New-York tribune., 1908-12-28
SUGGESTS PARK PLANS
PRESENT SYSTEM LOOSE.
Bureau of Municipal Research Make
Screening Recommendations.

The r,,,-.s, NJ MnicipaI Research has completed
the first part of its examination into the Depall
ment of Parks of this city to learn how IL IS Deib
administered what is being done and what Is oeihs
left undone The bureau has found that LAO acres
are set aside for parks Manhattan. or 10 per cent
of the total In 1906 the expense OF MAINTAIN
ing the parks OF Manhattan and f0cnrono eA
ceeded ssOOOO0 or upward OF $3.50 an acre IN eooi
tfon Il 07 i3s 81 was expended partly for mainte-
nance and partly for improvements. But tne ou
says:
''It is impossible tell from the records OF the
department from other records the exact cos'
of maintaining the park system In any year. Fur-
thermore. # is impossible to learn even the aP-
roxirnate cost of maintaining the individual parks
Indeed. the exact area of the park property Is
only now In process Of determination
That was a big handicap for the bureau IN the
beginning of It's work. The lack OF adequate rec
ords mad be taken into consideration In It's rec
concentrations 1t impossible to tell how
much money should be voted for the Park Depart
ment. owing to the lack Of definite Information
For years. the bureau found. deficiencies In appro-
priations for maintenance had been made up from
corporate stock accounts.
Estimates Of expenditure" the bureau report
says, were not based actual cost. but upon ex-
pected capacity to spend"
Samuel Parsons, jr., the Park Commissioner who
invited the bureau make investigation. found
this condition confronting him So did the present
commissioner Henry Smith. The bureau says that
to the commissioner in charge intelligent admins
traton has been possible account Of the fact
ton the Of conducting the several branches
of his work with data showing the exact re-
suits accomplished
The report declares that problems Of serious i'm
portance such the alleviation of the evils Of
crowded living, cannot be solved unless the prob
lem OF the proper use OF the present park space
has been worked out that the current experience in
the administration OF existing parks and play
grounds must be inteIIigentIy and carefully
corded the guidance of officials and the public
before plans for the future can be made.
Defects are pointed out the result OF the IN
vestgatfon The assistant secretary is said to nave
too. much responsibility without enough protec-
tion to the municipality. The report says Of his
work:
'It Is adverse to efficient administration and
holds inducement to fraud and TO diversion OF
funds to permit single enploye OF large corpo-
ration to keep the record Of accounts receivable
| make the collections those accounts and keep
the account Of collections as made" The bureau
sees little hope for Improvement ahead unless there
is complete reorganization 1t says:
The commissioner of Manhattan and Rich-1opd
has failed to organize his office IN such manner
as to permit of the exercise Of effective admins
trative control" Subordinates have been consti-
tuted the final authorities in many OF the duties
connected with the office such as the keeping OF
official records signing Of permits, discharges in
creases or decreases of pay The present conrnis-
sioner' says the report. lis doing much to over
come this defect but succeed fully would involve
a complete reorganization Of the personnel meth
ods and procedure of the department.
AS 1nality in the reorganization OF the depart
ment the bureau says that the commissioner should
not as in the past directly irtrust to employees the
receiving of official communications, the custody
of department funds the keeping of official records
| the signing of permits authorizations of ap-
| rointments and discharges payroll. increases
| and decreases in pay, without having such acts
come directly to his notice for official attention
The detail should be intrIsted the heads of the
several divisions, with the responsibility attached
10 them but the commissioner should keep him
self In close touch with all the work of his de-
partrnent order that he may properly control its
activities and gauge the efficiency OF his subord-
| nates.''
The bureau divides the department into five divi-
| sions as g of getting the best results IN
| every way The first. the Park Board; second the
| commissioner and his staff. under whom 10 be
| grouped the general Office functions, a chief en-
gineer chief inspector architect, meteorologist,
| superntendent of supplies and chief account
| ant Then to come the operative heads, d.
rectly under the commissioner, a director of the
rnenagerie superintendent of parks and superin-
tendent of repairs. staff of the superintendent
of parks follows and the last division, a staff OF
general laborers. in three districts. each under
! man responsible TO the superintendent of parks.
The report goes into detail regarding the organi-
cation each division, and has in all 152 pages in
| which the scheme Is worked out with chart and
| maps to make the recommendations explicit
believes that If its plans followed the park
system of the city may be conducted effectively and
| economically.