Perth Amboy evening news., 1915-03-13
START CAMP A|GN FOR
PARKS THIS SUMMER
Western Improvement Associa-
tion After Parks, and Definite
Action is Taken on Project
at Meeting Last Night.

With determination to have def
mite action taken for the establish
ment of asystem of pablic parks or
recreation places in this city, mem
bers of the Western Improvement As
sociation decided last night to spare
no efforts in urging the Board of AL
dermen to appropriate money for
park purposes, when the June bud
get Is prepared.
1t is the intention of Western I'm
rrovement Association members to
hammer at the city fathers until
something Is done in the way of es-
tablishing one or more public parks.
They contend that the time Is now
ripe, as when several years have
passed, there may be no land availa-
BILE for recreation purposes and such
as might be had, will undoubtedly
have advanced in price. Acting upon
an opinion recently rendered by City
Attorney Andrew j. Wight, that the
governing body having charge of the
city's finances could not issue bonds
for money to be used for converting
property In hand into parks, but
could issue bonds II 1t was intended
to acquire land, the association mem
to spare no pains in urging the al
dermen to appropriate such funds as
they saw necessary when the June
budget figures were prepared. The
city attorney had held that in order
to procure funds for converting prop
erty in hand into parks the city faith
ers would have to provide for it in a
budget.
The Western improvement Asso-
citation is not selfish with regard to
the location of parks, according to its
members. but they would prefer to
have one of the first recreation places
situated In the northwestern part.
They went on record last night as
wanting parks at the earliest, date
possible, but they were not so partic-
ular as to where they should be To-
Gated, although faVoring. their sec
tlQA 1t was stated that they were
not. oisposed to establishing parks
along the Tater front or In any other
part of the city. One of the reasons
for favoring the northwestern part
was the ease with which land there
could be converted for park purposes
In view of the fact that there were
shade trees there; another was, be-
cause the location would make 1t
convenient to those people living in
the northern and western parts.
Want High Street Beautified.
Efforts are being made by some of
the residents along High street.
from City Hall park southerly to the
Raritan river to have that section OF
the street made into garden spot
by encouraging the growth of vege-
tation on both sides and In the cen
ter. James S. Wight, Jean Du Bois.
George J. Haney, James Henderson,
A. M. Metzendorf and Adolph Green
baum appeared before the aldermen
at their committee meeting last night
and presented a plan for the propo-
sition. Mr.. Wight acted as spokes-
man. 1t is proposed to widen each
OF the sidewalks, SO as to have more
room for shade trees, and to estab-
hsh line of terraces down the CEN
ter. Upon these they would plant
trees and other vegetation to beauti-
fy the street, and some provision
might be made for placing park
benches there in places. 1t was con-
cluded that the street would be ideal
for such scheme, owing to its
width, but there was some doubt as
to the success of the project because
OF the destruction of vegetation by
factory fumes. The petitioners
would have the surface of the street
used for traffic paved with two-inch
asphalt blocks.