TWENTY-FIRST ANNUAL REPORT 65 



At the close of the quarantine period, the collection was 

 equitably divided between Philadelphia, Washington and New 

 York. 



THE RUBBISH WAR. 



Beginning as usual on May 1, in full vigor, the fight against 

 vandalism in the Zoological Park was continued throughout the 

 year. The forces and methods employed were practically the 

 same as those of 1915. 



In order to fix our Park Rules and Regulations on the firm- 

 est foundation possible, the code adopted by the Zoological So- 

 ciety was submitted to the Board of Parks, and on February 24, 

 1916, it was formally adopted by that body as a part of the Park 

 Ordinances. Through the action of the Park Board our rules 

 thus became in every detail a part of the City Ordinances of 

 New York, and each section is now fully established as a muni- 

 cipal law. 



Some question having arisen over the concurrence of the 

 Board of Aldermen in giving Park ordinances complete legal 

 efi'ect, the President of the Board of Parks, Hon. Cabot Ward, 

 formally submitted the question to the Corporation Counsel, 

 Hon. Lamar Hardy. The opinion rendered by the City's highest 

 legal authority, on January 18, 1917, reads as follows : 



Under the express provisions of Section 610 of the Charter your Board 

 is vested with power, subject to the ordinances of the Board of Aldermen, to 

 establish rules and regulations for the government and protection of the public 

 parks and of all property in its charge, and it is further declared in said sec- 

 tion that upon the filing of a certified copy of such a rule or regulation with the 

 City Clerk it shall become a general ordinance of the City. Under these pro- 

 visions, I am of the opinion that such a rule or regulation not inconsistent with 

 an ordinance of the Board of Aldermen, becomes an ordinance when a certified 

 copy is filed with the City Clerk, without action thereon by the Board of 

 Aldermen. 



Naturally we have watched with keen interest the effect 

 of our rubbish war on the disorderly element, and also upon the 

 friends of law and order and cleanliness. Our last published 

 manifesto of warning and exhortation elicited one pronounced 

 criticism, of a very odd character. We stated that 90 per cent, 

 of the people of New York are law abiding, and 10 per cent, are 

 of disorderly, lawless and even criminal instincts. Our 10 per 

 cent, estimate, for the lawless element, was by some commentors 

 declared to be ridiculously below the mark. One estimated the 



