Curfew pondered, pollution and Atlantic Beach taxes
Have you ever wondered what life was like in Jacksonville 50 years ago? It may have been 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 similarities may be, so are the differences. These are some of the top stories from the week of Sept. 28-Oct. 4, 1959. The items were compiled from the Jacksonville Public Library’s periodical archives by Staff Writer Max Marbut.
• The constitutionality of Florida’s new law banning “obscene pictures” was to be tested after the filing of charges against a Bay Street novelty shop operator.
County Solicitor Lacy Mahon Jr. said he would file a direct information in Criminal Court charging Frank T. Tracey with selling pornographic pictures. The charges would be based on purchases allegedly made a few days earlier by State Beverage Agent Bob Harding who was working undercover. When Harding gave a signal that he had made a purchase Lt. Jim Hamlin and Deputy Al Rowland of the Sheriff’s Office Vice Squad moved in and raided the shop which was located between 435 and 439 W. Bay St.
Hamlin and Rowland arrived armed with a search warrant issued by Juvenile Court Judge Marion Gooding. Appearing before Assistant County Solicitor Hans Tanzler to make an affidavit, Rowland said the raiding party seized 26 reels of motion picture film, 26 decks of playing cards with pictures on the card faces “depicting lascivious sex acts” and numerous lewd cartoon books and photographs.
Tracey’s shop had also been raided in 1956 and he was at that time charged with possessing obscene pictures. Criminal Court Judge A. Lloyd Layton subsequently ruled, however, that the Florida law then banning obscene literature was unconstitutional. The Florida Supreme Court in May, 1958, upheld Layton’s ruling.
In its opinion the Supreme Court referred to a Michigan case in which a similar law was found unconstitutional. Although the legislation was intended to protect children from the sale of questionable literature, its broad provisions prevented adult purchases as well. The court upheld Layton’s ruling that the old Florida law violated the “due process of law” clause in the U.S. Constitution.
• Ruling on another matter, Gooding said he did not believe the juvenile situation in Jacksonville had reached the point where a strict enforcement of the curfew law was needed. He said rigid enforcement of a 10 p.m. curfew, a City ordinance, would impose a hardship on youngsters who attend athletic events, social functions and dances after that hour.
The law prohibited children under 16 from being on the streets unless accompanied by an adult, either one or both parents or another responsible person.
• U.S. Rep. Charles E. Bennett became an honorary member of the Southside Lion’s Club at the organization’s meeting at the Town House Restaurant. The members tendered the congressman the honor in recognition of his promotion of a proposal to deepen the St. Johns River channel from 34 to 42 feet.
• A 56-year-old City policeman was slugged at least six times in the head and face, apparently with a sledgehammer, and investigators took one of six juveniles boarding at his home into custody.
Joseph T. Irwin of 932 Bulls Bay Rd. was in St. Luke’s Hospital with more than 70 stitches in his wounds. Authorities said he was in fair condition but might have a fractured skull.
• A School Board request to use $204,955 earmarked for new school construction to fill a gap in the appropriation for emergency school fire hazard reconstruction was approved by the County Budget Commission.
Approval of the request removed a total of $409,990 from the state-county matching fund account for new school construction. The total included the $204,995 the board had set aside for new construction plus an equal amount the state would have contributed.
• Registration for membership in the Children’s Theatre, a division of the Little Theatre of Jacksonville, was held at the San Marco Boulevard playhouse. Managing Director Maurice Geoffrey introduced Yvonne Peairs Smith, that year’s chair of the Children’s Theatre. Elizabeth Reed presented a series of humorous monologues and Mrs. John Conner Jr. explained the children’s program for the upcoming Fall Arts Festival.
The Little Theatre also celebrated its 40th season with a gala opening of “Happy Birthday,” a comedy by Anita Loos that was directed by Geoffrey.
Carl Swisher and Mayor Haydon Burns gave short talks and Little Theatre President B, Harris Robson welcomed new and old members of the community theater.
The entire theater had been redecorated for the new season and the centerpiece was a new emerald green velvet curtain that was embroidered in semiprecious stones and edged in gold. Twelve 14-inch imported gold tassels added to the richness of the valance designed by Archie Eason.
• No county building permits for industrial, commercial or residential structures would be issued until after State Board of Health approval of sanitation facilities was given, ruled the Duval County Commission.
As the outgrowth of a controversy over stream pollution in the Lackawanna area, State Health Board Sanitary Engineer David B. Lee wrote the commission and suggested that much trouble could be avoided if building permit applications first were cleared by the health board.
The commission also authorized Supervisor of Registration Fleming H. Bowden to prepare a realignment of voting districts in the Jacksonville Heights area. Commissioner Julian Warren said due to the rapid growth in the area, many voters had to travel a long distance to the polling place. At the time Precinct 26-C had 1,056 registered voters.
Bowden’s Chief Deputy Robert A. Mallard reported to the commission that the local cost of the Nov. 3 General Election would be about $22,400.
• A 1959 ad valorem tax rate of 10.5 mills was levied by the Atlantic Beach City Commission. The commission also called for a street improvement program.
The tax rate would be applied to a total of $5,376,694 in non-homestead exempt property valuation. The rate included eight mills for general operations and 2.5 mills for sewer bond interest.
The body called for bids for repaving Sherry Drive from Atlantic Boulevard to the Plaza and second, Third, Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, Seventh and Eighth streets between East Coast Drive and Sherry Drive. The project was expected to cost about $10,000 and was required due to recent sewer construction.
• A reception honoring Edgar Harry Brinton, the new director of Jacksonville Public Libraries was held at the Garden Club on Riverside Avenue. The event was sponsored by the Library Board of trustees and the Friends of the Jacksonville Library.
• County Tax Assessor Leon E. Forbes reported the 1959 valuation of intangible personal property in Duval County reached a new all-time high, eclipsing 1958’s value by almost $250 million.
The valuation on stocks, bonds, bank deposits, accounts receivable, etc. was 1,582,014,630 which would yield a tax of more than $2.4 million, an increase of more than $407,000 over the previous year.
• Robert G. Kuhn was elected president of the Southeastern Florist Association at the organization’s annual three-day convention at the Robert Meyer Hotel.