90 
PARK AND CEMETERY. 
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PARK NEWS. 
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An important project of improve- 
ment in Washington, D. C., is pro- 
posed in the Heyburn bill, recently 
reported for passage by the public 
grounds committee. It authorizes an 
appropriation of $15,000,000 for the 
purchase of a strip of business prop- 
erty lying between Pennsylvania ave- 
nue and a reservation that extends 
from the capitol to the Washington 
monument. The strip is ten blocks 
long and one to four blocks wide. 
The Heyburn bill provides that the 
area shall be converted into a park 
and serve as a site for government 
buildings to be erected in the future. 
A vigorous campaign has been un- 
der way in Denver, Colo., to secure 
an amendment to the city charter au- 
thorizing the purchase of a chain of 
five natural parks of about 1,200 acres 
each, all within a distance of twenty- 
two miles west of the state capitol. 
It is planned to connect the parks by 
a boulevard constructed to accommo- 
date automobile traffic, and the sce- 
nery along the route and through the 
parks will be unrivalled. 
Some time ago George Urban, Jr., and 
William H. Walker deeded a tract of 
land to the city of Buffalo, N. Y., for 
park purposes, . on condition that the 
city should acquire additional lands. 
In accordance with this the city is 
looking into the purchase of a 22-acre 
tract offered for $65,000. So far the 
site is known as the Schiller Park 
site.. 
The city authorities and the Com- 
mercial Club of Topeka, Kan., are 
working on a proposition to acquire 
some 70 or 80 acres of land for the 
establishment of five or more parks. It 
is desired to purchase all available park 
lands on the bank of the Shungamunga 
Creek, east of Kansas avenue. The 
Commercial Club park committee voted 
to ask the public at large to help in 
building toward the great boulevard sys- 
tem and to create small benefit districts 
for the purpose of establishing the lit- 
tle parks that have been outlined in 
the boulevard plans. The total acreage 
of the parks provided in the plans will 
be from 800 to 1,000 acres. 
The city authorities of Cleveland, O., 
claim to be assured of an outer-park 
system for that city. City Forester 
Boddy recently announced that owners 
of Chagrin river valley property had 
expressed a willingness to donate land 
for a state reservation six miles long 
and varying from 500 to 1,500 feet in 
width. In obtaining this donation the 
state will have a nucleus for a forest 
reservation of surpassing interest and 
value. Progress is being made on the 
Edgewater Boulevard extension scheme 
on which some $500,000 will probably 
be expended. 
The Chamber of Commerce of Hills- 
dale, Mich., is exercising its activities 
in improving the park facilities of that 
town, and is interested in refitting Mc- 
Intire park for children’s playground 
purposes. 
The Budget Committee of Los An- 
geles, Calif., has decided to recom- 
mend an appropriation of $57,000 for 
the Park Commission in the new bud- 
get. Of this $37,000 is for salaries ; 
$8,000 for expenses and $12,000 for out- 
lays. It also recommends that the sal- 
aries of playground directors be raised 
from $90 to $100 per month ; assistants 
from $85 to $95, and that the salary of 
Charles B. Raitt, superintendent of 
playgrounds, be raised from $175 to 
$200 per month. It was decided that 
three playgrounds are to be opened at 
nights for public recreation. 
Rock Island, III., is very proud of its 
park system, which is now only 30 
years old. Besides Long View, of 40 
acres, and East End, of 22 acres, its 
two larger parks, it has three squares 
of a block each. Spencer Square, once 
a low, swampy spot, in the very heart 
of the city, and Larnsey Square, in the 
west end, are both popular and attract- 
ive small parks, while Denkmann Square 
also in the west end, is a desirable 
breathing place. The city is somewhat 
hampered by insufficient funds for park 
purposes, and further enlargements of 
its boulevard and park system, which 
are immediately contemplated, are di- 
recting atention to the necessity of ac- 
quiring a more stable supply of funds 
for park purposes. 
An ordinance has been passed by the 
Cleveland, O., City Council authorizing 
the Director of Public Service to pur- 
chase for $35,000 certain parcels of land 
in the Horace Perry Farm Subdivision 
of that city for park purposes. 
Eleven parks are maintained by the 
city of Wichita, Kan., at the present 
time, covering a total of 213 acres. The 
largest is Riverside, with nearly 150 
acres; the next largest park is 
Linwood, which has thirty-two 
acres and is -valued at $70,000. 
The total value of the Riverside 
parks, North, South and Central, 
approximates $1,000,000, including the 
ground and improvements. The zoo 
maintained at Riverside park is valued 
at $3,000. Lincoln park, with two 
and one-half acres, is valued at $16,000. 
Hyde park has the same acreage and 
valuation. McKinley park has 13 acres 
of ground and is valued at $25,000. 
Prospect, the smallest of the parks, has 
only one and one-half acres, valued at 
$1,000. Waterworks is the fourth larg- 
est of the parks, having 12 acres, valued 
at $25,000. The Henry street park has 
two acres of ground and is valued at 
$6,800. South Riverside park, hitherto 
used for picnics, public gatherings, etc., 
is now under a program of improve- 
ment which will include bathing beach 
and a centralized playground for the 
children of the city. 
The purchase of the 400 acres of land 
upon which the Natural bridge of Vir- 
ginia, in Rockbridge county, Va., is sit- 
uated “as a national monument and for 
the protection of the watershed of the 
James river,” has been proposed in a 
bill introduced by Senator Swanson of 
Virginia. Not more than $200,000 is to 
be paid for the property. In lieu of 
money the owners are allowed to have 
160,000 acres of public land, not min- 
eral or not reserved. 
A new feature in park management 
was introduced at a recent meeting of 
the Board of Park Commissioners, 
Rochester, N. Y., by the apointment of 
a committee on sanitation. It will be 
the duty of the committee to keep in 
sanitary condition the swimming pools, 
toilets, refuse receptacles, refectories 
and park buildings in general. To set- 
tle a question of authority over play- 
grounds which arose between park 
committees and the playground com- 
mittee, the board adopted a resolution 
which gave the playground committee 
charge at all playgrounds, and W. H. 
Metcalf was designated by the board 
as supervisor of all playgrounds. 
The Alberta Woman’s Association is 
one of the most influential or- 
ganizations in that rapidly grow- 
ing Canadian province. Its mem- 
bership includes nearly every wom- 
an university graduate in the prov- 
ince as well as the wives of the mem- 
bers of the university senates and the 
board of governors. It was organized 
about six months ago for the promo- 
tion of higher education in Alberta. In 
Calgary, Mrs. D. Andrews is the presi- 
dent; Mrs. C. A. Stuart, vice-president; 
Mrs. Blow, second vice-president; Mrs. 
Harold Riley, corresponding secretary ; 
Mrs. Fred. Currie, recording secretary; 
