THE FIEST COMMISSION 



31 



It was then agreed to employ a secretary; various com- 

 mittees, on by-laws, rooms, printing, etc., were selected ; and 

 the actual work of the board thus began. It was decided to 

 have regular monthly meetings, and more frequently, as cir- 

 cumstances required. The requirements soon called for 

 meetings once a week, or even more often — a policy and 

 condition that was foUowed to the close of the work of the 

 commission. 



At the meeting of June .28, a series of resoluiions were 

 received from the "'East Orange Park Avenue Protective 

 Association"' expressing ^'its approbation" of the prompt ap- 

 pointment of the commission, favoring additional legisla- 

 tion, and suggesting that the ^'care of certain streets and 

 avenues leading to and through such park or parks'" be 

 placed in the hands of the new board. The resolutions also 

 requested '''the active co-operation of the said Park Com- 

 mission in our efforts to preserve Park avenue for the pur- 

 poses above described/" 



The petition was accompanied by a lengthy communica- 

 tion favoring "a small park or parks within the limits of 

 each of our large cities or elsewhere in the vicinity;" a 

 ^^arge park or a chain of parks on or over the Orange 

 Mountain ;'" and suitable approaches to the parks, ^'re- 

 served as carriageways, free from trolley cars, overhead 

 wires and anything that would detract from the character 

 of these approaches as first-class residence streets,"" '^o 

 reference was made to Central avenue, which was ere long 

 to become the storm center of one of the most stubbornly 

 fought contests between corporate gTeed and the forces that 

 make for civic betterment that have yet occurred in this 

 country. 



As the commission had not at this time fairly completed 

 its organization, and had not even taken up the subject of 

 the proposed park locations, the communications were read 

 and received without action. 



The work of the board now went rapidly forward. Com- 

 missioner Meeker was elected treasurer. A large number of 

 applications were received for the position of secretary. A 



