The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1910-03-11
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.?
PROTEST AGAINST PARK LEASES
TO PRIVATE CLUES.


n1oasy Cot 90 la-Tncht Clnb Weaavts
ThAi ne P1FA 9ssf CIubheass Also mas
Been Trcatea - Private ProPerty.
Bags full Of letters are being unloadsd
on the deak o. PARK Commiasionsr Thomas
,. Higgins IN hin oiicS IN Clarsmont Park.
The Bronx. theae days. Quite . mIrpris-
ing proportion % the letters are protests
BY individuals and associations aGainst
the monopoly and dsfAosment Of the
shores Of Pelham Bay BY yacht clubs
One Of thsss. the StuyvesAnt Yacht
Club. secured Eve years ago the right Of
landing and building . clubhouse on the
shore % the hay In oo1AsiderasiOa Of pay
ment Of 90 . year rental. Thsn the Nor.
ris Yacht Club goe permission 90 occupy
an Old tina residence. halt taImbled down.
standing near the shore Of Pelham Ray.
and the Metropolitan Yacht Clue took
possession Of still another old residence
near there.
A fsw extracts from lssisrs will show
what seemed 10 be popular view Of the
situation. The assistant head worker Of
the University Settlement Society wrote:
In regard TO boating privileges In Pei
ham hay Park permit me 70 urge upon
you the great impostance Of reeervips
these privileges 60 the people generally
rather than % the exclusive use Of any one
or more small groups Of individuals.
II shouls b. the policy Of the De-
partment OF PARKS TO give the largest poo
the public. In aecordance with such pol
ICY = municipal boathouse would nsturaliy
be placed az the disposal of people gener-
ally and would not BE- rcstrscted a. priv
vilegs to one OF more clubs.
A letter written by the Parks and Play
grounds Association Of this city set forth
In detail how the park boards OF Minne-
apollo. Cleveland and Chicago reserved
their park watsrfronts Tor the uss Of the
public Gsnsyslly. sscl9ding al boat clubs.
mission wrote: 1T has been very unfortu-
nate in the past that the boating privilege
inPelham Bay Park has been 20 largely linn
tied 10 certain clubs; such epecsal puvi-
leges should not he is.,led. We hope you
viii act on foot the policy Of giving special
privileges 10 none. hut Of opening up the
use % the water to-all on equal and on the
easiest possible terms."
The Union Ssttlement wrote through
one Of Its otAcials: i hope you viii favor
people ~ q vhols may have the largest
possible use Of the boating facilities rnthsr |
than that the privileges sAes.ld Be chiefly !
entcyed by msmbers Of clubs.- /
- talO0A 3OT NfD Wy NNuD OF NFW |
York wrote: U beg respectfully TO call |
your attention TO the matter OF the pro- !
poeed lease OF privileges IN the nei9hbor- |
hood Of City Island TO the Stuyvesant |
Yacht Club. From Information GAthered !
4 would appear most SnAssirsbIs to i.sse
THE permit; generally that the I
spirit OF public use to which our parks are I
oonescrated 10 forfeited when any part OF
them is rented or leased for exclusive |
One example Of the ietesrs from indiyid- !.
uals indicates their general nature Will |
lam White Miles. an attorney at ~ Wall I
street Who hvea IN The Bronx. wrote: I
1T dos not seem right that certain in I
dividuAls should have Oertain privileges /
60 the exclusion Of others. the logical con- !
clusion % which would be that the whole I
park sygtem OF tie city would soon be In !
the hands OF feW kndlviduals.'
A. y o'clock Yesterday morning Treas,
several members % the Stuyvesant Yacht ]
Club called on Commissioner Higgins I
IN response 20 a summons 20 snow cause .
why q renewal 81 their lease. which exphFes 4
Ogden said that 10 the club secured .
q renewal Of in priyileges u would re-
move It's present. l1tle clubhouse and ;
build one which would no an ornament .
20 the park. 70 cost 5000 or $4,000. I
club had to offer we're NOT exclusive. I
but that any yacht Was welcomed in the
anchorage and the Inequalities Of tho Z
club. IN response 20 questions by Com B
missioner Higgins Mr. Ogden said that
the club gave winter quarters 20 yachts
hauled over ice marine railway out onto
the park land for a cent a foot a month /
The Commissioner did some ciphering
and asked u the club was not by that
operation ma king . considerable profit
out 81 its Jlse Of park land a. a marine
stOrehouse He thought that nothing
in the leAes contemplated giving the club
that privilege. and he Indicated his opin-
ION that any exclusive privilege wac
against good park policy. SecretGry /
CaTtrGht responded tn thiS by remarkinG
that the park golf links. tennis courts
baseball and athletic fields were PraC,i-
golf clubhouse wherein none might enter
except members OF certain golf club.
Not since have been Commissioner
responded Mr. Higgins. -Anv golfer
who goes out 20 those links msy have the
frye and unrestricted use Of the club
house
Mr. Parsons the landscape gardener.
said that from his point Of vlcw any boat
hotlss on the shore was a dishguremsnt
down some large limbs Of trees TO Rive
headroonl for the masts OF yachts hauled
out on tho lawn IL any b0athouss at
all was "a no located on the shores Of the
bay u should be after designs approved
by the commission and be strictly and In
all respects open TO any yachtsmsn who
cared for is privileges
Commissioner HigEins closed the hear
ing by remarking: y cannot az the pres
The matter 10 IN abeyAnCo until ! have
a. md the nolicv Of thu aduainine r-n inn |