Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1913-12-26
(T7f7|E MORE
SWIMMING POOLS
\ playground Board Plans to Help
Children to Learn to
Swim.
3 effort 10 i've boys and girls

% effort to give boys and girls
ilities for learning to swim will be
w AIDE by the Playground Commission
,t..ring the coming year by the estab-
Ohament of more swimming pools.
ne commission will combine baths
nd Fairgrounds wherever possible,
and II is probable that a beginning
along these lines will be made in the
new baths to be built shortly in the
1ronbound section of the city.
Besides the six Fairgrounds which
the commission has now 1t intends
to establish two. or three more in the
course of the year. one of them, III
oil likelihood. In the Vailsburg Sec
ton. another will probably be located
IN the Fourteenth Ward and third
one in the Clinton Hill section.
The commissioners. with whom the
City Planning Commission has CO.
operated. will lay a definite program
before the finance committee of the
Common Council in the beginning of
the new year.
While there are many things still
TO be wished for" said j. Leonard
Mason, the Fairgrounds director, who
1s rounding out his first year of SER
vice In this city. I'VE now have a good
foundation to work on.
I'VE started out with four play
grounds, which were in nowise in a
representative shape, whatever may
have been the course, and we added
during the past year two others and
brought all of them up to a somewhat
uniform standard, in appearance as
well as In equipment
1.-THE commissioners. as well as my
self regret very much regret that lack
of funds prevented us from replacing
the two old recreation houses on the
Newton and Prince street grounds,
but we hope to be able to do so next
year. 1t Is absolutely essential to a
successful operation of the play
grounds to have proper recreation
buildings on them
Il realize, of course, that il would
be wasting money TO eXpend too much
on grounds which are only leased
We intend to overcome this feature
by using portable houses as a tenn
pofary aid.
1.-THE commissioners intend to ask
the Common Council for the creation
Of "a permanent fund. out of which in
q judicious manner, from time to time,
property for playground use may be
acquired. This, we think, would
eventually save the city money, as
property could be bought before the
prices are jumped to a prohibtive
amount
fWhen we started out at the begin
ming of the year it was with the in
tent of first of all doing something
for the youth of the city and at the
same time giving the citizens full
value for the money expended. And
] think any fair-minded person go
ing over the Fairgrounds and the
lighthouses will agree that the com
mission has faithfully fulfilled it's
trust.
ut has been especially gratifying
to have the support of the admins
tration in our work. On more than
one occasion has Mayor Haussling
publicly and otherwise given utter
ance that he was more than anxious
that the city should eventually have a
recreation system becoming its sta
ton, and second to none.
Eve have also had cooperation
from the Board of Works, whereby
we were able in a small way to es-
tnblish the first recreation centre on
Summer avenue, where the play
ground is combined with a bath.
During the year we have sys-
tennatized the operation of the
grounds. The leaders have been
trained in following out a certain
program and we have encouraged
competition among the various CEN
tres, thus stimulating greatly the in
forest of the children.
ION the experience of the past year
we look ahead with great hopes for
the future and the commission has
no doubt that the city fathers will
see their way clear to spend the
money necessary for the extension
work, which is always money well
invested, as a first-elass recreation
system is the chief factor in improv-
ing citizenship"