Perth Amboy evening news., 1921-06-24
PUBLIC OPINION
FAIRGROUNDS AND BASEBALL

EDITOR EVENING NEWS.
The announcement of the opening
of the city's Fairgrounds on July l,
for the summer season of 1921. has,
no doubt, been welcomed with keen
delight and eager expectancy by
thousands of children who have en-
ioyed for several seasons past the
many amusements, which have been
provided by the Recreation Commits
sion, and by hundreds of parents
who realize that their offspring wniie
at these play centers are free from
the many impending dangers of the
city's busy streets and are gaining
under skillful supervision many
physical benefits which are quite
necessary for the promotion OF their
mental and spiritual growth.
Statistics have been published
showing that the loss Of life. from
what may be termed preventable
accidents in many cases, have for
each of years 1919 and 1920 far ex-
ceeded the total number of lives
which were lost by the American
forces on the battlefelds of Europe
throughout the late war. The ma
jority of these fatalities by accident
have been sustained by children and
the largest percentage has been in
cities where the streets have had to
suffice for recreation centers and
where totally inadequate facilities
have been provided for properly
caring for the amusement and phys
ical welfare of the growing genera
ton. The mortality statistics OF
American cities show that the num-
Der of deaths due to accidents to
children in the city of Chicago have
greatly decreased during the past
few years and this ~declination has
been wholly attributed to the in
stallation of Fairgrounds in every
part of that city which have been
designed to provide healthy muse
ment not only for a~dolescents but
for adults as well.
To date, the city OF Perth Amboy
owns no permanent Fairgrounds
sites and although this matter has
frequently been brought to the at
tention of the aldermanic body the
subject has always been considered
rather lightly and in a more or less
~evanescent manne and no decisive
steps have ever been taken to pro-
cure desirable locations for this par
ticular phase of the city's welfare
policy. In addition to this the ap-
preparation for the maintenance OF
the temporary Fairgrounds, which
have been established each year Tor
almost the last decade, has been so
inadequate that by only the strictest
and most parSlmonlous
management has the Recreation
Commission been able to meet the
necessary and ever increasing oper-
ating expenses.
Permanent city owned Fairgrounds
would mean that permanent II
sturdy apparatus could be set up
at all play centers which could be
enjoyed not only during the regular
playground seaso of July and
August but almost throughout the
year. The writer has learned that
several new pieces of such appara-
tus will be installed in Hayes Par
this year but this cannot be done to
advantage on any of the school
properties. which are utilized each
year for such purposes, as these
grounds are usually Of but moderate
dimensions and the installation of
such apparatus eliminates much of
the space which is required for the
children to romp and run in and
such installations are, therefore, not
looked upon with much favor by
either the school Or playground au-
thorities.
That Fairgrounds are a success in
this city has been attested to by the
result of statistics kept of the at
tendance during the past few years
at the three centers established at
HAYES Park and at Nos. 2 and 6
schools. Last year more than $4,000
children attended these three
grounds during the months Of July
and August and had the funds been
sufficient to have operated several
others it is quite certain that the
attendance figures would hav been
considerably higher than those
noted.
Any afternoon or early evening
during the spring and summer, IN
even into the autumn months. will
find hundreds of children and adults
engaged in various games and
amusements in the huge Raritan
Copper Works field in the south
part of the city. This plot
of ground has always proven to be
the city's most popular recreation
and a real boon to Perth
Amboy's large sport loving popula-
ton. On several occasions during
the past two months as many as ten
different baseball games have been
in progress at the same time on this
field in addition to cricket and nu-
other athletic advertisements
all of which were being greatly en-
joyed by the many participants SO
engaged. The city is greatly In
to this company for it's most
generous attitude in this connection
for its management has never asked
any recompense whatsoever for such
usage other than the orderly con-
duct of all those availing themselves
of this privilege and the proper re-
spect of it's ownership regarding the
destruction or mutilation of its prop
erty. During the present season the
enclosed grounds, which are operat-
ed by the athletic association of
that company and not directly by
the officers of the copper company.
been used by the local high,
and vocational schools, by
the police and fire departments and
by a number of local industrial con-
Germs and no rentals for same have
charged. The upkeep of this
field is maintained entirely by the
of the members of the r. G.
w. Athletic Association. admissions
to Saturday games and rentals for
games. The Sunday genes
always been conducted in a
most nr6arlu and IarnrOIc n,apnar |