The Park Governments of Chicago 181 



Commission of the city government was maintaining 13 

 playgrounds and shelters, 3 field houses and playgrounds, 

 2 bath houses and beaches and 50 small squares and tri- 

 angles; and yet the aggregate appropriations received 

 from the city from 1900 to 1910, inclusive, amounted to 

 only $726,765. 



The items supporting the estimated $500,000 annual 

 saving are as follows : 



Salaries of Commissioners (South Park) $ 6,000 



General Superintendents 12,000 



Assistant Superintendents 6,300 



Secretaries, Accountants, Bookkeepers, Clerks, etc 26,000 



Attorneys \ 15,000 



Engineers 10,000 



Playground Directors 3,000 



Boulevard and Park Police 100,000 



Purchasing Agents 5.500 



Landscape Architects 4,000 



Stable Foremen and Stablemen 7,440 



Building Foremen (South Park) 11,850 



Sub-station Operators and Coal Passers 9.560 



Telephone Operators 2,900 



Purchase of Supplies and Materials (10 per cent, of 



$1,000,000) 100.000 



Automobile Service 45,000 



Management of Restaurants 20,000 



Laundry (West Park) 4,500 



Lease of Pavilion (West Park) 2,000 



Higher prices for bonds, higher interest on deposits, sav- 

 ing on equipment, buildings, insurance and outdoor 

 labor, better control of boat receipts, greater efficiency 

 of stables, repair shops, etc., salvage on automobiles, 



horses, etc., and smaller cash balance necessary 108,950 



Total amount which may be saved annually $500,000 



5. The efficiency of the working organization provided 

 by each of the three large park governments has been 

 greatly hindered by the failure to delegate sufficient 

 authority to department heads and to charge them with 

 responsibility for results. Until such time as legislative 

 authority may be obtained for consolidation of the several 

 park governments with the City government and the 

 accomplishment thereof, it is suggested that greater effi- 

 ciency might be obtained if each of the three large Boards 

 adopted a more scientific plan of organization. A sug- 



