Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1913-11-25
STRONG PLEA FOR
7HEPLAYGROlIVD
Former Portland Man Tells of
the Scope OF the Great
Movement
IRy Latest Nail

SACRAMENTO - Comparatively
few persons realize the scope and i'm
portance Of the playground move
ment. The very name brings to- the
mind a picture OF sand boxes and
swings and little ones playing with
dolls. This is where the moVemen:
began 10 years or so ago. and to the
men and women who have not kept
in touch with 1t during the decade
that has passed 1t has not advanced
beyond that stage. But this was only
the beginning of a wise utilization or
the instinct for play which lasts from
childhood nearly to the grave. BY
the intelligent use and development
of this instinct, the forces of the IN
derwOrld are destined to be over
come" -
In these words, Vincent Jones, for
merly Of Portland, but now a resident
OF this city, opened an interview on
playground work. Mr.. Jones has
made a study of the playground and
park question, particularly in it's f.
nancial aspects, and is well qualified
to speak on the subject. -
Sacramento Lays Behind. -
Sacramento is distinctly behind
the times in the matter Of play
grounds" he said. "The citizens as a
whole here seem to think because the
city is full of trees and because in
the residential districts the houses
nave yards and lawns, that there is
no need for Fairgrounds. This senti-
ment, which is probably-the cause OF
the city's backwardness in the play
ground movement, simply shows .fg.
norance of the scope and Importance
of the playground work as a civic re.
form movement. ~-As.@satrt (
In Portland, when the playground
movement was in it's infancy, the
same argument was made and with
better reasons than in Sacramento,
for that city, which was built among
the woods, was q real park. But see
what an investigation showed. A
survey of the city was made in the
interest of the playground movement
and it was found that in one area
the city, there We're about 10000 peo-
pie residing in 134 city blocks in
which there were but 80 vacant lots
where children could get OF the street
to play. {Children, little and big, we're
forced to the streets to play.
In this same, district during the
years before the Fairgrounds were es.
tablishea flve little ones were killed by
automobiles. A large proper of
the cases in the juvenile court came;
from THIS district. 5s I i ~ "a
>"IIerafis the proposition reduced to
dollars and cents. In a. city growing
as fast as sacramento hi very rev,
years. there will. Be many, areas 50,
congested that the children will be.
forced to the streets as their only
place Of recreation. In one, year in,
Portland an entire street was built up
on both sides, %. feet to each house,
and the. conditions almost equalled
these in a tenement district. 81
Buy While Land Is Cheap.
The time to lay out and purchase
play grounds is before improvements:
cause big advance In land prices. All
these improvements must be paid for
later by the city. Central park cost
the city of New York about five and
a half million dollars. Recently the
city paid $S,0O0,o0O, for three small
Fairgrounds on the east side, far more
than all of Central park cost in 1850.
In Portland in the last ten years
residence values have increased, 225
per cent in first-class property, $50 in
second-class, 800 per cent in third
class property, while business values
advanced nearly 100 per cent. On the
whole values increased from 95 to 40
per cent faster than the population. II
sacramento doubles in population in
ten years you can figure what it will
mean to land values. 1t is the part OF
wisdom to buy ground for Fairgrounds
while it is cheap.
1T is a great mistake to underrate
the importance Of the playground
movement This is a great work, OF
vital Importance to the city and the
nation. The playground and the
school are correlated. To undertake
the management Of Fairgrounds with
out a central head is serious error.
W hat would you think of a city that
tried to run it's schools without CEN
trail head! The playground work is
now considered of such Importance in
the East that schools have been estab-