Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1915-01-13
BOARD MERGEs CEMETERY
AND PARK DEPARTMENTS
Places Burying Grounds and Keep
ers Under Direction OF Hum.
phrey Calder.
CHANGEEFFECTIvE FEBRUARY
Union OF Systems Long Urged In the
Interest of Economy in Admins
tration-QuarrcI With Keeper I'm.
mediate Cause Of Merger.

The Administrative Board entered an
order yesterday merging the cemetery
and park systems and placing the COM
bincd department under the direction OF
| Humphrey calder. assistant superin-
tendent of park and parkways The
same Office Is also In complete charge
of the city playground and recreation
| system.
Although the merger OF the Gene
terry and park departments has been
| urged for many years in the Coun-
| Gil and out Of II. on the ground that
| the work OF the two departments Is
so similar in character as to make "A
! joint administration advisable econom-
! cally. the immediate cause of the
| boards action yesterday was n breach
between that body and Allen DECKER
son. keeper OF lakewood Cemetery
| Following complaints that had
! reached the board alleging carelcssness
in the maintenance of lakewood Gene
terry, the Administrative Board last
week entered an order summoning the
| keeper of the cemetery before II for
hearing. Mr.. Dickerson appeared
! before the board yesterday, and n gem
eral inquiry into the management Of
! his cemetery ensucd
DICKERsoN COMPLAINS
OF INSUFFICIENT FORCE
|
took on heated turn. the board In
! dica ting It's belief that the cemetery
mas not been kept with care that should
! have been accorded It, Mr. DECKER
! son, while admitting partially the just
hess of the charge, defended himself
| with the statement that he has not
been provided with a sufficient force
TO keep the large cemetery in proper
repair. The regular force at Oakwood
besides the keeper, consists of five men
The inquiry left the board with the
| feeling that change in the method
| or administering the cemetery system
! was advisable. and 1t Immediately en-
tered an order shearing all keepers
! or municipal cemeteries OF their eXecu-
tive powers. and placing them under
the direction of the assistant suprein-
! tendcnt OF parks
| The order makes il one of the duties
! or the assistant superintendent of parks
! TO supervise and instruct all keepers
in the art of beautifying the cemeteries
ana Keeping them In proper condition.
and requires him to notify the board
of any neglect, incficicncy or miscon-
| duct on the part OF any keeper or
| employe. II becomes effective on Feb
| ruary l.
| MUNICIPAL CEMETERIES
ARE FIVE IN NUMBER
There are five municipal cemeteries.
| lakewood. Riverview, Maury. Shockoe
!
| Shockoe. has n keeper who lives on the
! premises. To each cemetery as as
signed about five employees the number
varying according to seasonal and ex-
traordinary demands for upkeep and
| repairs.
Before the creation of the Admins
| trative Board the cemeteries wero I'M
der the direction Of COMMITTEES on
| Cemeteries. to which the keepers were
responsible. This arrangement dated
from early in the nineteenth century.
/ With the creation OF tho board tho
Committee on Cemeteries was abolished
and its functions transferred to the Ad-
| administrative Board.
1t is believed that the merger of the
| park and cemetery departments will
| make for economy in administration.
| The care OF walkways, driveways and
lawns involves essentially the Same
work in both departments 1t would
be comparatively simple. for example.
under the hcw arrangement for tho
assistant superintendent of parks dur
| ing period when park work Is slack.
| TO detail number of park employees to
work In the cemeteries. and vice versa.
PARK SUPERINTENDENT
| HAS IMPORTANT OFFICE,
The multiplication OF duties in the
| past year has made the office of tho
assistant superintendent Of parks one
| of the most important in the cite gov
eminent Besides being in full charge
after February ], Of parks. nurseries
/ and cemeteries, it has full direction of
| the municipal recreation system EN-
DracihS the several public Fairgrounds
The incumbent. Humphrey Calder, was
/ for number of years. keeper Of VIII
| liam Byrd Park. and was appointed TO
the larger Office when 1t was created
! by the board about n year ago.
Besides the regular cemetery forces
! there arc employed in special work at
! the cemeteries more than 100 men, who
were given work under the recent S125.-
| 600 labor-aid ordinance. The extra
!! force in lakewood Cemetery numbers
A., hfty-two men, and will remain under
the direction of Colonel c. p. Il. Bur
, gwyn. the engineer employed by the
board to direct the carrying out OF
several major cemetery improvements
| in the newer section of that burying
/ ground.