DEPARTMENT OF PARKS. 33 



Comptroller's office. The result placed at my disposal for the 

 maintenance of the parks the sum of $392,457.24. This included 

 the appropriations for the year, together with the balances from 

 the preceding year. This is the smallest amount allowed in years 

 for park maintenance, as shown by these figures: In 1890, 

 $516,985.95; in 1891, $527,071.60; in 1892, $519.762.40 ; in 1893, 

 $514,563.27; in 1894 (the first year of my term), $474-995-82, 

 and in 1895, $392,457.24. 



Yet with this lesser sum of $392,457.24, more parks have 

 been cared for, a larger police force has been maintained, and 

 the general results have met with public approval. 



During the year there has been collected for the sale of lots 

 on the East Side Lands, and from persons holding park privileges, 

 the sum of $18,692.95, which amount has been paid into the city- 

 treasury. 



There have been expended for the maintenance of Parks and 

 Parkways $386,079.39, leaving a balance of $6,377.85. There 

 are still outstanding debts, contracted for during the past year, 

 which will require this balance for their liquidation. 



THE BOND ACCOUNTS, 



There was to the credit of the Park Site and Improvement 

 Fund at the beginning of the year the sum of $9,064.01. Of 

 this amount there has been expended the sum of $3,699.94, for 

 the base of the Maryland monument, the repairing of the pedestal 

 surmounted by the Lincoln statue, at the time of its removal 

 from the Park Plaza to the Flower Garden in Prospect Park, the 

 decoration of the pedestals at the Ocean Parkway entrance with 

 marble and bronze ornamentations, and the making of repairs on 

 Prospect Park West. This leaves a balance of $5,364.07. 



There was at the beginning of the year the sum of $18,808.89 

 to the credit of the Park Purchase Fund. Of this amount, 

 $15,274.36 were expended in covering legal expenses in connec- 

 tion with the purchase of the Twelfth Ward Park, by my prede- 

 cessor, and the acquisition of the Cutting property, for the ac- 

 quiring of which condemnation proceedings had been instituted, 

 and the payment of $4,600 to cancel a contract with James F. 

 Gillen for the opening of Forty-third street, under the provisions 



