88 FIRST COUNTY PARK SYSTEM 
out the following authorized acceptance, at the valuation 
the commission was willing to pay for the property: 
“New Yorx, February 7th, 1896. 
“Mr. Fred’k W. Kelsey, Commissioner. 
“Dear Sir—I am authorized by Mr. John O’Brien to sell 
to your commission all the property belonging to him in 
blocks Nos. 964, 965, 966, 967 and 968 on the revised map 
of the O’Brien property (of Ward & Tichenor of September, 
1885), situated in the city of Newark, at the price of 
$95,700, payable on or before the fifteenth day of March, 
1896, or sooner if satisfactory examination of title can be 
made. 
“Yours truly, for John O’Brien, 
“AND, H. GREEN.” 
At the next meeting of the board, February 10, the pur- 
chase agreement was formally closed at $95,700, as pro- 
posed in Mr. Green’s letter. From the later experiences 
of the commission in acquiring park lands by condemnation 
proceedings there can be little, if any, doubt that this action 
of Mr. Green’s was the means of a direct saving to the tax- 
payers of Essex County of at least $30,000, to say nothing 
of the delay that would have resulted in the improvement 
of the East Side Park through the acquirement of the land 
by legal process. 
A TRUST OBLIGATION. 
The question as to the still unsettled general policy of 
the commission in establishing the park system was yet 
before us. The subject would be discussed, put over, and 
come up again whenever definite locations or estimates of 
cost of proposed park areas were under consideration. A 
solution seemed no nearer than before. The sectional 
piecemeal plan was, notwithstanding, gradually taking 
shape. The landscape architects were, as requested, pre- 
paring plans and studying boundary lines for different 
