TWENTY-FOURTH ANNUAL REPORT 93 
Gate Receipts.—The receipts for admission at the entrances 
made a very substantial gain over the previous year, amount- 
ing to $11,577.20 as against $8,864.20 in 1918. The entire sum 
was placed to the credit of the Improvement and Repair Ac- 
count. On account of labor difficulties the work carried on 
from the funds in this account during 1919 was less extensive 
than in some previous years, with the result that the year closed 
with a balance of $12,880.86, a sum sufficient to carry on the 
work for a year. I suggest, therefore, that Gate Receipts for 
1920 be credited to the Animal Fund, as the demands on that 
fund are likely to be very heavy in the near future. 
Riding Animals.—This division of the Privileges had an 
exceptionally good year. The riding elephant was out early in 
the season and worked later than usual, adding quite materially 
to the total result. While it was extremely difficult to get boys 
as extra help on Sundays who would take proper interest and 
care in the handling of children, we went through the season 
without an accident of any serious nature. 
REPORT OF THE DEPARTMENT OF FORESTRY AND CONSTRUCTION 
FOR THE YEAR 1919. 
HERMANN W. MERKEL, Chief Constructor and Forester; E. H. COSTAIN, 
Assistant Forester. 
From the point of view of Park maintenance, the past 
year has been the most unsatisfactory of all of the twenty years 
that have gone before. Owing to the reduction of the appro- 
priation from the city, many economies were necessary in all 
the departments, but the Department of Maintenance and Con- 
struction suffered the most of all. 
The force, which had been placed on the lowest possible 
effective basis during the previous year, owing to war condi- 
tions, was further reduced to a large extent, and the leaving 
of a number of the older and more skilfull employees to obtain 
better pay elsewhere, made it impossible for the remaining staff 
to live up to any program, no matter how carefully prearranged ; 
more urgent work, that had to be taken care of immediately, 
always upsetting the program. 
