Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1913-12-30
PLAN TO CHANGE }
LOTS INTO GARDENS
New England Society of Or
anges Urges Schsne to
Beautify Place.

Following plans successfully car
ried out in other communities the
New England Society OF Orange at q
meeting last night, went on record as
being In favor of Transforming vacant
lots into garden spots. Several adj
dresses were made by persons who
favored the growing project, following
which q motion to form a citizens
committee of seven to further the
movement was adopted. The COM
mittee will confer with officials IN
other municipalities where the plan
has been adopted.
The scheme, which was introduced
at the September meeting by Ed
ward K Sumerwell, is one to I'M
prove vacant spaces IN the commun-
ity by the planting of ehrubbery and
flowers. City Engineer William D.
Wil.egerod, of East Orange. who fur
nished several maps for the enlight~
eminent of the society, declared that
In the city alone there were at least
eighteen vacant plots, fertile, with
the exception of one. Permission for
their cultivation will be sought o the
owners, one of the conditions being
that the latter can reclaim their
property at any time they desire to
sell II or use it for some other pur-
pose.
In vigorous address, Mr.. sumer-
we'll told of the transformation OF
many of the more forbidding sections
of New York city into farm schools.
where ''gangs" which formerly roam
ed the streets and terrorized whole
neighborhoods, were now busily at
work improving crops, which have
now become their pride. This work,
he explained, was carried on under
the auspices of the Women's Munich
pal League and had also met with
considerable success in several other
large cities.
Interest was added to his address
by collection of photographs show
Ing various prize" gardens in a min-
ing town of Pennsylvania, and OF
groups OF mothers lined up, waiting
to receive their appointments The
gardening Is done by the men during
what would otherwise be their leisure
hours and by their wives while they
are away at work In the mines, and
in practically every case the plots
thus cultivated were made an addi-
tional source of revenue to the FAM
lilies working on them, as well as pro-
viding them with fresh vegetables for
their tables.
MISS Edith X. HAL, representing
the civics committee of the Woman's
Club of the Oranges. announced the
readiness of her committee to CO.
operate with the New England Soc
ciety body, and declared that they
were ready to verify and complete
the survey begun last spring. DR..
Adolph Roeder, pastor of the New
Church, Orange, spoke for the hearty
cooperation of the church and also
! stated that there was little doubt
that seed would be distributed by
the Federal authorities through Con-
grassman Walter l. Mccoy.
. The terms of the franchise which
the Public Service Corporation is now
seeking In order to extend their Cen
trail avenue trolley line through Or
ange and West Orange by way of
that street. will likely be the subject
of debate by the society at a meet
ing In the near future II 1t can be
brought about by Frederick w KEEL
sey, chairman of a special committee
of the society to consider the matter.
Mr.. Kelsey presented an Informal
report of the committee last night
and again sounded warning to citi-
zens not to give away SO valuable a
return for it That the members OF
the present railroad committee of the
Orange Common Council were acting
hastily and as yet with an imperfect
know edge of what they had right
to demand of the trolley company.
was his contention.