The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-06-24
PARKS PUT IN NEW HANDS.
Continued from Eighth Page.


seen by a Morning News reporter, Com
missioner Willink said that he will put
force of twenty men to work this morn
ang, placing the parks, squares and grass
plats in. condition. The fore will, for the
present, be under the supervision of SUI
perintendent Dreeson of he scaVenger
department both Superintendent Hunt
and the foreman of the Street and lane
department being on the sick list. The
work will, however, have the personal
supervision of the commissioner, and also
of Alderman Davis.
"A mower will be put to work cutting
the grass on Oglethorpe avenue the first
thing in TIE morning" said Commissioner
Willink. ut win take about two weeks
to get the parks and squares in shape, aft
er which time the force will probably be
cut in half l think eight to ten men
ought to be able to care for the work dur
ing the remainder of the year, after the
first two weeks
The park and tree force will be extra
men, and win not be taken from the street
and lane force. A separate account will
be kept of the expense of this work. The
debris from the parks and squares will
be removed by athe 4scavenger wagons.
Commissioner Willink said there is no pro-
vision made, in the appropriation to the
street and lane department for such work
and it may be necessary Sor council to
make an additional appropriation, on ac-
count of this work, before the end of the
year.
TAT a meeting of the park and tree com
mission, held yesterday morning to con-
slider the mayors action, the following
formal protest was adopted:
City of Savannah, Office Park and Tree
Commission, June %, 1S97.-Hon. P. w.
Meldrim, Mayor, City: Dear Strive are
in receipts of your favor of the 22d inst,
enclosing an order designed to place the
parks, squares and grass pats of this city
under the care of the committee on streets
and lanes,
Your honor will surely recollect that the
members of the legislature from Chatham
county, including yourself participated in
the passage of the following amendment
to the act creating our commission, which
law your honor is now proposing to nullify.
Amongst other things it is declared to
be THE intent and meaning of this act
that whatever moneys are expended by the
city of Savannah upon the care, preserva-
ton and management of parks, squares,
cemeteries, trees, grass plats and flowers
in said city, shall be done solely under the
direction, approval and management of
this commission
Now, if council decides that
no more money shall be spent
upon such work, this commits
sion perforce must acqulesce; but, when
1t is settled that this work shall continue,
we protest that it is illegal to entrust the
direction and management of such work
to the street and lane committee, and we
decline to admit that any order of the
mayor of Savannah has power to repeal
and supersede an act of the general as
sembly of the state of Georgia Yours
very truly,
The Park and Tree Commission.
BY VIM. w. Gordon, Jr., Secretary.
In addition to the above formal protest
the commission decided to prepare a
"a mt iTrir1o Of hpt rOrg
and the manner in which their funds had
been expended, for general information,
to be given the public in the shape, of an
open letter to the mayor. This statement,
members of the commission stated, con-
tains facts and figures which were pre-
scented to council on each occasion when
the request for a further appropriation
was made, but which were not made pub
lie at the time. The members of the
commission feel that it is due to them
selves and the public that this statement
should be made in order that IL may be
clearly shown that the money placed in
their hands has not been squandered nor
foolishly expended, but that the city has
received full value for every dollar spent.
The members of the commission feel
that they have been unjustly treated by
council and so express themselves. They
regard the action of the mayor in placing
the park and tree work in the hands of
the street and lane committee a uSurpa-
ton of power and in direct contravention
of the act creating the park and tree COM
mission They believe that the sympathy
of the public is with them in the matter,
and that final results will so prove. The
commission will not undertake to assert
its legal rights, however, preferring to see
its work continued, even in other hands,
than that the city should suffer, but will
content themselves for the present with
the formal protest made to the mayor and
k1,of- cfa for, mt m he in
ment is as follows:
Savannah, Ca, June %, 1S97-To His
Honor the Mayor and the Aldermen of the
City of Savannah: The letter of your
honor to the park and tree commission
with copy of your order to the street
and lane committee TO take charge of the
parks squares and trees of the city, hav-
ing been published, it becomes us to set
forth to you and to place on record such
facts and deductions as we think just to
ourselves.
The appropriation made by the last coun-
Gil for the care of trees
parks and squares for 1897 was
$l2500, with an additional $500
for Estill park, which latter Is required by
law. This appropriation did not include
anything for the Improvement of South
Broad street, nor for the clearing off and
improvement of the addition to the Colo
NAL park nor for any Improvements out
side or Forsyth park renee line. Inc
amount expended by the commission this
year includes as follows:
/. Pay rolls for December, 1896 $S4424,
which properly should be charged to last
years account.
q $1,273.17 for grading and improving
South Broad street
3. S770.n for clearing away and grading
the addition to Colonial park.
T. $500 for walks around Forsyth park,
outside the fence line. and uniform with
the walks inside the fence line.
The total of these amounts is $S,2s7S2,
which leaves $9,2121s. being the
amount the commission has
expended out Of the $l2,5OO for the pur-
poses indicated in their application to the
council of 1896 for the work OF 1897. II
Will readily be seen that had not these ex-
traordinary demands been made on US
that there would have been sufficient sur
plus TO have carried US comfortably
through the year for we have unexpend-
ed balances for Estll Park and for Laurel
Grove cemetery sufficient to complete the
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