THE FIRST COMMISSIOJT 33 



'''The experience of other places demonstrates conclusively 

 that parks are the most appreciated where m.ost liberally 

 provided. The more the public realize their advantage to 

 health, to property — to say nothing of enjoyment — the 

 more eager all classes are for park extensions and new 

 pleasure grounds. 



"With all the millions Few York had previously ex- 

 pended for park lands and improvements, only a few years 

 ago large areas of additional park lands were secured at an 

 expense of some $9,000,000 or $10,000,000, and that munic- 

 ipality has again this year undertakings for additional 

 parks at an authorized expenditure of several millions more. 



"Philadelphia, with her city squares and beautiful Fair- 

 mount Park, is just undertaking at an estimated cost of 

 $6,000,000, the construction of a boulevard from the new 

 city hall direct to Fairmount Park, much of the way 

 through a densely built up part of the city. These are only 

 instances of the movement going on everywhere. Smaller 

 communities like Paterson and Trenton have already parks 

 and parkway approaches of commanding importance. 



"Not one of these communities, and but few in this coun- 

 try or in Europe, have the natural advantages of topog- 

 raphy, scenery, etc., that nature has already provided here 

 in Essex County. 



"Hardly another community so important has so long 

 neglected to utilize these advantages, or so persistently 

 failed to realize the importance of this subject. 



"There are more than 300,000 people in this county, in 

 the midst of these unusually favorable conditions, yet there 

 are only a few acres of public park lands in the whole 

 district. 



"The whole population appears to have developed with 

 but little regard to matters of this nature that have long 

 ago been deemed vital in isolated cities and towns of less 

 population and fewer resources. We believe you will concur 

 in the conviction that existing conditions call for immediate 

 action. 



'^Vith this view, we invite your co-operation, and would 



