Newark evening star and Newark advertiser., 1912-11-23

q also feel round TO say to you
that il is my cpinion that, IN view
If .he evident deficit i'm the accounts
of the board, the board should order
An the plaYereunGs and play centres
10 be closed. keeping open only the
secretary's Office for the reception of
aall end other matter, and the quar-
fers occupied by the dental clinic
and should also order suspended at
once all activities which have here
tofore been directed by it.
'I feel also bound to say that II
the board does not take action to
these ends 1 shall be obliged to take
appropriate action myself.
yours truly,
JOHN H. DONNELLY,
Acting Mayor"
Hundreds of children who visited
the various playground centres today
were confronted with the notice that
the places are closed until further
notice.
This action was taken by the Play
ground Commission at a meeting at
the Newton street playground last
night after the receipt of letter
from Acting Mayor Donnelly, who
gave notice that unless the board act
ed he would himself order the play
centres closed. 1t is the general i'm
preston that they will remain closed
until the meeting of the finance COM
mittee of the Common Council next
week. when the matter of an addi-
tional appropriation for the commits
sion will again be taken up.
When the question of the posting of
notices at the various centres was
brought up on the motion of Commits
sioner Jagle, Supervisor William j.
McKiernan sought to blame the clos
ing of the grounds on the finance
committee, and arranged the wording
| TO this effect. His efforts to this end,
however, bore no fruit, as his sugges-
tion was voted down. He blamed
City Counsel Nugent and Officials
of the finance committee" for the
conditions at the Prince and Newton
street Fairgrounds, which the experts
had reported as very bad" He was
bitter in his attacks upon several of
the city officials.
Commissioner Aronson sought to
devise ways and means of continuing
| the nlayground work under limita-
tions and without further increasing
the commissions Indebtedness. This
course was vigorously opposed by
| Commissioner Jagle, who declared
| that the grounds must be closed in ac-
| cordance with the wishes of the act
ing mayor.
The report of the expert on the
conditions existing at several of the
nlay centres will be looked into by an
investigating committee of three
commissioners. The first to be taken
up will be the Prince street grounds
and the commission will meet at this
place this afternoon at o'clock.
With the commissions decision to
close all the grounds, the salaries of
all of the employees ceased auto
matically. Not a cent of further
liability will be incurred until the
present financial tangle is unraveled
The secretary's office will remain
open only for the reception of mail
and other matter, and Supervisor Nc
Herman will remain in charge of the
commissions property, but without
any remuneration for any further
service.
more Playg ground Means Less Prison
In statements issued today each OF
the commissioners sought to show
that the appropriations in other cities
no larger than Newark for the opera
ton of the play centres for the chill
dren is much greater. In every in
IL
mission has been handicapped because
of lack of funds.
"The Fairgrounds are closed by the
order of the commission" said Com
missioner Jagle, land they will re-
main closed until after the finance
committee meeting on Wednesday
evening. OF course, we regret this
turn of affairs, but there is no al
tentative. 1t would not be gooc
policy to keep them open even should
the employees serve without pay, be.
f cause there is just a chance that one
/ of the children might be injured
r while at play. In that case the blame
5 would rest with those who refused Il
close the grounds.
E 1t is my honest belief that 70
every uolidi spent Ill playground WOI'
= $40 is saved. More Fairgrounds Wi
= mean fewer penal institutions. TAX
] the City Home, for instance. Their
are at present 1856 inmates and tn
home received an appropriation 0
S49 900. which makes the cost per bo
about S265 a year. At Jamesburg tn
cost per boy per week is about S96
J and at the Railway reformator
about S425 per week.
Nearly Million Children Used Grounds
Last year 100000 children enjoye
}. the Fairgrounds, which were operate
$ on an appropriation of 100000. Thi
= makes the cost per child for the yea
Just 371s cents. That in itself is proc
: of my statement that every dolla
e spent saved So"
II Commissioner Froelich also spob
: of the lack of funds given to the CON
+. mission.
I'm very sorry to see the play
, grounds closed he said, but undt
the circumstances we can do nothir
else. Our funds have been exhauste
and we are prevented from acceptir
the outside aid that has been offere
The entire trouble may be laid to Il
fact that the yearly appropriation,
the first place. Is too small.
"In Los Angeles. which has a pop
|. lation of 10000, six Fairgrounds a
operated and the yearly approprl