to being cautioned by watchmen, and question the authority of a watchman to make an arrest, as it is generally supposed that no one but policemen have authority to do so. In all the large cities of the country of which I have knowledge men doing similar duties are designated as park police, and it is therefore recommended that instead of park watchmen this force be henceforth called park policemen in all appropriation bills and reports.

The force is inadequate in point of numbers, and it is urged that an additional sergeant and 11 men be added to it. The one sergeant in charge of the force is overworked. During the day he has to ride on his bicycle over the whole city, inspecting every watchman and also inspecting the outlying reservations not looked after by watchmen. He has to come to this office every morning to make his report and receive instructions. He has to spend several hours a day at the police court several times a week, and in addition he has to inspect the night watchmen in the parks three times a week. There should be a second sergeant to assist him.

Many of the most important parks have but one watchman who patrols them but eight hours out of the twenty-four. These watchmen have in addition from five to twenty outside reservations to look after, some of them nearly a mile distant. Their hours of duty are generally from 8 a. m. to noon, and from 4 p. m. to 8 p. m. It is just as necessary to have these parks patrolled from noon to 4 p. m. and from 8 to 12 p. m. as at any other hours. During the off hours park loafers take advantage of the absence of the watchmen to do about as they please and subject respectable people to annoyance.

A new schedule is submitted of the park watchmen, or more properly, park policemen, required, which it is recommended be adopted and provided for. This new schedule increases the number of men from thirty-one to forty-two, with a first and second sergeant in addition:

Stanton Park

.do

man.

Do.

Do.

Do.

Do.

Do.

Do.

Do.

parks. Mt. Vernon Park.......

Two day watchmen, two night Two day watchmen, two night watch

watchmen.

One day watchman

.....do ....

Two day watchmen, one night
watchman.

One day watchman, two night
watchmen.

One day watchman, one night
watchman.

..do..

QUALIFICATIONS AND PAY.

The park watchmen are selected from a special list prepared by the Civil Service Commission, which guarantees men of experience and very high qualifications. Notwithstanding this the Washington park watchman is probably the poorest paid man in the United States who has police duty to perform. He has practically the same duties as the Metropolitan police; the same intelligence and physical qualifications are required of him; his moral character must be good; his discipline is much the same; he has as many arrests to make as the average policeman; he runs the same risks as to injury from vicious people as the man doing duty on the street; his duties are more exacting, as half of his duty hours are spent in cautioning people about violating the rules of the park and in looking after children; he has a uniform to buy once a year in order to look neat; yet the pay of these watchmen is only $60 per month. The District government requires the street railway companies to pay their crossing police officers $75 per month for a great deal less exacting and laborious duty. The lowest grade on the Metropolitan police force receive $75 per month, and the officers who serve five or six years faithfully receive $90 per month. Moreover, if they are injured in the line of duty, or become unfit for service through sickness, or complete a certain number of years of faithful service, they are placed on the retired list with an allowance of from $40 to $50 per month from the fund toward which the park watchmen so largely contribute-that is, from fines and forfeitures of collateral from cases brought before the police court by them. These benefits they do not receive, and there is nothing for the park watchman to look forward to if he happens to be injured in the performance of his duty so as to make him unfit for further service, or if, after years of faithful performance of duty, he becomes too old longer to perform police duty.

It is earnestly recommended that the following schedule of pay adopted for the force:

First sergeant in charge, per annum
Second sergeant, per annum................
Men, per annum

be

$1,000

900 840

It is also recommended that the necessary legislation be adopted providing that all fines and forfeitures of collateral from cases brought before the police court by United States park police shall be held and reserved for the benefit of the United States park police under rules similar to those now in force for the Metropolitan police of the city.

Arrests made by United States park watchmen in the public grounds from July 1, 1902, to

Month.

Arrests made by United States park watchmen in the public grounds from July 1, 1902, to June 30, 1903-Continued.

This is a subject to which I desire to invite special attention. Persons interested in the well-being and development of the inhabitants of cities are seeing more and more clearly the necessity of providing places where children and young people can take exercise and find innocent recreation, and the great value thereof in developing health of body and mind in the citizens of the future. Wherever playgrounds have been provided the beneficial results have been immediately manifest. A suitable playground draws children by the hundreds from streets and alleys where their occupations and amusements are of more or less questionable character, and brings them together, where, under the care and control of suitable persons, they can indulge in pleasant, innocent, and interesting exercises, competitions, and games. Many cities are quite advanced in this particular matter, and some have expended vast sums of money in providing these playgrounds and breathing spots where their crowded inhabitants can get a little relief. The desirability of public playgrounds in Washington has been recognized by Congress to a limited extent, as shown by the two laws on the subject.

Act of Congress, approved August 30, 1890 (Stat. L., 26, p. 396):

The officer in charge of public buildings and grounds may authorize the temporary use of a portion of the Monument grounds or grounds south of the Executive Mansion or other reservations in the District of Columbia for a children's playground, under regulations to be prescribed by him.

Act approved March 2, 1895 (Stat. L., 28, p. 943):

The officer in charge of public buildings and grounds shall authorize the use of a portion of the ground within the circle south of the Executive Mansion for a children's playground, under regulations to be prescribed by him.

Total amount of fines collected and of collateral forfeited.

Under the authority granted a playground was set aside between B street north and the main drive north of the Washington Monument. This contains about 8 acres, and is in use every pleasant day.

Act approved March 3, 1903 (Stat. L., 32, part 1, p. 1122):

The officer in charge of public buildings and grounds may hereafter authorize the temporary use of the Monument grounds or grounds south of the Executive Mansion or other reservations in the District of Columbia for playgrounds for children and adults, under regulations to be prescribed by him.

Under the additional legislation granted by the act last named, a large number of permits have been granted each month to play baseball upon that portion of the Monument grounds already set aside as a playground. In fact, requests for these permits have come from more organizations and aggregations of individuals than could be accommodated at any one time on the area available for the purpose. Several years ago reservation 126, at the junction of Georgia and Virginia avenues and L street, between Ninth and Eleventh streets SE., was graded, and has been allowed as a playground since. Reservation 19, between K and L and Fifth and Seventh streets SE., was allowed to be used for ball playing until it was shown to be too small for the purpose. On some of the smaller reservations croquet has been permitted. While there are not many parks or reservations where baseball or football or other games requiring much space can be permitted, there are numbers where the area is adequate for the installation of the simple apparatus needed in a playground for small children.

It is respectfully submitted that permission to use these reservations and public grounds is not sufficient. An appropriation should be made for fitting them up, and every year the necessary appropriations should be made for their care, extension, and renewals as apparatus is worn-out or broken. I do not believe that there is any other way in which a small amount can be expended which would do more good or give greater pleasure or result in more lasting benefit than money appropriated and expended for fitting up, caring for, and maintaining children's playgrounds. Some small playgrounds have been established on private property with money subscribed by the generous people of Washington, but the matter needs a far more general, vigorous, and immediate treatment than is possible on the subscription basis.

I would therefore recommend that an appropriation of $10,000 be made for establishing, maintaining, and caring for children's playgrounds on public reservations in Washington, and authority given this Office to erect or permit the necessary structures thereon. I beg, furthermore, to invite attention to a report on public playgrounds by Mr. George H. Brown, landscape gardener, which is appended hereto as Appendix B, and which contains much interesting matter and valuable information.

MAINTENANCE OF IMPROVED PARKS.

The usual work required for maintaining the improved parks and park spaces in good condition was extended during the year. This work consists of mowing and raking lawns, edging their borders, sodding or seeding bare places on them, planting and caring for flower beds, pruning trees and shrubs, cleaning gutters and draintraps, and sweeping paved roads and walks.