250 



the operations of the Board, was made ex-officio a Park Commis- 

 sioner, and we have now, therefore, the honor of inscribing his 

 name upon the roll of 'our members. 



A copy of the act referred to is annexed to this report, and 

 will be found to contain some provisions of interest to our tax- 

 payers, particularly that portion of it which distributes the 

 current expenses of maintaining the parks, after construction, 

 over the whole city, without confining the burden, as was orig- 

 inally intended, to the western district. The substantial justice 

 of this provision was apparent after the passage of the law 

 which put all the parks of the city under one general manage- 

 ment ; and was the more obvious, when it came to be seen that 

 the interest taken in our parks, and the benefits to be derived 

 from them, are not confined to any particular locality, but 

 that all participate in their advantages, and feel an equal 

 pride in the successful development of their several plans of 

 improvement. 



The Commissioners were authorized by this law to call upon 

 the joint Board of Common Council and Supervisors for such an 

 amount, not exceeding one hundred thousand dollars in any one 

 year, as they should, by resolution, determine to be necessary 

 for the support and proper maintenance of the parks : and that 

 amount, so determined, is directed to be levied in the same 

 manner as other taxes are levied, in our city. We have not 

 deemed it necessary to require more than sixty-eight thousand 

 four hundred dollars to be raised for the coming year ; but it 

 is probable that, as the work draws to completion, the amount 

 required for this purpose will at no time be much less than the 

 full sum authorized to be expended. The subject of defraying 

 these expenses will necessarily engage the attention of the Com- 

 missioners as the work passes on from construction to mainte- 

 nance ; and they will endeavor, from time to time, to develop 

 such sources of revenue as may be found incidental to the 

 parks themselves. Licenses for the sale of mineral waters and 

 other refreshments ; for light and convenient carriages to run 

 upon the drives for hire ; for invalid chairs on the walks, boats 

 on the lakes, and the like, may all be made conducive to the 

 interest of the city, by relieving it of a portion of the cost of 

 maintenance, without infringing to any extent upon the privi- 

 leges of the public in the use of the parks. 



