wealthy cities to a mill tax in those 
not so wealthy, and in some cities 
where they are very ambitious as to 
their parks, it goes as high as a two 
mill tax, but I think at a fair valua- 
tion, a mill tax is as high as should 
be assessed for park purposes. 
“In either way of estimating it usu- 
ally means that the park commission 
in a city of 25,000 has from ten to 
fifteen thousand dollars to spend each 
year, and the employment of a super- 
intendent or foreman, ten or twelve 
men, with about a quarter of what is 
raised for some improvements by con- 
tract, such as pavilions, bridges, etc. 
“This then is the proposition for a 
park commission for a small city. 
They should have the power, knowl- 
edge, and ability to select land for 
parks, and to have the care and de- 
velopment of them, and to employ 
men and teams necessary. Also to pur- 
chase material and make contracts, if 
they consider contracts to be the best 
method of doing the work. They should 
control all employees and all persons 
connected with the parks. They should 
have power to make rules and regula- 
tions for the use of the parks, and 
should make detailed reports of what 
they do, either directly or indirectly, 
to the people and be subjected to 
them. 
“The immediate question is how far 
the park problem of the city can be 
solved by the formation of a park 
commission, and what’ powers and 
functions should be trusted to it, and 
what shall be the form of charter to 
be adopted, and how much can be 
learned from what other cities have 
done. 
“The creation of a park commission 
should be because the people as a 
whole desire it, and this desire can be 
stimulated until it takes form, and it 
usually crystalizes about a few men 
who become the workers to carry it 
out. 
“I will not attempt to write out or to 
give the wording of a charter, but I 
will discuss what it seems to me it 
should contain. 
“First : It should contain a provision 
by which the park commissioners can 
take the land for park purposes which 
is the most desirable for their project, 
by' right of eminent domain or by pri- 
vate purchase. This last method many 
times means a great saving to cities, 
although it has at times be^n greatly 
abused. 
“Second: The jurisdiction of the 
park commission over the property of 
the city used for park purposes, both 
real and personal, should be complete. 
They should have the right to employ 
PARK AND CEMETERY. 
all necessary help, both skilled and un- 
skilled, and purchase all necessary 
supplies, and make all needed con- 
tracts. This power varies in different 
cities. Some have a purchasing agent, 
others a commission of contract and 
supplies, and some have an employ- 
• ment committee. Others are under 
the Civil Service laws. It seems to 
me that park work and the city are 
best served where the park board is 
allowed to manage the affairs of the 
parks without interference. 
“Third: The jurisdiction of the park 
commission over different interests of 
the city vary in different cities, and in 
some of the cities they include large 
parks and reservations, small parks, 
squares, gymnasiums, play grounds, 
playfields, bath houses, bathing beach- 
es, street trees, parkings, that is, the 
narrow strip of grass along both sides 
of the sidewalks, boulevards, park 
ways, bicycle paths, board walks at 
the seashore, cemeteries, school-house 
grounds, grounds around public build- 
ings, supervision over private grounds 
on residential streets so that they shall 
be kept up to a certain standard; 
weeds and other objectionable features 
in vacant lots; insects and fungus dis- 
eases which affect trees on private 
grounds; and other duties which I do 
not now recall. I think, however, it is 
a mistake to place some of these 
things under the park commission. I 
believe that they should have exclusive 
jurisdiction over the parks and squares 
of a city, and of the bouleards and 
park ways which may have been put 
entirely under their charge. In small 
cities it may also be desirable to place 
the street trees in their care, but this 
gives a divided jurisdiction, as the 
street department has the care of ev- 
erything else in the streets. I believe 
it is better that the street department 
should have a forester, directly re- 
sponsible to them to put the street 
trees under the park department. 
“In some small cities it has appar- 
ently worked quite well putting the 
cemeteries under the park commission, 
but as the cemetery problem is very 
different from the park problem, I do 
not think it well to combine the two. 
The only excuse I ever iieard given 
for putting some of the many things 
under the park commission was that 
they were best equipped for the work. 
The putting of too great a variety of 
work upon the commission has led to 
the refusal of some of the best men 
to serve on the commission. 
“I believe that the park commission 
should be a co-ordinate department of 
the city’s government, equal to the po- 
lice, fire, health or street departments, 
282 
reporting directly to the mayor and 
council, and through them to the peo- 
ple. 
“The relation of the park department 
to the city government varies widely 
in different cities. In some it has not 
m.uch more than an advisory relation 
to the mayor and council, for not until 
the latter has decided what may be 
done can the park commission do it. 
This was the condition at Seattle until 
quite recently. 
“In many of the cities of New York 
and Pennsylvania it is subordinate or 
a bureau of some other department 
the head of which department ap- 
points the superintendent of parks, 
who practically runs the department 
independent of any commission. 
“In most of the New England cities 
it is a co-ordinate branch of the city 
government. Again like Hartford it 
is a corporation within a corporation, 
and is subject neither to mayor nor 
■council, nor to the people except so 
far as it renders an annual report. In 
the case of Hartford they have a sep- 
arate charter and fixed sum, which the 
council cannot lessen.' This is auto- 
cratic and self-perpetuating, as the 
commissioners themselves elect their 
own members, subject only to the ap- 
proval of the board of aldermen. In 
Hartford this’ scheme has worked ex- 
ceedingly well, simply because the 
park commissioners have fortunately 
all been broadminded, well informed 
men, unselfish, and working solely for 
the interests of the parks and city. 
“Fifth: Many different methods have 
been tried in order to be sure and get 
good men on the park commission, 
and to keep it out of politics. In 
some cases, as in that of two of the 
commissions of Chicago, they are ap- 
pointed by the Governor, but the 
South Park Commission of Chicago 
and the Essex County Park Commis- 
sion of New Jersey are appointed by 
the Supreme Court judges. In a few 
cases they are appointed by the coun- 
ty commissioners. In some cities they 
are appointed by the mayor alone, but 
generally it requires the mayor and al- 
dermen to appoint. In a steadily in- 
creasing number of cities they are 
elected by the people. By all of these 
methods both good and bad men have 
been obtained. Probably the three 
most efficient park commissions of 
the country are the South Park Com- 
mission of Chicago, which is appoint- 
ed by the Supreme Court judges; the 
Boston Park Commission, appointed 
by the mayor, and the Hartford Park 
Commission, the original members of 
which were designated by charter, and 
which has elected its own members 
