New-York tribune., 1886-03-22

THE NEU PERKS ABDTE THE HARLEN
Elsewhere in this ISSUE we print an able letter
in favor of the new parks scheme from Luther
r. Marsh, the chairman of the Commission now
engaged in taking and appraiSing the land
already defined for the parks under the Act Of
1851. Mr.. Marsh affords view of the advant-
ages to be derived from their existence which Is
certainly attractive. Upon two essential facts
there can be no two opinions, that rhe city is in
great need Of more pleasure grounds. and that
it must obtain them soon if 1t is to get then at
all.
But there are serious objections to the plan
now being pursued for the accomplishment Of
what everybody comedies to be desirable. The
three principal parks. Pelham, Van COrtlandt
and Bronx, are too large. The first contains Il
great quantity of marsh land. The others are
much more extensive than the Park Depart
ment contemplated. The three contain ,, I'D
acres. Had half of this territory been divided
up into small and easily access bic areas
entirely satisfactory parks would have been Sc
cured at less cost The taking of the Pelham
property practically commits the city to an m
mcnse scheme Of annexation, the desiIabllity Of
which our present experience teaches to be
quite debltable.
But the principal question is one of expense
and resources. We are familiar it'll the argu-
ments to which Mr.. Marsh calls attention and
which seek to show that the enhanced value of
real estate adjacent to the parks will more than
repay the city for their cost. These arguments
all assume the point most at issue, that the in
crease in real estate valncS will be due to the
parks. 1t is pointed out that the increase in
A.. L. ..I
Park proves TINS claim. But as matter of fact,
the population of NewYork can only extend
northward. There is no other dH cction in
which it can 60, and the real estate above the
Harlem River Will go on increasing rapidly in
value whether we pay out ii dozen millions for
parks or not.
New York is now committed to a series of
heavy responsibilities. II it gets through with
the new aqueduct at an outlay under
$25, 600, 900 it will be lucky. The widening
of the river streets will entail the purchase OF
large private properties, and the construction
of the new piers will open up wide vista OF
expense. We need pleasure grounds but We
also need proper pavements. We are III great
need of public school buildings, and they will
appeal to public sentiment quite as strongly as
parks. The Public Works Department j.
clam0iing loudly for many miles of new sewers,
and the estimates upJn improvement to which
the city is actually committed indicate that the
taxpayers will have a burden of at least
$jO,OOOO 900 imposed upon them. This addi-
tional load of SIC, 100000, at the lowest cacu-
lation, for pleasure grounds the situation and
condition of which are matters that public
sentiment is by no means unanimous about.
and which must be laid out at another heavy
expense, and maintained at still another, must
be expected to make the taxpayers look
serious despite the hopeful argument that they
will get it all back again. They have pain
fully clear view of the outgo but the in come is
f1n1 1lsfN