THIRTEENTH ANNUAL REPORT 79 
being bought and paid for by the Society, as formerly, they now 
are purchased on orders issued by the Park Commissioner, and 
the bills therefore are forwarded to the Comptroller’s office for 
payment. 
Privileges.—In all lines of business the year 1908 showed a 
more or less extensive falling off, due to the panic of the pre- 
vious fall, and the subsecuent financial depression which con- 
tinued throughout 1908. Early in the season this depressed con- 
dition was brought to the attention of all members of the 
privilege force, and their personal interest was enlisted in a 
special effort to bring the results for the season up to those of 
the previous year. The manner in which our employees re- 
sponded was, indeed, gratifying, as the figures for the year will 
show. While the business fell off in some directions, it in- 
creased in others, so that when the profits for the year were 
made up, there was an actual gain of several hundred dollars. 
A large reduction was made in the amount put into new 
equipment and betterment of plant, over that expended for this 
purpose in the previous year; and finally, the actual cash re- 
mitted to the credit of the Animal Fund reached $21,341.43. 
A few interesting calculations have been made to show the 
development of the Privileges during the past five years, as com- 
pared with the increase in attendance during the same period. 
They are as follows: 
INCREASES DURING THE PAST FIVE YEARS. 
(1904 TO 1908, INCLUSIVE. ) 
PNECEMG ANGER ace tanc eens eee oreo he 22 percent. 
GateuNecempisecwes sects vt sae 5, per cent. 
Net Earnings from Park Privileges. 96 per cent. 
Profits of Privilege Department, 
ETC Valve ener arte ch age wir ES2y percent. 
Profits from Soda Water, specially.. 271 per cent. 
Soda Water.—To our former equipment of fountains was 
added during the season of 1908, the fountain installed in the 
new soda pavilion. This is a combination of wall and counter 
fountain utilizing the double wall fountain which was purchased 
in Brooklyn about two years ago and has been stored, together 
with the Becker twelve-foot counter apparatus previously used 
in the temporary stand near the riding animals. 
Owing to the hard times, the gross receipts of this privilege 
did not increase greatly during the season. The net profits, how- 
