TWENTY-FIRST ANNUAL REPORT 101 



over 1915 in the face of a 4ij per cent, decrease in gross re- 

 ceipts, denoting rigid economy in operation, as further evidenced 

 in a decrease of 12 per cent, in Salaries account in 1916, follow- 

 ing a reduction of 11 per cent, in the same account in the pre- 

 vious year. 



Rocking Stone Restaurant. — The falling off in gross receipts 

 was not out of proportion to the reduction in attendance for the 

 year. The exact figures were 5 per cent, for the receipts, and 

 7^2 per cent, for the attendance. But for the unusually high 

 prices of supplies, a more satisfactory showing would have been 

 made. As it was, all that we were able to do was to make a 

 slight gain, and maintain the standard of service. 



Boating. — Late in the year 1915, the work of tearing away 

 the old wooden dock at the Boat House was commenced, and the 

 site filled in with stone from a near-by apartment house excava- 

 tion, delivered and dumped without cost to us. It was our plan 

 to have the wall forming the face of the dock built before winter 

 so that the concrete surface and finish could be put on after the 

 frost had disappeared in the spring, and before the boating sea- 

 son opened. 



This could not be done, however, as the contractor who was 

 to build the wall failed to carry out his contract at the time the 

 work should have been done, and high water followed, prevent- 

 ing the completion of the work before winter. No further prog- 

 ress could be made until spring, and then high water again de- 

 layed the work until it seriously interfered with the boating 

 season, and reduced considerably the early receipts. Fortunate- 

 ly, the boating season was fully thirty days later than usual, 

 which helped the situation to some extent. For several weeks 

 boating operations were carried on as efficiently as they could 

 be by utilizing one end of the dock that had been completed. 

 The work of concreting the entire surface of the dock was fin- 

 ished in June. 



The wisdom of this improvement, as well as the reduction 

 in boating rates from 35 and 50 cents to 25 and 35 cents per hour, 

 respectively, was immediately demonstrated by an increase in 

 the business. The four months, July to October inclusive, cover- 

 ing the period in which full use could be made of the new dock, 

 showed the following increases in gross boating receipts over 

 the same months in 1915 : July, 37 per cent. ; August, 134 per 

 cent.; September, 131 per cent., and October, 110 per cent. 



