The Detroit times., 1912-06-26
Special.

To the Honorable the Common Counvii M,
Gentlemen-Your Special Comilitne11 ',a !
apnoInted TO attend the sixth ann uHi
convention OF the Playground and Rec,
reation Association OF AmeILSa s"act :
Cleveland June 5th to Sth' do
fully report that more than ~ cre
gates. many OF them experts IN reVie
alton activities, registered az
Chamber OF Commerce, where ', tne
meetings OF one section OF IN" CONG es'
"Recreation of Cities and Towns,
The Social Value OF Recreation ten-
ter" Higher Standards or 6llneh-
ship made possible by KuI 80 DIS
tion," and many other papers Mere 3,s
cussed by the convention Inc piaS
instinct. the fundamental play lnter,
est and play, the Original luh'tiVu a.
the home were discussed In all theIt
various relations to home ana societs ~, /,
In the Ave years of its existence thc
Playground Association mas prous =
about a wonderful evolution IN coilinu, =
public bath was almost unknown Whiie
today there are thirty swimming VI
floating baths in the city OF bostoH'
while our own city has but one HuIiiJii
nal bath house Mr. Dwight 1. DAVIS
Park Commissioner Of St Louis, IN dis-
ausslng the recreation commission, u
task and plan OF work, SAID IN par paLt .'iu, a.
The playground movement whlch IN
the beginning aimed TO train the Hliluis'
bodies and moral natures OF ths cn,i
dren through properly dlrecteu pia /
A
forms OF recreation, both PUBIC anu
private, and for adults as wei as cnll ,
dren: that recreation Is now recoehl%
10 be an absolutely essentlaI tActoI u,
our civilization and this broadened
conception OF recreation mas raistu
new problems dealing with It's man :
agement and regulation, sspeSIailS "a
commercial recreation. The plan OF
special commission made dp OF rep
resentatives OF the public schools, pup,
lie library, public park deRartment aha no
nolice department. is believed 10 De
more effective by furnishing repre-
sentatives TO authoritative bodies WIN
power and experience 10 carry on the
F., work. So, vo,k
stated that the number OF cities win
organized recreation cent"ts under
municipal control had increased dur
ing the year from "a TO g that the
amount OF money raised Tor play
grounds by bond issues in - elites mas
been 81, 500 000, that New YORK snends
and Cincinnati each sl.OOO.OoO and that
cleveland and Atlanta are trying Tor
81 900 600 bond issues for recreation
that Chicago spends S5Oo,O0o each year s.,
in keeping up her recreation centers,
while Boston's appropriations exceed
$1,000, 900 annually.
The city OF Detroit has playground
Commission OF forty, ten OF whom were
appointed by eN-Mayor Breitmeyer, ten
by the Board OF Education, ten by the
Associated Charities and ten by the
Detroit Federation OF Womens'-Clubs
but only one meeting was held by TINS
Playground Commission and your COM
mittee recommend, believing that mu-
nicipal Fairgrounds and recreauoh
centers are OF the utmost value to the
community, that a commission be ap-
pointed TO Investigate the needs and
requirements OF the city OF Detroit;
tthat said commission be appointed by
His Honor the Mayor, and that said
commission submit thSir report 10 him,
formulating and submitting such plans
as in their judgment VIII meet the
needs and requirements OF the city or
Detroit