Motels

". . . There is today a new home of crime in America," wrote Chief G-Man J. Edgar Hoover in February's American Magazine, "a new home of disease, bribery, corruption, crookedness, rape, white slavery, thievery and murder. Hence the terse order that goes out daily to law-enforcement agencies when criminals are on the loose: 'KEEP CLOSE WATCH ON TOURIST CAMPS!"

This blast echoed at the convention of United Motor Courts (Eastern Division) and the eastern branch of International Motor Court Association last week at Miami Beach.* The 350 convening tourist-camp owners agreed to free their industry from rookery-seeking Romeos. As for the rest of Detective Hoover's indictment, one U. M. C. official snorted: "So it is 'Hoover again.' A little more of the old mud."

Chief significance of the Hoover blast was the fact that hotel men had made and distributed thousands of reprints of it. For today the 25-year-old tourist-camp industry is a big business which is a rival of small-town hotels. In 1935 tourist camps took in $24,300,000. California (No. 1 U. S. tourist-camp State with 1,440 camps) did almost $5,000,000 worth of business. Still small beside the $900,000,000 hotel industry, tourist camps have multiplied since 1935, have spread along all the nation's highways from West to East, now number at least 25,000.

Many tourist camps spring up around filling stations, are built by home labor. Of the "better variety" camp, the American Automobile Association recognizes only 9,600, approves of no more than 3,200 as "first-rate tourist stops." These Ritzes of the far-flung industry prefer the name motor court to tourist camp (auxiliary name: motel), cater only to bona fide tourists. Typical of them is Pines Camp Cottages and Trailer Court in the outskirts of Valdosta, Ga., on U. S. Highway No. 41, no miles north of Jacksonville. Started 15 years ago by a former carnival showman and amusement park builder named Henry Bertram Aldrich, Pines Camp today has a $50,000 plant complete with 55 modern stucco cottages (hot water, steam heat, electricity, private bath & shower, etc.), filling station, restaurant, laundry, grocery store and trailer grounds. Monthly payroll for the camp's 27 employes runs about $1,000. In the busy fall-winter-spring season it grosses $250 on good days, last year netted a comfortable $11,600.

Ordinarily, Proprietor Aldrich, now 70, white-haired and robust, hangs out the "No Vacancy" sign before 9 p.m. each night during the Florida tourist season. His guests, middle-class Americans from all over the U. S., pay $1.50 to $3 for a cottage for two, $2.50 to $5 for a double cottage for four -- in advance. Trailer fees are 50-c- for a plot and electricity. Meals at the restaurant, which features Southern fried chicken and pecan waffles, have a 75-c- top. Motor Courier Aldrich is proud of his big repeat business, says many a doctor, lawyer, U. S. Government worker makes reservations in advance. The solo traveling salesman gets short shrift at Pines Camp. Says Aldrich, "They kept sneaking women in on us."

But outside of many a U. S. community are tourist camps which fill up by 11 p.m., are deserted by 2 a.m. Recently Fulton County, Ga. clamped a stringent set of new regulations on its camps: strict adherence to sanitary ordinances, fingerprinting of all employes, detailed registration of all guests (including car & driver's licenses), no wine and beer licenses. Motor Courters at last week's convention urged all communities to enforce similar rules in order to help their young industry get and keep a better reputation.

* Conventioners met not in a motor court, but in the swank Norman and Shoreham hotels.

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