THE PARKWAYS 189 
The Stanley letter, so-called, was received by the com- 
mission December 24, 1896. It was a long official letter 
from Edward O. Stanley, then chairman of the Committee 
on Parks of the East Orange Township Committee. The 
letter asked many questions, but bore the imprint of sin- 
cerity and desire on the part of the writer, to have brushed 
aside the cobwebs of misapprehension which then existed 
in the minds of the committee and throughout East Orange 
as the outgrowth of the seeds of prejudice poison that had 
been scattered by the traction company’s representatives 
there against the parkways and the Park Commission, since 
the latter had openly favored the avenues for another pur- 
pose than their surrender for private uses. 
The committee wished to know how the commission pro- 
posed to improve the avenues; whether, should the transfer 
be made, a trolley line should be run there; whether open- 
ings could be made by the township authorities for repair- 
ing gas mains, water pipes, etc., and made the request 
for a section plan of the avenues as they would appear 
when beautified and completed by the commission. 
In the Park Board these questions precipitated the sub- 
ject for a reply. It was evident that the platitudinous gen- 
eralities in the previous communications from the commis- 
sion were not sufficient to enable the parkway advocates to 
overcome the counter claims and assertions of the opposing 
corporation agents and representatives. 
LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTS’ AND ENGINEERS’ REPORT. 
On December 31, 1896, the landscape architects and engi- 
neers of the department made a report strongly reiterating 
their former “récommendations for extending Central ave- 
nue to connect with the larger mountain reservation,” add- 
ing, “we have indicated upon the map an extension of this 
avenue from its present terminus at the Valley road to a 
point in Northfield avenue, and thence through Northfield 
avenue to the South Mountain Reservation. This exten- 
sion makes use of a depression in the mountain slope which 
will enable a parkway to be constructed upon an easy grade 
