The Waxahachie daily light. [volume] (Waxahachie, Tex.) 1894-current, 1911-09-19
IN PARK PURCHAS-
ING.

The progressive policy of Mayor
Rice, manifested in the purchase of
park grounds for the city. where he
can find a suitable locality and a
reasonable price, is meeting with
cordial approval at the hands OF
Houston's leading thinking, reading
men and women. They see that larg-
er and more .pretentious cities, many
of them considered leaders in NUM-
cipal progress, are working along the
same lines. They see, moreover that
the great city of the future must be
"a thing of beauty and Joy forev-
err" in obedience to the demands or
the higher education and keencr
sense of refinement in such matters.
Women's clubs are taking an &C
tive interest in this feature of urban
life. They are lending not only in
spiration, but tangible help in this
direction
In making suitable purchases
when thousands of dollars to Hous-
ton, through the fact that five or
ten years later the cost would be
three or four times greater.
Kansas City has acquired since
1898 Just 2,11S25 acres of parks, in
connection with which more than
thirty miles of boulevards have been
constructed Twenty miles OF boule-
wards were constructed last year On
marks and boulevards during the
past eighteen years, Kansas City has
expended s10,372, 900. The expendi-
ture last year was S516, 200. We are
also told by the Times that the prop
erty owners may be compelled to pay
the entire cost of paving streets that
border park property, eliminating
the expense caused by special tax
bills against the park department. as
shown. The theory is that persons
owning property opposite parkway
have the benefit of beautiful view,
and in return should pay for i'm
provements to the entire street.
Some time ago the Houston Post
had a timely editorial on the subject,
and among other things said:
kansas City, when she began the
work of planning the present sys-
TEN, had a population but little lar
ger than that of Houston. But the
city had to have parks, and the peo-
Pile went about it.
IF we are to oyertake Kansas
City in the matter of population ana
business, and with twenty-five root
channel to the sea we ought to 90
it, how will We stand in the matter
of parks and bouleyards when the
census shows us with 250,OO0!
Some of us are expecting that figure
10 be reached by 1920 and we have |
barely started on the parks, and |
have no boulevards at all.
Surrounding the city or every |
side are large, beautiful stretches OF
-imbered lands The prices are high |
now, but not as high as they VIII oo |
/, few wears hence If these timbered |
areas are soon occupied by homes |
they will not be available for park
purposes at all, and beyond them
are the prairies. Already the shores
of the bayou have been claimed for
commerce It would be great il VIC
had a park system on both sides or |
hat stream. extending from Hous-
on TO the battlefield. II seems to be
90 late, now.
"The question is, what are we go
lg to do about parks? We will need
lore than 2,100 acres of parks and
,irty miles of boulevard in the day
o shall have passed Kansas City,
re we to defer until then the task
creating a great park system? II
J. what will be the cost? Where
I'll the money come from? Ana
here will be the ground available
" the Progressive Hous-
IN