The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1911-11-03
WANTS ONE MAN To
HANDLE ALL PARKS
Councilman Grimes Suggests
That General Superintendent
Be Elected.
FIGURES ON BETTER SYSTEM
Committee Unable to Give Away
Trees When Nurserymen
Sell Them.

Creation of the office of General SUI
perintendent of Parks of the city, re.
porting directly to the City Engineer.
was proposed in the Grounds and
-uildings Committee last night by
Alderman John Grimes who held tina.
too much was being spent in hap
hazard improvements. Under the pres
ent system some parkkeepers are
attentive to their duties. while OF
others, though MIR. Cranes was careful
make no specific charges, he was
not sure that so much could be said
ior their competency, even If their
faithful attention to their work were
admitted
The matter VASE brought before the
committee through the formal resig-
man at William Byrd Park, after a
ii-thful and efficient service of more
than twenty years.
Ky Engineer Boiling warmly in
dorsed the record of MIR. Hmm, who.
ne stated, had been most valued Off
Ger. we'll informed In regard to trees
ana SHRUBS, and careful aid painStak-
ing as to his work. The committee
accepted the resignation as of January
next. in order to give Mr.. Boiling
Time to look about for Il suitable man
to recommend as his successor Mean
Vale MIR. Grimes Will WORK out more
carefully and present his views as to
park superintendent. Mr.. Boiling
SAID 1t would be grave mistake to
rush into an election OF some untrain-
cd man. however popular.
Have Charge of Trees.
Mr. Grimes explained that at pres
ct each park in the city has keeper.
with various laborers under him. tho
general supervision being in the hands
OF an assistant engineer. However
competent that official might be in
engineering, it was not supposed that
he had an intimate KNOWLEDGE OF
trees and their trimming. of shrubbery
and the identifying of the landscape.
H. proposed generally the employment
of park superintendent who shall
have supervision of all parks In the
city directing the work Of the keep
ers, who shall have direct charge of
tie city nursery and the setting out.
trimming and removing OF dead trees
on the streets. boulevards. parks and
city cemeteries. reporting directly TO
the City Engineer. Several members
or the committee expressed their APP
prevail of the idea, but no action was
tisen until II definite proposition can
he prepared.
No One to Plant Trees.
The attention of the committee was
called to the fact that notwithstand
ing the fact that the season OF the
20 r ts Just approaching when trees
can best be transplanted. the appro-
priation for the nursery has been. en-
nauSted, ana IT VIII be necessary TO
lay off the force of laborers employed
by the day unless an emergency ap-
pronria ton Is mnde
Mr.. Boiling said he had lists OF trees
now needed on the streets and parks
aggrcgating more than 600 The city
has more than 10000 trees in the
nursery. but no one 20 TRANSPLANT
them. and tho trees are rapidly bccom-
ing too large, and will have to be
cut away.
\ large number OF trees from the
nrrs : were ordered donated to the
Association for Preservation of Vir-
ginia Antiouities for transplanting on
Jamestown Island. the association TO
bear the cost of their removal from
the nursery. a similar application
for ornamental trees came from a.
w Patterson, who dcsir-d to plant
them in his grounds on the Cary
street Road. west of the city. Rv q
vote of to 3. tine committee decided
that this was interfering with the
business of licensed nurserymen and
declined to grant the request rotwith-
stnnuing the statement of tho CITY En-
gineer that the trees We're now going
to waste and would have to be- cut
down: and that the section in which
they were to he planted must In
ev!tably he annexed to the city short
ly.
j. =. BEDFORD was elected keeper OF
January I. 1912. the ordinance pro-
vi linz that ne shall also act as janitor
for Hastings Court. Part ..