The evening world., 1894-03-31
DANk's SUCCESSOR UNNAMED.
Mayor Gilroy Won't Discuss the
Commissioners Resignation.
Mr.. Straus Defends the Action OF
the Board Yesterday.

Mayor Gilroy said this morning that he
had not yet decided upon Il successor to
Paul Dana, whose resignation as a Park
Commissioner he received and accepted
late yesterday afternoon.
II DO not see any necessity for my
making any comment on Mr.. Dana's
resignation" ne added. land / have
nothing to say as to whether the Com
missioners did or did not violate the
law yesterday in accepting a bid for
the speedway construction"
In his letter 10 Mayor Gilroy ex-Com-
missioner Dana states that his resigna-
t!on IS the effect Of violation Of the Inv by
the Commissioners. despite his protest. He
concluded his communication az follows:
THE persistence OF the Park Board in
designing the driveway on their own re-
sporsbility without the usual profess
sional advice Is bound to subject the
city to dlscrcdit ana damage both. and
likewise to deprive the public on foot of
the full benefits to which they are en-
titled. But at the meeting of the Board
this morning it appeared that the bids
for completing the second section Of
the driveway were based upon the plan
directly violating the law OF the Stale.
The, law provides that the sidewalks
on either side for the accommodation
Of pedestrians should nowhere be less
than ten feet. BY the plan of work
completed for the bidders this morning
the sidewalk is completely abandoned
at one point on the more important side
of the roadway-the river Saskatchewan
at that pont the law might have been
complied with and the roadway proper
law as originally approved and passed.
my private affairs make 1t impossible
for me. In addition to the ordinary la
bors of Il Park Commissioner, to per-
Der of a Board thus ready. to violate
the established laws of park manage
| ment, and even the laws of the State;
and as the most emphatic protest now
available against such practices l re-
spectfully resign my Office"
| Park Commissioner Straus said tc
| an Evening World" reporter this morn
SNow that Mr. Dana is an ex-Com
missioner l would prefer not to discuss
his actions while a member of the Parl
Board. However. as he has seen fit tC
accuse the Commissioners of violating
He Is wrong. We have not violated th'
law.
hsns SGmns his 0r Rsk and whee seec.ed
our acceptance of bids for the
speedway construction, because there
was none other available. As
Park Commissioners we are allowed to
use at least some common sense as tc
what Is most for the benefit of the pub.
lie. 1t is true that the law provides fol
a. 10O-foot width of driveway, and the
| plans are made So But when the drive.
way passes under a bridge, where only
sixty feet of space Is to be had from pill
lar to pillar, what can we do ? Remove
the bridge Or. what is plainly, the only
bridge, the width Of the driveway?
THAT is what the Commissioners de
cided to do, and in order to ALLOW
some fair space for the vehicles under
the bridge, the sidewalks. like the drive
way, had to be narrowed. From ten fee
the sidewalks under the bridge hav'
| been narrowed to five feet each, thu
leaving fifty feet for the carriages
Elsewhere the carriages have eight!
feet of road width to drive under.
II believe, in thus expressing myself
that voice the sentiments of the othei
members Of the Board. Messrs. Taper
and Clausen."
President A. B. Tappen. of the Parl
Board did not come down to his offic,
to-day. from his Fordham residence
Commissioner Clausen was not down
| town to-day, either.