16 J. H. MAIDEN. 



It will be observed that the Sydney district has a credit- 

 able list of parks, but they are somewhat unequally dis- 

 tributed. Thus Randwick and Manly possess far more 

 than the average, while an important Municipality like 

 Strathfield does not possess even one. Burwood, Enfield, 

 Canterbury, Marrickville, and perhaps others should secure 

 additional public reserves before the price of land is further 

 enhanced. Could not some areas of land be dedicated by 

 public spirited persons to commemorate the Coronation ? 

 A park is the most enduring of all monuments and a per- 

 petual source of good. I do not suggest that further 

 applications should be made to Government for park-lands 

 at the present time. 



d. Park-lands should be inalienable. — I think I may state 

 as an axiom that portions of most public reserves in the 

 district are liable to be built upon or to be used for purposes 

 other than park purposes. It is simply a question of 

 expediency that some of our parks or reserves are not 

 diminished in area. My opinion is that in this democratic 

 country it should be at least as difficult to alienate public 

 recreation reserves (or any other portion of them) as it is 

 in Europe. In most European countries the attempted 

 alienation of a public reserve would be followed by disturb- 

 ances. In those countries so many areas have been secretly 

 enclosed by adjoining landowners that organizations exist, 

 supplied with voluntary contributions and officered by 

 resolute men, to enquire into and if necessary, take suitable 

 action in regard to any reported filching of the public estate, 

 or curtailment of public liberties. 



Parks should be inviolable, because diminution of area 

 means diminution of opportunity of recreation. But there 

 is another very important consideration in regard to taking 

 from the area of a park. If a man sets himself to improve 

 a certain area from a landscape point of view, his plans may 



