The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1909-11-30
Committee of the Bureau Of
Municipal Research Sub
mits Interesting Report on
The Result of Probe.
MANAGEMENT OF PARK
SHOULD BE REMEDIED
Committee Is Thankful an
Honest Man Is Now in
Charge-MiIk License Fees
Should Be Increased.

The business methods of the city
are not particularly admired by the
special investigating committee of the
Bureau of Municipal Research, which
is composed of representatives of the
various municipal organizations of the
city. In report submitted by this
committee, composed of William Dud-
ley Foulke and Timothy Nicholson, to
the Bureau, it is pointed out that no
business man would employ the meth
Ods now in vogue in the management
Of Glen Miller park. The committee
is pleased that the park is now man
aged by an honest man. The commit
tee feels that If the park was managed
by a CRATER he could get rich quick"
The committee thinks that the milk
ordinance discriminates and that the
fee for dairymens licenses should be
increased. 1t is also pointed out that
the markets are much better manag-
ed now than formerly but there is
still room for improvement. The re-
port of the committee follows:
Report Of Committee.
Your committee appointed to en-
quire into the condition of the present
city inventory, respectfully report,
that while they did not examine all
the details of this inventory, they did
examine certain illustrative portions
of it sufficient to show the manner
in which it was taken.
On pages 20 and 30 of the printed
report of the city controller, appears
the compilation of the assets Of the
city.
Overlook Some Assets.
This compilation bears no date but
1t is understood to refer to the early
part of the present year. 1t will be
observed that it contains no account
of the city property in sewers, streets
and sidewalks and seems incomplete
in this respect.
Your committee took the largest
and most important item in this list
with the exception of the Municipal
Light Plant (an appraisement of
which would require technical
knowledge quite beyond the ability Of
your committee to secure without the
aid OF an expert. which your commit
tee had no funds to procure)
This item was Glen Miller park ap-
praised at $25O.0OO. In the inventory
the park is stated to contain about
$50 acres" whereas in fact it contains
149 acres. so If the appraisement is
made upon an acreage basis it must
differ widely from the actual value.
No separate appraisement was made
of the buildings, bridges. fences and
other improvements at the Glen: the
whole value was Jumped in one gener-
al estimate. Your committee regard
this as defective. for the reason that
It could not be told, in comparing this
inventory with any that might sub
sequently be taken. how much had
been the increase or depreciation on
any particular building and how much
on the land itself. 1t would furnish
no basis for any insurance and would
appear to have little practical value.
Assets Of the Glen.
In the report Of the park superin-
tendent there is indeed statement
y.
brick dwelling, two frame dwellings.
barn, pavilion, boat house. animal
shed. pigeon house. prairie dog house.
coon cage, squirrel cage. green houses
tthe number not being stated) and
the hot water plant in green houses.
but no values are given on any of
these things. while the bear pit,
bridges, log school house. fountains
and racks are not included at all
These things should be separately ex-
amined and appraised. The three
dwellings barns and pavilion are in
sured, but the other structures in
cluding the green houses. peculiarly
liable to destruction by fire are not in
sured.
We submit that the only way to
make an adequate appraisement of
the Glen is to appraise the bare land
by the acre. separating the parts
which have different values per acre
and that after the value of the land
IS thus taken. the value of each
structure upon it should be separately
given.
Equipment Of Park.
The equipment of the park is ap-
praised at s3.56o61. The items COM
posing this inventory are set forth
but good many things now in the
park. such as the cut stone monu-
ments, are not mentioned at all. 1t is
stated that there are 22,495 plants
worth $S44.45 or a little more than
4 cents apiece, but the kind of plants
Is not stated. In the menagerie one