609 
PARK AND CEMETERY. 
surprise and interest many readers: 
The information is taken from the 
Park Report just off the press: The 
assessed land valuation in the North 
and South Park districts in 1898 was 
$18,421,000; in 1910 the valuation was 
$31,282,130. A natural land gain in 
the two districts of 69.82 per cent. 
The Benton Boulevard assessed land 
valuations in 1898 amounted to $131,- 
415; in 1910 it was $372,690, a land 
gain of 183.60 per cent. Deducting 
for cost of frontage improvements 
on 1898 land values, the net gain due 
t,o boulevard establishment has been 
43.78 per cent. 
The beauty of Kansas City’s parks 
and boulevards may be readily appre- 
ciated from the illustrations given 
herewith. The cover picture is a 
view in Penn Valley Park, giving a 
vista of the city and its sky line over 
the lake. This park is located in the 
West Park district. The two illus- 
trations of the Paseo, before and 
after, at Sixteenth street, are inter- 
esting as. showing an entire transfor- 
mation. The Paseo is a splendid 
boulevard running almost centrally 
through the city from north to south 
and which is broken occasionally into 
small parks and beauty spots. Scar- 
ritt Point from Prospect Point, North 
Terrace Park, is a fascinating scene 
and explains some pf the charm of 
the park system in its remarkable di- 
versity. One might hardly expect to 
find such a view as a part of the park 
development of a city of just under 
250,000 population. North Terrace 
Park is located, for the greater part, 
in the North Park district and run- 
ning over a little into the East. Its 
257 acres extend east to west almost 
parallel with the Missouri river. A 
plan of this park is given herewith, 
upon which may be found its charm- 
ing Cliff Road, skirted by the fine 
Independence boulevard. This park 
is remarkable in its topography, and 
the views over the Missouri river val- 
ley and the rugged scenery of the lo- 
cality make it a pleasure ground of 
immense practical value and attract- 
iveness. Commanding some of the 
beautiful and extensive vistas, resi- 
dence properties of the highest class 
abut upon its unmarked boundaries, 
creating a district almost unique in 
park work. 
There are approximately 50 miles 
of oiled roads which have given sat- 
isfaction. An excellent subsoil cov- 
ered with hard limestone macadam 
is coated once or twice a year with 
a heavy paraffin oil residuum mixed 
with asphaltum and with good re- 
sults. The oil costs one and a half 
cents per .gallon and is handled en- 
tirely by gravity. 
The total cost of the system has 
been, according to the latest report, 
$10,372,876.67. It is hardly necessa- 
ry to say that all connected with the 
inception and development of Kan- 
sas City’s park system, not to omit 
Mr. George E. Kessler, the landscape 
architect, are to be sincerely congrat- 
ulated on the beneficent results of 
their labors. 
AMERICAN ASSOCIATION of PARK SUPERINTENDENTS 
Thirteenth Annual Convention, Kansas City, August 8- 1 0 
The Thirteenth Annual Conven- 
tion of the American Association of 
Park Superintendents held at Kansas 
City, Mo., August 8, 9, and 10, 1911, 
will take its place in the annals of the 
organization as one of the most suc- 
cessful meetings the association has 
yet held. Twenty-two states, the 
District of Columbia, Manitoba and 
Ontario were represented by approx- 
imately seventy-five superintendents, 
officers and commissioners, many of 
whom were accompanied by their 
wives. Headquarters was at the Ho- 
tel Baltimore. The opening session 
was held at the offices of the Kansas 
City Board of Park Commissioners, 
where Mayor Darius A. Brown and 
Henry D. Ashley, member of the 
Board of Park Commissioners ex- 
tended the visitors a cordial welcome 
to the city. Vice-President Charles 
E. Keith, of Bridgeport, Conn., pre- 
sided in the absence of President 
Wm. J. Zartmann, Brooklyn, N. Y., 
who was unable to be present, and re- 
sponded to the hearty greeting. Mr. 
Keith referred sympathetically to 
the absence of W. H. Dunn, general 
superintendent of the Kansas City 
parks, and a vice-president of this 
organization, who was detained at 
home by sickness. President Zart- 
mann’s annual address was read by 
Mr. J. B. Shea, of Boston, Mass. It 
said in part: 
“The development of parks and oth- 
er recreation grounds throughout the 
country has far outstripped the 
growth. of population, and appears to 
be still increasing. It is likewise more 
and more realized that the trained 
man accomplishes more and far bet- 
ter work than the mere novice or 
gardener. 
It appears to me that the Associa- 
tion by getting in touch with all those 
who contemplate the creation of 
parks, have them in course of con- 
struction or already in use, cannot 
only materially increase its member- 
ship and influence, but be of consid- 
erable assistance to those that need 
help.” 
Mr. Zartmann referred to the im- 
portance of securing “a medium for 
the exchange of our thoughts and 
experiences and for the imparting of 
advice and instruction.” He said the 
Bulletin had failed in its purpose and 
advised making “some one of the 
technical periodicals the official or- 
gan of the association.” He express- 
ed his regret at being unable to take 
part in the deliberations of the con- 
vention and said “circumstances over 
wliich I have no control make it man- 
datory for me to remain in New 
York.” 
Secretary-Treasurer F. L. Mulford 
reported among other activities of his 
office during the past year was the 
mailing of circular letters and Bulle- 
tins to several hundred "persons in- 
terested in park and similar work, 
soliciting active, associate and special 
memberships. Among the two latter 
classes were the Association of Amer- 
ican Cemetery Superintendents; the 
Railway Gardeners Association and 
the American Society of Landscape 
Architects. 
The membership, including active, 
honorary, associate and special mem- 
bers, was 134 to which a number were 
added during the Kansas City meet- 
ing. 
“Uniform Park Accounts and Re- 
ports and the National Census Bu- 
reau” was discussed by Dr. Ernst C. 
Meyer, expert special agent of the 
Census Bureau, Washington, D. C., 
and supplemented by a pamphlet pre- 
pared by L. G. Powers, chief statis- 
tician in charge of statistics of cities 
in which standard forms for uniform 
reports of the financial transactions of 
parks were suggested. The general 
adoption of such forms would greatly 
expedite the work of the Department 
of Commerce and Labor in compiling 
this interesting information. Copies 
of the pamphlet may be had on re- 
quest to the above department. 
G. A. Parker, Th. Wirth and F. 
L. Mulford were appointed a com- 
mittee to act on Dr. Meyers sugges- 
tions. 
