PRELIMINARY WORK COMPLETED 49 
rested upon the succeeding commission to carry out: Or, 
failing in that, to have laid out a park “system” complete, 
at least in outline, within that amount, before asking for 
additional appropriation. 
That the reserve policy was adopted after the organiza- 
tion of the permanent commission in 1895 is now well 
known, and some of the reasons why the original plan, 
policy, and promise were not carried out will be considered 
in succeeding chapters. , 
It may be a matter of interest for the reader to know 
that, so far as could be learned from the investigations 
made in 1894-5, the Essex County Park enterprise was, and, 
so far as I have since been able to learn, still is, the initial 
county public park undertaking of this country. In the 
legal preparation of the charter there were, for this reason, 
so many novel and intricate questions involved that on 
January 28, on request of the counsel, John R. Emery, it 
was decided to employ Joseph Coult as associate counsel 
“in the construction and provision of the bill to be pre- 
sented to the Legislature.” 
On February 1, 1895, the draft of the bill was gone over 
by the commissioners with the counsel. The recommenda- 
tions that the entire financing of the undertaking be left 
with the Board of Freeholders, the funds to be paid over 
on requisition of the park commissioners, rather than that 
an attempt should be made to create an entirely separate 
system of tax levies for the parks, were agreed to, and the 
finishing touches of the bill were passed upon. At the same 
meeting the report to accompany the bill was considered, 
corrected, and made ready for publication. 
PROPOSED LAW INTRODUCED. 
‘A few days afterward the commission received word from 
Judge Depue suggesting’that the report be sent to him, as 
was done. A copy was also sent, with a draft of the bill, to 
Senator Ketcham, who promptly introduced the measure 
