GENERAL ADMINISTRATIVE CONTROL OF PARKS 429 



San Jose, California. "The department of parks shall grounds of the city and the several parts and districts 



consist of a superintendent of parks and such other thereof shall be appointed by the council under the 



employees as the council may provide. The superin- rules and regulations of the civil service commission." 



tendent shall have complete charge of the parks and Charter of the City of Pueblo, Colorado, Article IV, 



reservations of the city, except as otherwise limited in Section 5, respectively. 



this charter. The council shall make rules for the use Keene, New Hampshire. "There shall be elected in 



of the parks and the preservation of the trees, shrubs, the month of January in each year, or when a vacancy 



lawns, etc. The council may designate any of the em- exists, by the city councils in joint convention and by 



ployees of the park department as special police officers joint ballot, a park commissioner, who shall hold office 



and as such they shall have the powers and duties until the first Tuesday of January next ensuing and 



within parks and reservations of the city as would be until the appointment of his successor. It shall be the 



possessed by regular police officers." Charter of the duty of the park commissioner to take entire charge of 



City of San Jose, California, Article XIV, Section 95. all the parks or lands held in trust by the city, unless 



Pueblo, Colorado. "The Council shall have power to otherwise provided; to expend, under the direction of 



provide for the maintenance and improvement of the the committee on public parks, appropriations or other 



parks, cemeteries and public grounds of the city and of incomes, in ornamenting and protecting said parks; to 



the several Public Park Improvement Districts thereof, dispose of dangerous or objectionable trees; to fix 



and to make necessary appropriations therefor; and in bounds, repair fences against pastures, or other lands 



annual appropriation ordinance shall specify a certain and to report to the city councils." City Ordinances of 



sum for the maintenance and improvement of each the City of Keene, New Hampshire, Chapter XXIII, 



park and cemetery, and in so doing shall take into Section 2, as revised and passed November 20, 1924. 



consideration the revenues of each park and cemetery "The council shall provide by resolution or ordinance 



and give credit therefor. One park superintendent and for the care, supervision, and management of all public 



such skilled employees as shall be provided by ordi- parks, baths, libraries." Ohio Municipal Code, Sixth 



nance for the care of the parks, cemeteries and public Edition, Section 4356, page 720. 



The majority of the thousands of municipal corporations under five 

 thousand inhabitants in the United States handle their parks and other 

 recreation areas directly by the governing authority of the corporation, viz., 

 the council (cities) and boards of trustees (villages), although various names 

 are used in different states to designate the governing authorities. All 

 these municipal corporations derive their powers directly from the state. 

 The same may be said of townships and counties. These powers are defined 

 in the state laws and are usually very comprehensive and quite ample for 

 the performance of all necessary public duties. In Illinois the laws relating 

 to the powers of councils and boards of trustees cover one hundred and one 

 different powers, among which are the powers to control the finances of the 

 corporation, to appropriate money for corporate purposes and to provide 

 for the payment of debts and expenses of the corporation; to levy and 

 collect taxes for general and special purposes on real and personal property; 

 to borrow money on the credit of the corporation for corporate purposes and 

 issue bonds therefor within limits of a certain percentum of the value of 

 the taxable property; to refund bonds; to lay out, to establish, open, alter, 

 widen, extend, grade, pave or otherwise improve streets, alleys, avenues, 

 sidewalks, wharves, parks and public grounds, and vacate the same; to 

 acquire, in the manner now or hereafter provided by law for the taking of 

 private property for public use, private lands bordering upon the public or 

 navigable waters, useful, desirable or advantageous for bathing beaches or 



