New-York tribune., 1911-10-25
INTEREST IN PLAY GROWS
$500. 900 Children Enjoyed Out
door Sports in Nine Months.
MORE GROUNDS NEXT YEAR
rontests Caused World Beating
Record of Attendance, Says
Supervisor Lee.

According 20 figures compiled by the
vscreat'on bureau Of the Park Department
,ba head Of which Is William J. Lee, Tor
80 first nine months OF the present year
shere was an attendance Of $4,000 children
a. the play centres under the jurisdiction
r. the Park Department. Not in the his
-o-v of playground activity in this city has
,here ever been such an attendance. ac-
co~dirg 20 the Supervisor of Recreation.
and n IS expected that by January J the
attendance viii be more than three million.
Mr.. Lee ascribes the great increase in
s.-endance-as there was an attendance
last wear Of less than 90s.ooO for the same
reriod Of tlme-to the increased number Of
,,sv centres and ball fields and to the inter
TIavCrOund contests These contests have
caused tho organization OF many clubs Of
i0~S as veil as girls. Mr.. Lee said yes
t.rdav that such fine results had been ac-
ec-nrlished by these contests that IN the
future they would be regular features Of
playground activity.
IN tho four summer months last year,
said the Supervisor of Recreation there
vas a total attendance Of 10000 at from
,vrsrtv-four % tTenty-siX Fairgrounds.
y'1r the same period this summer at
.rfrtv Fairgrounds and twenty ball fields
there was an attendance Of 10000. or
course. the appropriation OF $1,000 for
playground development made possible the
operation Of additional centres and thus
more children were accommodated. But
crrv So o00 was available for the main
fsrance OF playground and gymnasium at
PENDANTS
In Chicago last year sSs.ooO was ap-
r-opriated for the maintenance Of seven
feen fairgrounds. Commissioner Stover
snd my predecessor. Mr.. Bradstreet, asked
tor $1,000 10 carry on the work In 1911.
That was fnauy trimmed down by the
Budget Committee 70 E2.GA
The Board Of Aldermen, Mr.. Lee said,
rad unanimously favored his request for
IN additional sum of $1,000 10 pay for
,be attendants until the end Of December.
THE matter VIII come mp before the Board
o. Estimate tomorrow 70 be acted on
The summer playground season opened IN
June. and AZ the end Of that month there
Rad been total attendance OF 2Sl.OOo. IN
.ru'v the record month. there was an at
tendance of 5eQ95L and IN August there
was total attendance Of 1854 Seward
Park and Tompkins Square Park were the
sreatest two retreats for youngsters, with
g shade the better for Tompkins Square.
which showed an attendance in August Of
more than fop1. I'm September. with the
fairgrounds reduced 20 twenty-six, there
was an attendance of 20 no. and 90 far
6u-inE the present month, with only TWEEN
t~-two grounds open, there has been an
attendance Of approximately 325 On.
There Will be fuiiy ten more grounds
oron next summer said Mr. lee, "for
hv that time many OF those now being
constructed out of the t250ncO playground
<lnd VIII have been completed. There is
not another city IN the world that can
show such a playground attendance as
t-ere has been I'm New York this year. In
20 previous year has there been anything
Ike the enormous attendance OF the last
nine months"
ht present the Supervisor and his staff
7~e arranging for soccer and basketball
contests and many clubs h-ve formed
FOR the purpose n entering the interplay
ground meets 20 he held during the winter.