PEELIMIXAEY WOEK COMPLETED 49 



rested upon the succeeding commission to carry out: Or, 

 failing in that, to have laid out a park "system'^ complete, 

 at least in outline, within that amount, before asking for 

 additional appropriation. 



That the reserve policy was adopted after the organiza- 

 tion of the permanent commission in 1895 is noT7 well 

 known, and some of the reasons why the original plan, 

 policy, and promise were not carried out will be considered 

 in succeeding chapters. 



It may be a matter of interest for the reader to know 

 that, so far as could be learned from the inrestigations 

 made in 1894-5, the Essex County Park enterprise was, and, 

 so far as I have since been able to learn, still is, the initial 

 county public park undertaking of this country. In the 

 legal preparation of the charter there were, for this reason, 

 so many novel and intricate cjuestions involved that on 

 January 28, on request of the counsel, Jolin P. Emery, it 

 was decided to employ Joseph Coult as associate counsel 

 *'in the construction and provision of the bill to be pre- 

 sented to the Legislature.*' 



On Februar}' 1, 1895, the draft of the bill was gone over 

 by the commissioners with the counsel. The recommenda- 

 tions that the entire financing of the undertaking be left 

 with the Board of Freeholders, the funds to be paid over 

 on requisition of the park commissioners, rather than that 

 an attempt should be made to create an entirely separate 

 system of tax levies for the parks, were agreed to, and the 

 finishing touches of the bill were passed upon. At the same 

 meeting the report to accompany the bill was considered, 

 corrected, and made ready for publication. 



PROPOSED LAW IXTEODrCZD. 



A few days afterward the commission received word from 

 Judge Depue suggesting 'that the report be sent to him, as 

 was done. A copy was also sent, with a draft of the bill, to 

 Senator Ketcham, who promptly introduced the measure 



