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THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE OF AMERICA 
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| American Association of Park Superintendents 1 
OFFICIAL COMMUNICATIONS 
| JOHN F. WALSH, Jr., President, New York. R. W. COTTERILL, Sec.-Treas., Seattle, Washington. 
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A PARTIAL PROGRAMME OF ACTIVITIES OF THE AMERI- 
CAN ASSOCIATION OF PARK SUPERINTENDENTS FOR 
THE COMING YEAR, MAPPED OUT BY THE PRESIDENT, 
SO THAT ALL MEMBERS MAY TAKE AN ACTIVE PART 
IN MAKING THIS ONE OF THE MOST PROGRESSIVE 
YEARS IN THE HISTORY OF THE ASSOCIATION. 
First— The first matter of importance, and I may say the 
greatest, is in regard to increasing the membership of the associa- 
tion. This can best be accomplished by the individual members 
personally appealing or corresponding with s friend who is 
connected with park work. This will also help out the secretary, 
wlio will mikI individual invitations to every one whom lie thinks 
will be int. nsted in becoming a member. While I know lie has 
done I hi- before, I am going to ask him to make another and 
stronger appeal which I have no doubt will finally become sue- 
cessful in obtaining a member from every city containing a park 
system, regardless of its size, in the United States and Canada. 
Von will find that there are several of the first class and a 
large number of the smaller cities not represented in the associa- 
t ion. 
If we take pains to place before the officials re-] sible for the 
parks in the various municipalities, who have no representation 
in the association, by the members and also through the medium 
of the official organ, the Chronicle, of the benefits to be derived 
by having a representative attend the convention, sharing in its 
discussions, debates and genera! exchange of view-; on every 
phase of park management and work, which is discussed both 
formally and informally among the members from most every 
section of the United States and Canada, who are familiar with 
every condition of park work and have had to solve the problems 
which crop up now and then in every park system and have passe ! 
the solution on to some other member who is welcome to take 
advantage of the other fellow's hard work and make it easier for 
himself. 
If our absent friends could be made to realize that no matter 
what task may come up before any park board or set of com- 
missioners, whether it pertained to engineering problems of road 
building in cities or mountains, building of swimming pools in the 
heart of a city, bath houses on shores of oceans, lakes or rivers, 
latest improved methods of building tennis courts, athletic fields 
or play grounds, constructing and maintaining golf links, skating 
ponds, lawns, landscape planting and care of trees in city streets 
or forests, and various other activities too numerous to mention 
here. There will be found members in the association who are 
experts in the lines above mentioned, who stand ready at all 
times to give the necessary advice and help our fellow members 
require. 
It is doubtless a lack of knowledge of this association in a 
great many of the cities which causes us to lose the valuable mem- 
bership of numerous park officials and it is up to each and every 
member to give as wide publicity to the benefits to be derived 
from membership as it is possible to do. 
Second — A larger Governmental and State interest in the as- 
sociation should be advocated by every member. 
As this is a national body, every State should have a representa- 
tive in our organization. Also the Government should have a 
member from every national park and reservation in the country. 
A committee will be appointed in the near future to devise ways 
and means to bring the association in closer touch with both 
Government and State officials who have jurisdiction over such- 
matters and this committee should from time to time let the 
members know how they are progressing. 
Third — This association should get behind the good roads move- 
ment now in full swing, to aid and confer with the various of- 
ficials in regard to ways and means, not only to have good park 
roads, but to improve all roads in the vicinity of the parks, as 
good roads above everything else are essentia] to the bringing of 
people^ tci tlie parks. 
A committee will be appointed to take up this matter and let 
the members know from time to time what progress they are 
making. 
Such National <: 1 Roads Movements as the Lincoln and Dixie 
highways should be of special interest to members. 
Fourth — One of tlie topics discussed at the last, convention in 
an informal way was a work standard to be adopted at the next 
meeting in St. Louis in 1917. 
At present there is a great, deal of confusion as to the amount 
of work which should lie required as a standard day's work. 
While I appreciate that conditions vary to a gnat extent in 
regard to location and volume, still if every member will treat 
his system as a unit, a good standard can be arrived at. As this 
is of very great importance and will be in demand by municipali- 
ties throughout the country, care should lie taken to arrive at as 
accurate a figure as possible. 
A good guide would be acres of lawn cut by band, horses, or 
motor, yards of concrete, square yards of road— macadam, asphalt 
or otherwise — laid in a 'lay, and the various other matters that 
come up in the course of a day's work. 
r.esults when arrived at should he forwarded to the secretary, 
who will compile and have them ready at the next convention. 
fifth — Th" members an- requested to contribute to the official 
organ, the Chronicle, each month something of interest in park 
work, which they have accomplished and any other news which 
may lie of benefit to the members. 
Suggestions will be welcome from every member which would 
be of advantage or interest to the association. All such com- 
munications may be sent to me direct or to the secretary who will 
forward same. 
I take advantage of this opportunity to wish all the member,* 
A MERRY CHRISTMAS AND PROSPEROUS NEW YEAR. 
JOHN 1 F. WALSH. JR.. President. 
ASSOCIATION NOTES 
At the beginning of the new association year, the officers wish 
to make a special appeal to the members to contribute articles for 
our department in this magazine, our official organ. When the 
question of official organ was discussed at the New Orleans con- 
vention, there were some who thought we had not received suffici- 
ent attention in the columns of this magazine, but it was made 
plain that it was not the fault of the publishers, but because our 
members failed to come through with contributions. 
Your secretary does the best he can to make these columns of 
some interest with such news items and personals as he can gather 
from members who correspond with him, but special articles on 
pertinent subjects could and should be furnished by members. 
Every member is therefore invited to submit contributions for 
this department, not a local descriptive article which is without 
general value except as a "booster'' article, but something along 
technical or special lines, which will be helpful to the member- 
ship at large. ^Ye can secure all the space we want for such 
articles, so it is entirely up to the membership as to whether we 
avail ourselves of it. 
If you have some special construction features under way or 
completed, which would interest other members, write an article 
about it and send it in with a photo or two. This also applies 
to any subject which would be of general interest. Send con- 
tributions and photos either direct to Editor Ebel at Madison, 
N. J., or to the secretary. If you can't help in this way, why 
write the secretary once in a while and tell him something about 
what you are doiug. so that he may have something from which 
to make up his notes. 
The association has discontinued its advertisement in a munic- 
ipal magazine offering to furnish names of eligibles for positions 
as park executives to municipalities. The Executive Committee 
ordered this because many cities and individuals gathered the 
impression that we were operating an employment agency. Now 
it is up to the membership as to whether we can be of service 
to fellow members .along this line. Members who are out of eui 
ployment or who anticipate or desire a change, invariably write 
of this fact to the secretary and he has a list of such on hand 
all the time, some of which must necessarily be handled in a 
confidential way. 
Now in order to render any service in this direction, any mem- 
ber who knows of an opening or prospective opening for a fellow 
member, should communicate that fact to the secretary and 
secure list of available men or have him notify them of the possi- 
ble opening. The secretary is anxious to serve as a clearing 
house for matters of this kind if the members will just give him 
something to work on. 
