The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1912-11-25
HAYNESREvIEWS
' PIiYGRoUiOPiih
Shows How Proposition Before
Council Meets Conditions
Shown by Survey.
NEEDS OF ClTY'S CHILDREN
Modern Richmond Schools Leave
Small Space for
Recreation.
NEEDS OF cITY's CHILDREN

Tho plan Of the Committee On Rsc'
restion and Playground. which wa
unanimously approved BY the Grounds
and Buildings Committee Of the CITY
Council last Thursday evening. II In
tended 70 meet some Of the eSsenfaAl
needs shown In the recreation survey
raads Last spring under the auspices o.
the Committee on Rscrsatioa and
Playground.
The committee asked Rowland
Haynes. nsld secretary Of the Play.
ground and Recreation Association q
America. tho expert who. lest sprin4
made the recreation survey. 70 STATE
gust how tho plan advocated b. thu
committee fitted In with the needs
which he found In the recreation sur
vey. Mr.. Haynes left town shortly
after the committee hearing last
Thursday. and has just returned the
following statement In response to the
request Of the committee:
Nj. HayDes'o Views.
Il have been asked to state 9us'
what think Of the plan proposed By
tho Committee on Recreation and
Playground At the OUTSET wish q
City Council OF Richmond. any proDo.
sition. It 10 not for me to urge any
thing upon them. It 10 for the caty
government Of the people Of Richmond
themselves to decide just what they
want to do. have simply been con-
suited a. an architect or IN engineer
to explain how the work can Be most
effectively accomplished.
TN brief. the needs Of recreation
work In Richmond. a. shown By the
survey last spring, arise from the fol-
lowing facts:
First Il arises from the fact that
Richmond 10 facing conditions OF con-
gostion Of population OF cities two and
three times a. large In other words
there are already here conditions OF
crowdin6 and lack Of space equivalent
to those found In much larger cities.
'"Ths need a. shown ny the survey
last spring arises. second. from the
fact that there b little private plAy
SPACE, that u. little space for the
children to play In yards In connso-
ticn with their own homes A. IN u
lustrA6ion. take . section which We
especially surveyed in the eastern part
Of the city. In this We found 90 13-1Vu
acres. OF this amount 10 acres wss In
streets, nothing was In public play
space aside from the streets. There
W09 ABOUT x-8 0C0 - IN VIAVoS0 JUS ~
available for play. II this had Al
been In one plot It could have handled
three or four hundred children et Z
time. but II was cut mp into seventy
or moro little plots Of about 26 81
feet Was II any wonder that W
found TO Dor cent Of the Richmond
children In the streets? They natur-
ally went to the twenty acres OF
streets rather than the / Is acres OF
private yards. which was cut mp Into
such small space.
Nor b 1t any wonder that q per
cent were found doing nothing. IL PEI
cent working and ~ per cent playing.
I'm the third place the need for
extension Of recreation WORK in Rich
mond arises from tho fact that
there - little public play space
in school and park property. Three
fourths Of tho Richmond school-houses
have not as much play space ~ that
act az the minimum by the London
School Board London Is the largest city
N the world-yet three-fourths OF the
Richmond school buildings have less
space than thai set a. the smallest