134 Chicago Bureau of Public Efficiency 



to effective police service, and when it is considered that 

 park pohce have no jurisdiction beyond the confines of 

 their respective districts, and have no police stations in 

 which to confine their prisoners, consolidation with the city 

 police department through a consolidation of the park gov- 

 ernments with the city government seems the logical so- 

 lution. Very little reorganization would be necessary, as 

 in most instances each precinct of the city service might 

 care for the parks and boulevards included therein. 



Automobile Service. 



1. Automobiles owned by the Park Commissions at 

 the close of the fiscal year 1910 represented an original 

 cost of $50,710. 



2. The expense of maintenance and operation of auto- 

 mobiles for the last five years, including an allowance for 

 depreciation, was as follows: 



1906 1907 1908 1909 1910 



South $20,471 $16,567 $15,738 $17,646 $30,848 



West 2,209 2,700 5,616 7,431 16,484 



Lincoln 483 3,021 4,359 5,239 9,569 



Total $23,163 $22,288 $25,713 $30,316 $56,901 



3. Wherever automobiles are purchased and main- 

 tained at public expense, there is a tendency to use them 

 more than the public business demands. A study of the 

 situation indicates that the park automobiles in Chicago 

 are no exception in this respect. 



4. The automobile expense of the city government of 

 Chicago became so excessive that all city-owned machines 

 were sold, except five for the fire and police departments 

 and Special Park Commission, and arrangements were 

 made with private garages to rent machines as needed. 

 Automobile service has since been obtained by all city 

 departments on requisition through the city purchasing 

 agent. The total cost for such service to the entire 

 city government during 1910 was only $8,195, which 

 is $48,706 less than the cost to the parks during 



