ANOTHEH APPROPRIATION 



285 



width of the bridge before the specifications were agreed to 

 by the freeholders, or what the "much-counseled" counsel 

 was doing, entrusted as he was with the legal matters of, 

 and drawing a salary from, both the Board of Freeholders 

 and the Park Board, in approving those specifications, 

 which were sure to throw upon the taxpayers of the county 

 the entire fifteen or twenty thousand dollars' expense for 

 making the necessary changes afterward, is a matter re- 

 garding which I do not think any satisfactory explanation 

 has ever been attempted. 



SMALLER PARKS. 



Besides the parks now under the control of the Park 

 Board and already referred to, there were twO' small areas, 

 transferred by local authorities, which have received park 

 treatment, or are in process of improvement by the com- 

 mission. Early in 1898 the authorities of East Orange de- 

 cided to turn over to the permanent care of the commission 

 the land comprising about fifteen acres on the border line 

 of Bloomfield, which tract had been formerly used in con- 

 nection with the local sewerage system as disposal works. 

 The proposition was to transfer the land without cost to 

 the county on condition that it should be made a park. The 

 matter was afterward submitted to a vote of the city elec- 

 torate and approved by a liberal majority. The tender was 

 accepted by the commission December 10. On October 23, 

 1900, $5,000 was appropriated for improvements. The 

 grounds have been laid out and planted and now constitute 

 Watsessing Park. 



It was also at the same time proposed to transfer the 

 small unimproved tract in the southern part of East 

 Orange, known as Elmwood Park, and an ordinance was 

 drawn for that purpose. The commission, however, did not 

 accept it. 



At the Park Board meeting of August 15, 1902, the com- 

 mission voted to accept the thirteen acres of park land 

 which had been presented to Montclair Township by C. W. 

 Anderson, and which, in turn, had been offered the com- 



