88 NEW YORK ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY 



DEPARTMENT OF ADMINISTRATION 



H. R. .Mitchell, Chief Clerk and Manager of Privileges; 

 WILLL4M MiTCHELi;, Cashier. 



The special and most important task of this department 

 during the last five years has been the reduction of expenses by 

 economies in all directions, and at a rate that would as nearly 

 as possible offset the rising prices for all supplies and materials. 



In the feeding, care and exhibition of a living collection, 

 such as is here maintained, there is a certain standard in food, 

 heat and care that must be kept up, no matter how urgent the 

 necessity for economy. While there has been some reduction 

 in the number of specimens in our collection, the losses have been 

 almost entirely in small specimens such as small animals, small 

 birds and reptiles, which only slightly affect the cost of feeding 

 and care. 



The following is a list of the sums expended annually for 

 food, supplies, and expenses other than salaries and wages for 

 the years 1914 to 1919, inclusive, from which it will be noted 

 that the increasing cost of supplies has been more than over- 

 come : 



1914 $74,373.44 



1915 69,748.72 



1916 68,876.84 



1917 . 72,247.63 ^Increased by heavy coal require- 



^ ^, o HA 07Q 1 Q ( ments during the severe winter 



1918 74,^73. 13)of 1917-18. 



1919 68,807.38 



Taking an eight-year period, our fuel bill was above the 

 average by $897.95 in 1917 and by $2,777.68 in 1918. 



The great reduction made by the Board of Estimate in our 

 allowance for the maintenance of the Park in 1919 necessitated 

 a careful restudy of our budget estimates for that year. A cut 

 of $34,219.33 was made in our budget of the amount allowed us 

 by the City being only $190,000. To curtail our working force 

 to the extent of the entire cut was out of the question, but 

 reductions amounting to $15,162 were made, and the Executive 

 Committee approved a budget requiring a contribution of $19,- 

 057.33 by the Zoological Society in order to maintain the Park 

 on a satisfactory basis during the year. 



