Herman, owner of the city's "haunted house" at Malaga Ave. and Toledo St. . . . The Coral Gables City Commission, stoutly defending the city's residential beauty and dignity, denied a proposal to rezone a strip of land at So. Dixie Hwy. and Miller Rd. for either commercial or apartment use . . . Vincent C. Giblin and Grady L. Crawford, both Gables' residents, were appointed Circuit Court judges by Fuller Warren, Florida's governor. 1 Year Ago Jean Dunlap, 7951 SW 52nd Ct., was crowned the Junior Orange Bowl Queen . . . Metro was shortchanging Coral Gables. That was the core of the county accountant's report to the Gables in explaining how Metro police failed to properly fill out traffic tickets issued in Coral Gables . . . Coral Gables invited Sr. Alberto Lleras Camargo, president of Colombia, to visit this city during his proposed trip to the United States.

Letters To The Editor Poppy Drive

Editor, The Times, Ray Renuart Post 5718, Veterans of Foreign Wars, and its Auxiliary wish to express our thanks to the business people, citizens, and shoppers of Coral Gables for the generous contributions given at our Poppy Drive held on Saturday, Nov. 12. The money derived from this drive enables us to carry on our monthly entertainments, distributions, rehabilitation of the veterans in Veterans Hospital. Also, at Thanksgiving and Christmas, the Post and Auxiliary each sponsor a needy family with a food basket. Many, many thanks again from the bottom of our hearts to the wonderful people of Coral Gables, and a special thanks to the Cayalettes of the Coral Gables High School. Angelo J. Chuffi, Commander Vera J. Kelly, President

Chess Player

Editor, The Times Enclosed is a news item from a recent issue of the Times, in reference to the complaint of Mrs. Pat Vile, 8570 SW 124 St., that she can't find enough people to play chess with. You may inform Mrs. Vile that the Ches Club of Coral Gables at 400 Anastasia, which meets on Monday and Friday evenings, has chess facilities which will more than satisfy her requirements for chess. Mrs. Vile's complaint is very timely since it comes at a time when the Chess Club of Coral Gables is interested in attracting more lady chess players to its club and invites Mrs. Vile to lend-a-hand in this matter. Sincerely yours, CHESS CLUB OF CORAL GABLES Murray G. Cohen, Pres.

PROFILE OF THE WEEK

"I have a 16-foot boat, and every chance I get, I go fishing," said Thomas P. Lynch, the senior member of an accounting firm. He came to Florida in 1925, but was forced to leave during the real estate boom in 1926. He worked in Chattanooga and Raleigh, N. C., as an accountant, and was commissioned a commander in the Naval Reserve in 1937. Three years later, he volunteered for active duty and served eight years. After his release fom the Navy, Lynch returned to Miami to resume his practice of public accounting. With 29 years experience in the accounting field, he is the senior member of Lynch and Dudley C.P.A.'s, 495 Biltmore Way. Besides fishing, Lynch enjoys golf and belongs to the Coral Gables Country Club. "I'm not a very good golfer, but I love the outdoors," he remarked. He is a member of the American Institute of Certified Accountants and the Florida Institute of Certified Accountants. He was recently elected Commander of the Miami Chapter of the Military Order of World Wars, and is past president of the Coconut Grove Rotary Club. Other civic organizations include the Coral Gables Masonic Lodge, Mahi Shrine, Scottish Rite Bodies, Navy League of Miami, and Miami Optimist Club. Lynch is originally from Liberty County, Ga., and now lives at 436 Candia Ave., Coral Gables. Bn. | Liberty County, Georgia M. | Ella Belle Ch. | Norma Bus. | Lynch and Dudley C.P.A.'s Ed. | North Carolina State

South Miami Roundup

By EDWIN KNIGHT "ONCE A MARINE, ALWAYS A MARINE," the saying goes. Corny? Perhaps. But a Marine is primarily a fighter — whether it be with a rifle, a newspaper, letters or speech. South Miamian Johnny Brau was a Marine. Ten years ago he was fighting witht the First Marine Division in Korea. AS WARS GO, IT was a dirty one. The troops were fighting Communist ideas as well as Communist soldiers. And the going was rough . . . That war is over. It was a stalemate as everyone knows. But Johnny Brau, like most good Marines, is still fighting. He's fighting Communism, as he was 10 years ago. He's using different weapons, though. AND BEFORE HE'S THROUGH, he hopes to make his war a nation-wide war. Johnny is president of the South Miami Kiwanis Club, a relatively small group as most Kiwanis clubs go. But through the years it has become a potent unit. Its projects have been numerous and its members active. THE CLUB NOW IS IN the midst of one of its most worthwhile projects — the boycotting of Cuban produce in U. S. markets. The drive is being spearheaded by former Marine Sgt. Johnny Brau. "It was not my idea originally," John said to me across the desk in his little office at 5948 SW 73rd St. He is a prominent South Miami realtor. BUT HIS IDEA OR NOT, John has carried the ball for the club. "I feel very strongly about the communistic threat to our country," he said. "And when it is building up near our Miami shores, I am unequivocally against any help of any nature to the Communistic government. "YOU MAY RECALL THAT recently President Eisenhower stated that the Cuban government is Communistic. I cannot think of any greater threat to our country than Communism and I can't imagine any Kiwanian having any question in his mind about doing everything possible to combat Communism." AS PART OF THEIR PROJECT, here is what John and his Kiwanis cohorts have done. They have contacted most of the Greater Miami supermarkets and received satisfactory pledges that Cuban produce will not be purchased when American-grown produce can be obtained. THESE INCLUDE A & P, Associated Grocers of Florida (Payfair), Winn-Dixie Stores (Kwik Chek) and Stevens Market. Most of the answers from produce dealers were more than satisfactory — "We won't buy any Cuban produce" — Bernie Stevens. THEY ALSO HAVE INVESTIGATED sources of so of the produce and found that much of it is coming into South Florida although not marketed in the Miami area. One truckload of Cuban produce had come in from a beach near Pompano off a Cuban boat. It was brought to Miami. ONE OF THE WORST problems we face," Johnny said, "is that Cuban produce growers will undersell American farmers to get a market for their products." Tomatoes are the most frequently marketed of Cuban produce. JOHNNY ALSO BROUGHT OUT that Castro's red government is getting about $15 million a year in dollar exchange from its produce trade — and most of this comes into South Florida. For its work in combating Castro, Brau and his club has received a letter of high praise from the Association for the Recovery of Cuban Economy, a group of exiles. "BUT YET, IT'S LIKE a cry in the wilderness," John said. "We can reach a certain number of local citizens and produce dealers, but we are just scratching the surface." John had reference to a Kiwanis by-law that forbids clubs from getting support from other clubs for a project. The initiative for a Kiwanis-wide boycott must come from Kiwanis International. SUPPORT ON A NATIONAL SCALE for the South Miami club project is growing, however. Kiwanis International seems "interested" in the South Miami project and Washington, John feels, will do something about a ban when Congress convenes in January. UNKNOWN TO MANY, is that an 18-month notice must be given by Cuban or U. S. governments before trade agreements are ceased between the two governments. That means 18 months from the day of notification to Cuba that the U. S. wants to cease the purchase of produce from that government. AND STILL THE PURCHASING goes on. There is no way a purchaser can tell if a product is Cuban or U. S.-grown. "What we're asking," Johnny suggested, "is that housewives urge the produce managers in the grocery stores where they shop to buy only U. S.-grown produce. "IF PRODUCE MANAGERS GET ENOUGH of these requests, they will begin to realize that U. S., or at least South Miami, consumers do not want to buy Cuban-grown products." John Brau is getting the publicity for his South Miami Kiwanis project. But how much good it is doing is still a guess. JULES DUBOIS, OF THE CHICAGO Tribune, an authority on Castro, called Brau long distance for a story on the South Miami Kiwanis-led boycott. The story was widely circulated via The Tribune, but John received a hasty wire from Kiwanis International. The fathers of Kiwanis thought Brau was overstepping his bounds in urging such a nation-wide boycott. BUT JOHN DOESN'T CARE. "I only have two weeks left as club president and I may be kicked out of Kiwanis — but I'm going to see this project through." Once a Marine, always a Marine. The fight goes on, whether with bullets or with words and letters. Johnny Brau is a good Marine.