GOOD CITIZENSHIP HELPLESS 225 



that ^'serious inconTenience and hardship to the business 

 and personal interests of the people" wonld result. The 

 commission's "financial limitations" wonld^ according to 

 this report, make *'the expense of developing and maintain- 

 ing both Park and Central avenues unwarrantable/' 



"It would be impracticable," continued the report, "to 

 extend Central avenue with a width of 100 feet to the south 

 end of Branch Brook Park, as would certainly be desirable, 

 even necessary, if it is to be used as a parkway." It was 

 also stated, that "the western part of Central avenue has 

 four right-angled turns in it, which are so extremely un- 

 graceful and inconvenient as to almost condemn it," and 

 "it is already encumbered on both ends with street railway 

 tracks." 



When it is borne in mind that every one of the condi- 

 tions referred to as "reasons," were, in 1895, when the 

 Olmsted's first report was made, precisely the same as when 

 this report was submitted — excepting that at the latter time 

 the corporations were using their power to secure the avenue 

 franchise, and thus prevent the parkway — ^both the text and 

 tenor of this last report seems the more surprising. In 

 other respects there had been, during the four intervening 

 years, no change. The "serious inconvenience and hardship 

 to the business and personal interests" were, in 1895, just 

 as apparent, save the pecuniary interest of the traction com- 

 pany in the coveted franchise, as in 1899. The "financial 

 limitations" of the commission were not so strained, with 

 its new $1,500,000 appropriation, but that new and costly 

 parkways, like the one in East Orange — which would have 

 its southern parkway connection at Central avenue perma- 

 nently destroyed by the abandonment of that avenue to the 

 trolley interests — could, as recommended in the report, be 

 extended. The plan "to extend Central avenue to the south 

 end of Branch Brook Park" had never been officially con- 

 sidered ; nor, so far as I know, had it ever been suggested in 

 the plans for making Central avenue a parkway. Nor had 

 the "ungraceful turns" or the short stretch of trolley tracks 

 at the western part of the avenue ever before been deemed of 



