Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-04-29
Senator McMillan's Idea for Their
Care.
RESERVATIONS NOW NEGLECTED
in the Present Control of
Them.
CONSOLIDATION WIS E.

Senator Mcmillan, chairman of the Sem
ate committee the District of Columbia
has a plan which he expects to see realized
through legislation in the next Congress-
and which cont, mplates establishing a
parking system in the District of Columbia
and securing more liberal appropriations
for beautifying these breathing spaces.
AT the present time" said Senator Nc
MILAN to Star reporter today, 1.-The Dis
trict of Columbia pays half of the expenses
of improving and maintaining the Zoo
logical and Rock Creek Parks, and deter
mined effort will be made in the next Con-
gress to have this same division of expense
between the District and the United States
in relation to Franklin, Judiciary and La
fayette Parks and Potomac Park will
doubtless be treated in a like manner as
soon as provision is made for its improve
meut.
The Present Control.
At present the secretary of the Smith
sonian Institution has charge of the Zoo
logical Park, Rock Creek Park is in
charge of commission consisting of
two Commissioners of the District and
the officer in charge of public build
ings and grounds, while the smaller
parks and reservations cared for by
<
grounds, and the Secretary of Agriculture
has been given permission to use seventy
five acres of Potomac Park for expert
mental purposes. This division of respon-
Stbility makes the parking question a diff
cult one to deal with. Until within the
past year there has been no money spent
on Rock Creek Park, the only improve
ments previously made there being made
by the Engineer Commissioner who has
worked the chain gang for that purpose a
part of each day. Congress has provided
for a road across Rock Creek Park and
small amount has been appropria ted for
improvements there during the coming
year Potomac Park will require extensive
improvements in the near future, and the
question of making a park on the Anacos-
tia flats is now taking shape.
Reservations Are Neglected.
The reservations and particularly those
of East Washington have been greatly ne
elected, on account of a lack of funds. Sew
eral of these reservations have been Sc
lected for Improvement during the coming
year, but the entire increase in the appro-
priauon for the parks is but $4,000, and
the amount of work that can be done in
to that which ought TO be done
is very limited. These improvements are
being made with the idea of identifying
few parks, so that Congress can see what
can be done, rather than to scatter the i'm
prOVemeut over a large number of them
The District of Columbia receives very
small appropriations for Its parks in com
parison with other cities. Excepting the
Geological Park, $4,000 will more than
cover the entire appropriation for the care
and maintenance of our parks, including
their lighting. Last year the appropria-
tionS for park purposes In Rochester, N Y,
aggregated $300.OOJ; Cleveland spent S76,-
$50; Minneapolis, $4,000; Louisville, KY,
$4,000, and Detroit, Mich, $4,000
Parking Commission.
What ought to be done for the best in
terest of this city is to consolidate all these
parks into single system, to be in charge
Of a parking commission, to be composed
of representatives of the engineer depart
ment of the army, the District Commission
and the citizens of the District. Such
a commission would be able to take charge
of the entire parking system in d compre-
hensive manner. They could secure appro-
priatiCns and expend them to greater ad-
vantage than is now done by piece
meal system Among the citizens of the
District there are d considerable number of
people who would gladly give their time to
such work without compensation. With
this consolidation of management and in
creased appropriations the city OF Wash
ington should be greatly beautified in all
sections, for there is no reason why one
part of the city should not have as beauti-
full parks as any other part"