The Portland daily press., 1894-03-12
THE CITY's PARKS.
What Has Been Done to Improve Them
During the Past Year.


The following is the annual report of
the Park Commission to the City Coun-
Gil: 49,
To the Honorable City Council:
The Commissioners of Parks, Cemeter-
les and Public Grounds respectfully sub
nit to your honorable body their eighth
annual report.
There was appropriated for the use of
the departments OF Public Grounds the
sum of $4,000, viz:
Public Grounds $4,000. 90.
behring's Oaks s400o. w.
Total $s00O. 90.
The statement of the expenditures of
the different departments will be found
itemized and fully set forth in the Audi
tors report.
Each year our park area has increased,
and it grows more and more difficult Iof
the Board, with the small sum at It's as
posal, to comply with the demands mage
upon it for improvements: sum small
er than is supplied by any other city
having the same area of parks to care
for. But our city is young, and it is
better to use large percentage OF our
resources in securing the necessary land
to complete our system of parks, leaving
improvements to the future, than to
over burden the tax payers now. Bos-
ton, with her population of $780, 900 and
her twelve hundred millions assessed
valuation, can afford to spend six mill
lions of dollars in improving the parks.
We can enjoy ours, with a small expendi-
ture each year, as Nature has given
them to us, until the few years shall
have passed when Portland will have
become AS rich and as large AS BOSTON.
The park is priceless boon to the
weak and invalid of all classes. but par
ticularly to the poor. To be able to go
from cramped and close atmospheres to
regions of sunlight and verdure is an ln-
describa BILE pleasure; it brings back
hope, as we'll as health, to multltudes.
Thousands who can never spend the
time or means to take vacation may
recuperate waning energies by physical
exercise or quiet rest IN the mlds6 OF .ue-
lightful surroundings.
In larger cities the complaint is often
heard that working people do not use
the larger parks TO any. great extent ex-
cent on Sundays, and there is reason for
this. After hard days work they do
not feel disposed to go, as they usually
must, long distance to reach one.
This is not true of Portland. The parks
are SO we'll distri buted and so accessible
classes during the summer months, es-
pecially of women and children. 1t is no
uncommon thing to see family groups OF
mother and children spending the day lin
the parks while the father is at his
daily work, or to see whole families
enjoying the evenings in them.
Several of our cities are already doing
something to provide free music Tor the
summer months. But nowhere is enough
being done. The time will come how
ever. when people will more generally
understand that the best way to keep
toiers of our city from saloons and
abodes of vice is to give them better and
more wholesome recreation. There IS
everything in the surroundings OF city
working classes to drag down, but little It'll
to uplift. The moral influence OF parks,
especially with provisions for recreation
as outlined, would be very great.
behring's Oaks.
There was but little permanent work
done in behring's Oaks the past sum-
mer; owing to the large amount needed
to carry on the work being done on Fort
Allen Park. it was thought best by the
Commissioners to postpone the improve
ments contemplated for Deering Oaks
until another year. 1t is the intention
of the Commission to make improve
ments in the exterior lines of this Park
the coming season, principally on the
Grove street side.
The number of those who resort to the
mark increases faster than it seems pos
sible to extend facilities for their recep-
ton. the ratio of increase being evidently
greater than the city's gain in popula-
ton. The Commissioners, however, be-
lieve that after the proposed rides. drives
and walks have been fully carried out
and thrown open to public use, ample ac-
commodations for locomotiOn to all
parts of the park will be afforded for Wis
itors. and the increased freedom of circu
lation thus obtained will obviare the
necessity of those crowds which are now
occasionally found in certain localities.
To the greater number of those who
frequent the park nothing would seem
to be more desirable than simple,
straightforward exercise in the open air,
and thus far the great effort has been to
facilitate free and unobstructed move
ment everywhere over park domain, ref
erence being had at the same time to
the proper development of those land
scape conditions which would render
such movements interesting.
The menagerie in behring's Oaks is in
a fourishing condition.; the additions
for the past year were four young deer
born in the deer paddock in August,
1893
The monkey house was rebuilt, and
we now have comfortable quarters for
them forssummer and winter.
Eastern Promenade.
The only work done OH this Prone
made the past summer was to keep the
walks and lawns in good condition,
which. by the way, is no small job
when we consider the amount of area
covered by this Promenade. The san1-
tary effects of our two Promenades will
be felt when our city reaches the pro-
portions we all know it must grow to.in
time to come, and the time has already
come when the drives on these PRONE
nades are referred to with pride by our
citizens
Western Promenade.
Little was done in the way of improve
ments on this promenade the past season.
but it is the intention of the COM
missioners to do large amount of SUBJ
stantial work there the coming summer.
The engineers are now at work on the
plans for those Improvements.