Have you ever wondered what life was like in Jacksonville half a century ago? It was a different era of history, culture and politics but there are often parallels between the kind of stories that made headlines then and today. As interesting as the differences may be, so are the similarities. These are some of the top stories from this week in 1961. The items were compiled from the Jacksonville Public Library’s periodical archives by Staff Writer Max Marbut.
• Mayor Haydon Burns vetoed the 1962 City budget adopted during a special session of the City Council. He then ordered a special meeting of the council “to offer individual members an opportunity to reconsider their action.”
Burns criticized the council’s Budget Committee for not maintaining full support of charitable organizations and for not allowing the police department a $25-a-month uniform allowance.
“I can put my finger on at least half a million dollars hidden in that budget that could have been applied to those projects,” he said.
Burns also said the committee overestimated expected revenue from the City Electric Department by at least $2 million and the overestimation would require the City auditor to freeze at least 50 percent of the capital improvements budget in order to cover operating expenses.
“During the last three or four months of 1962, the City will be unable to meet its obligations – directly affecting its credit rating – by your incorrect estimate,” Burns told the council.
“If I am correct, it will be a pretty dark day 12 months from now,” he said.
Budget Committee Chairman Ralph Walter called Burns’ charges a “gross exaggeration.”
“We have about $150,000 in contingency funds, but that usually is returned to commissioners to meet emergencies,” he said.
Asked to comment on the state of the budget, Walter said, “There is no reason why the budget can’t be reduced next year. We hear about the goose that laid the golden egg – well, the City Electric Department is a gold mine for the people of Jacksonville.”
An unofficial poll of council members immediately after the veto indicated there was little support for adopting a revised budget. The document rejected by Burns held the ad valorem tax line at 19.4 mills for the second consecutive year.
In 1961, the mayor was empowered to call a special session of the council. Individual members were summoned by a police officer who submitted a petition to each member for his signature.
At the special meeting, called by Burns on the eve of Thanksgiving, the council unanimously overrode the mayor’s veto in front of a record audience at City Hall.
Walter thanked the council for its support of the budget and described the legislative body as “completely solidified and unanimous.”
• The Port of Jacksonville marked one of its busiest days in months.
A total of 10 cargo ships were being processed at the Municipal Docks and at Commodores Point, which caused a general call for more than 1,100 stevedores and laborers.
Municipal Docks Director Raymond Gage said five ships were being unloaded and then reloaded during the day and another was scheduled to dock that night.
Charles Frankenberg of Strachan Shipping Co. said Commodores Point docks were handling the maximum capacity of four large cargo vessels.
“This is the first time in recent history that both docking complexes have been at maximum capacity at the same time,” said Gage.
Cargoes being discharged and loaded ranged from automobiles to watermelon seeds.
• Santa Claus arrived in Jacksonville Saturday via the fireboat “John B. Callahan,” which dropped him off at the foot of Pearl Street.
He was met there by marching bands, floats and an honor guard of Eagle Scouts who escorted him in a parade through Downtown to the band shell at Hemming Park.
When Santa arrived at the park, he was greeted by City Council President Oscar Mattox, who gave him the key to the city.
• Jacksonville’s growth during the decade that ended in 1960 received national attention.
An article entitled “Fitting Cities to the Future: Jacksonville Helps Itself Grow” was published in the November edition of “Engineering News-Record.”
The article cited that in the 10-year period, the city had constructed three bridges, 10 multimillion dollar buildings and a $100 million expressway system and tripled its bank clearings to a level equal to Cincinnati and New Orleans.
“The recent renewal in Jacksonville, however, is not remarkable because of its size, but because it was started and sustained by a combination of private and public incentive. Within the past several years, more than $200 million in public and private funds have gone into this work. But, except for Interstate Highway System sections of the Jacksonville Expressway, not one cent of federal money was used,” stated the article.
• The Atlantic Coast Line Railroad was named one of 10 winners in the industrial classification of the annual landscaping and beautification competition sponsored by the American Association of Nurserymen.
Duplicate awards were presented to T.M. Baumgardner from Sea Island, Ga., who was the landscape architect for the ACL Building on the Downtown Northbank, and to Jacksonville Landscape Co., the nursery that planted the grounds.
The competition was based on industrial and institutional landscaping that contributed “to employee and civic pride in the American heritage.”
• Speaking at the Jacksonville Naval Air Station Officers Club at a meeting of the Jacksonville Chapter of the Armed Forces Management Association, U.S. Rep. Charles Bennett said the decision of whether to build a home fallout shelter was one for individuals to make and that he could see no end to the peril of nuclear war.
“You may not build one, but your grandchildren will,” Bennett said.
Asked about America’s stand on Berlin, Bennett referenced Korea, Cuba, Laos and the Hungarian uprising.
“Of all these places, Berlin would be the last place to take a firm stand in comparison with the places where we’ve backed down,” he said.
Bennett told the group it would be difficult to defend the small West Berlin area deep in East Germany. He advocated instead designating an area 200-300 miles in size to allow for future defense.
“We should fight for something we could hold onto,” he said.