88 FIEST COrXTY PARK SYSTEM 



out the following authorized acceptance, at the valuation 

 the commission was willing to pay for the property : 



'^Xew York, February Tth, 1896. 

 '^Mr. Fred'k W. Kelsey, Commissioner. 



"Dear Sir — I am authorized by ]\Ir. John O'Brien to sell 

 to your commission all the property belonging to him in 

 blocks Xos. 964, 965, 966, 967 and 968 on the revised map 

 of the O'Brien property (of Ward & Tichenor of September, 

 1885), situated in the city of Xewark, at the price of 

 $95,700, payable on or before the fifteenth day of March, 

 1896, or sooner if satisfactory examination of title can be 

 made. 



"Yours trulv, for John O'Brien, 



"And. H. Greei^/' 



At the next meeting of the board, February 10, the pur- 

 chase agreement was formally closed at $95,700, as pro- 

 posed in Mr. Green's letter. From the later experiences 

 of the commission in acquiring park lands by condemnation 

 proceedings there can be little, if any, doubt that this action 

 of Mr. Green's was the means of a direct saving to the tax- 

 payers of Essex County of at least $30,000, to say nothing 

 of the delay that T\'ould have resulted in the improvement 

 of the East Side Park through the acquirement of the land 

 by legal process. 



A TRUST OBLIGATION. 



The question as to the still unsettled general policy of 

 the commission in establishing the park system was yet 

 before us. The subject would be discussed, put over, and 

 come up again whenever definite locations or estimates of 

 cost of proposed park areas were under consideration. A 

 solution seemed no nearer than before. The sectional 

 piecemeal plan was, notwithstanding, gradually taking 

 shape. The landscape architects were, as requested, pre- 

 paring plans and studying boundary lines for different 



