NEIV JERSEY .AUDUBON SOCIETY 



REPORT OF SECRETARY 



October 14, 1919 



Looking- back oxer the ninlh year of the Society's existence, 

 now closing", one recalls with increased emphasis what was 

 said in the last report of the preceding year — that it had. with- 

 out doubt, been the most trying- that' the Society had l)een 

 called on to experience. Economy and retriMuhnu-nl. -o ])ro- 

 nounced during the last war years, have been even more accen- 

 tuated during the greater part of the past fiscal year. No form 

 of presentation of the cause of bird protection, whether the 

 economic or esthetic viewpoint be emphasized, seemed longer 

 potent to interest possible new members or even to hold many 

 members of some years' standing, as the pinch of increasing 

 unsettled financial conditions became more generally felt. 



Early in the year supplies for school Avork were exhausted 

 and there were no funds to provide new ones, despite the 

 several campaigns to secure such funds. The edition of the 

 "Guide to the Birds of New Jersey" dwindled slowly to ex- 

 haustion and no possible provision for a new edition presented 

 itself. Working funds were reduced to such a low figure 

 that the Treasurer personally carried accounts for the Society 

 temporarily, while economies merged more and more into 

 suspension of various important activities. By August the 

 Society executive faced a situation of liabilities greater than 

 funds on hand, the lean months of the remainder of the calen- 

 dar year holding forth no relief, and an apparent apathy of 

 members and ])ub]ic alike indicating no gleam of light in the 

 uniform gloom. 



It seemed, indeed, that the time had come to put the question 

 squarely to the membership as to whether organized effort to 

 conserve the State's valuable asset, its wild bird life, was to 

 cease, the New Jersey Audubon Society to be disbanded, and 

 the inevitable succeeding retrograde conditions invited. Ac- 

 cordingly, the statement to members of conditions and the 

 necessity of either discontinuing the Society or providing 

 financial means for its continuance, of August 22d, with which 

 the members are familiar, was sent out. ' At the same time the 

 general public, also, was acquainted through the press with 



