TWELFTH ANNUAL REPORT. 73 



The Boston Road Entrance Faz-ilion, (William Home & Com- 

 pany, $5,008), was not completed until late in the year. Work on 

 this small contract occupied, all told, a period of zrrv nearly two 

 years, and the progress of it was extremely dilatory and unsatis- 

 factory. While the contract should have been completed early in 

 1907, and the entrance immediately opened to the public, it was 

 not available until in October, 1907. For this reason visitors lost 

 the use of it during- the whole season of mild weather. 



Public Comfort Station. — In January, 1907, a contract for the 

 very important but unfortunately delayed building for public com- 

 fort on the Boston Road, near the new entrance, was let to Wil- 

 liam Whisten's Son, at $16,999. Work on the building has been 

 prosecuted since last April, and it is hoped that it will be finished 

 in the spring of the present year. It is probable that as soon as 

 it passes into the hands of the Society the top of the dead wall 

 facing the Boston Road will be restudied and altered somewhat. 



The Xczc Soda Pavilion, near the Bird House, is being erected 

 by Kelley & Kelley, at a cost of $7,679. W^ork began in De- 

 cember, and the structure will undoubtedly be completed and 

 ready for use by May i, 1908. \\'ith its completion and accept- 

 ance, the old temporary soda pavilion will l)e removed. 



DEPARTMENT OF ADM IXISTR.\TI0N' AND TRIVILEGES. 

 H. R. Mitchell, Chief Clerk and ^Lmager ; William Mitchell, Assistant. 



\\"\i\\ the growth of the Zoological Park both the volume and 

 importance of the work of this department steadily increases. 

 Quite aside from the regular outside business connected with the 

 privileges, the mass of bills and accounts and the bookkeeping 

 annually attended to in the Chief Clerk's office is really very 

 great. The amount of business handled by the Chief Clerk's very 

 small office force is highly creditable both to him and to his assist- 

 ants. At the same time the working force of the administrative 

 office is much in need of more room and increased facilities, both 

 of which must be provided at no distant day. Our permanent 

 policy of avoiding all clerical work that can be avoided has been 

 highly beneficial to all concerned. 



The disbursements through the Chief Clerk's office for 1907 

 on account of Ground Improvement work carried on by the 

 Society kept pace with the same business during previous years. 

 The slight falling oft' in maintenance business was more than 

 made up by the increase in privileges. 



