TWENTY-THIRD ANNUAL REPORT 41 



The maintenance situation for 1919, for the first time in the 

 history of the Society, is really serious. The contract with the 

 City provides, in the case of the Park, for adequate "mainte- 

 nance" and, in the case of the Aquarium, for a minimum of 

 $45,000. 



It proved to be the policy of the new administration in the 

 autumn of 1918 to reduce the maintenance of quasi-official insti- 

 tutions. The Aquarium was reduced from $48,632.50 to the mini- 

 mum allowed by law, $45,000. The Park was, first, reduced from 

 $207,586 to $175,000 but, after a further presentation of the 

 needs of the institution, this amount was increased to $190,000. 

 At the same time, however, there was coupled with this increase 

 the condition that the salaries at the Park be increased by $100 

 each in the case of those receiving less than $1,800. 



To provide for this increase in pay and for the increased cost 

 of supplies would have required a total sum of $227,000 ; leaving 

 a deficit to be met by the Society of $37,000. It being entirely 

 out of the question for the Society to attempt to raise such an 

 amount under existing financial conditions, every possible econ- 

 omy and reduction were made, both in the Aquarium and the 

 Park, with the result that the working forces of both institu- 

 tions were reduced to a point where the sum of $18,000 if sup- 

 plied by the Society, in addition to the funds provided by the 

 City, would keep the Park and Aquarium open to the public. 



The Committee are engaged at the present moment in an 

 attempt to raise this amount in the form of a special maintenance 

 appropriation and the subscribers, to date, to this fund are as 

 follows : 



Andrew Carnegie $1,000 



George F. Baker 1,000 



Archer M. Huntington 1,000 



A. Barton Hepburn 1,000 



Emerson McMillin 1,000 



Cleveland H. Dodge 1,000 



Edward S. Harkness 1,000 



Ogden Mills 1,000 



George J. Gould 1,000 



Archer M. Huntington (extra) 1,000 



Henry M. Tilford 500 



Lewis R. Morris 500 



William Woodward : 200 



