The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-07-18
NIGH ENTHUSIASM OVER PARKS
 AND PARKWAYS SHOWN AT BIG
 CHAMBER OF COMMERCE DINNER
.-...s....s.s..s.....s.s-


 
 experience as a park builder. sub iect that has caused much more talk and less work than any other depart- ment connected with q city. It is just as important as any branch of city government. paying large returns for the investment in money, health. pleas ure. advertising. etc, and the burning question is, how to successfully obtain these results. To do so we must make a start and there's the rub-the stick ing point. Many men of many ideas. loads of talk and suggestions and lit tle work Work is the remedy. but start right
 Great oaks from little acorns grow. Nearly II years ago I was managing. transfer business in Memphis Nearly every day a stranger would call for carriage to see the city. The small
 boy who helped wait on the desk would
 he asked if he could furnish car riase. Yes. sir Now. send a good driver one who knows the city. By the
 way, what are your interesting and historical points?' Answer The bridge and the graveyard After several years of this experience I resolved that
 mans duty to his city was more than paying his taxes once year and cuss-
 ing the tax collector, and so commenced work
 The first and important thing Is your park law-the foundation stone This looms above all other obstacles. be- cause the lawmaker has had limited or no experiences along these lines. His time is occupied with politics. When called upon to act on the new park ] law he looks wise and injects some f kf. lai1 nn1 n know he is there. The result Is that i after you reconcile the different ideas of your city officials. representatives and non- -progressives. law is passed almost worthless and as full of holes as a sieve. But we will assume you have none of these troubles ana your parl1r law, we'll say as good as the Memphis park law. I am familiar with several. and it is about as good as you can hope for, but not perfect.
 "rhe park law you desire, should read in part as follows:
 T. Authorizing the city of Birming- ham to establish park system, by the city commission.
 "2. Authorize city commission to elect three commissioners by major 1 ity vote. who shall serve two, four and six years respectively without com l pensation
 "s. City comrs.Ssion authorized to | levy special park tax annually, etc. 1 A City commission authorized to 1 issue park bonds for the purchase or
 condemnation of park lands, parkways,
 etc.
 "5. All moneys and bonds from all | sources to be paid into the park treas
 ury direct and by said park commis-
 sion expended as by them deemed best. Park Commission Control
 "Said park commission shall have en- 1 tire control of the parks, parhways, lands, etc. acquired, and impowered to open and close streets and roadways running across or on such lands; make rules and regulations governing the system.
 such are some of the essential fea- lures necessary for success. A gentle man said to me today: But you put
 too much power in the park commis- sion' I answered.: My friend, the men usually composing a good park com mission are men selected for thelr ln- 1 tegrity-not politics. They give their time and thought without fee or re- ward Are they not competent to do
 the work honestly economically and we'll, as much so as a city commission whose duties along other lines leave little time to study this important sub | ject?'
 Now, you have the commissioners, the law. and the money to proceed l The next step is the employment' of a | competent landscape artist to report on what is the best lands to acquire 1 for parks, parkways. etc. Here the park i commissioners and the public get their | first shock The report speeches cer- | tain lands for parks, others for park . ways, etc.--the locations anywhere 1 from one to five miles from your city s center: estimated cost, $l,0o0, 0OO.
 What says -progressives, buy five miles out, in the country, build miles or roadway to connect the parks? No, sir, 1 am against it.
 We answer. My friend, this is not the
 work of a day. It will take 10 years to do this work If your estimate of the growth if your city is near correct, this entire route will have been built up by
 that time, and the question will be. why
 we locate so near in town? This is not | overdrawn as challenge you to find a city without this fault. Ton years is q
 short time. Look back 10 years Mem 1 phis is an example. We bought three and ] a half to four miles out and beyond the
 city limits. At that time you could purchase all the land you wanted from
 $500 to s250O per acre along the route as
 per the actual sales.
 To-day the city is built far beyond> the
 parkway. The increase in land values from 900 to coco per cent; so be careful | what you do.
 Park Investments Profitable 1 Park investments are very profitable,
 not only in the increased value in money, | health, pleasure, etc, but by the gain in
 assessed land valuations in the park dis
 trict, thus refundihg to the city in taxes much of the money expended for interest and maintenance. It may safely be said 1 that it amounts to much more than the l cost of the parks.
 | During the next 10 years many thou sands of people will have been attracted to Birmingham as a placeSof residence, by her fine exhibition of civic spirit, the
 most conspicuous product of which will | be her magnificent parks and pleasure 1 grounds Many men who have been sue 1 cessful in business in town and village
 within the territory tributary to Birmng- | ham will feel the spell of her influence, and when retiring from active labor build | beautiful homes along her boulevards and settle there to rear and educate their chil- dren. Other thousands among the in- | dustrial classes will likewise come, at | tracted by the same advantages, to seek | employment here and swell your popula- | ton All this will serve not only to en- | nance yDllr real estate values, but to