AJ^rOTHER APPEOPRIATIOI^r 289 



undertaking. There were only 15,888 votes cast for the 

 bill, and 12,248 against it, or a total majority of only 3,640. 



The question as to the constitutionality of the law as 

 related to the appointive commission feature was brought 

 forward by the refusal of Judge John A. Blair, of Hudson 

 County, to appoint a park commission for that county 

 under a law similar to the Essex County park act, and 

 applicable to Hudson County, having been passed by the 

 Legislature about this time. The Hudson County act;, how- 

 ever, provided for the appointment of the commissioners by 

 the presiding judge of the Court of Common Pleas, and 

 divided the party participation in the management, 

 by making the number of commissioners four — two to be 

 chosen from each of the leading political parties. 



Both the Supreme Court, and later, the Court of Errors 

 and Appeals, June 15, 1903, upheld the appointive feature 

 of the park charters as being constitutional. 



On October 1, 1903, $500,000 of the four per cent gold 

 bonds, authorized by the last appropriation law, w^ere sold 

 by the freeholders to the Mutual Benefit Life Insurance 

 Company at the (to the company) favorable price of a 103 

 per cent basis. On October 12 the proceeds and the small 

 premium received for the bonds were paid over to the Park 

 Commission. On January 31, 1905, a requisition was made 

 for the balance of the $1,000,000 appropriated, and, on 

 February 3, the remaining $500,000 of bonds were sold to 

 J. D. Everett & Co. and Farson, Leach & Co. on their joint 

 bid of $107,273. The $536,375 proceeds were soon after- 

 ward received by the commission. 



On March 28 the commission took up the consideration 

 of estimates and data, as previously prepared, for the ex- 

 penditure of this last $500,000. The matter is still under 

 consideration. On July 1, 1905, there was in round num- 

 bers about $700,000 on hand, but against this amount 

 there were liabilities and commitments to quite an amount, 

 and more being from time to time determined. 



