HAMLYN'S MENAGERIE MAGAZINE. 
71 
Bostock and Wombwell's Menagerie has provoked 
considerable comment locally, and further inquir- 
ies emphasise the extraordinary position which 
has arisen as a result of various people working 
at cross-purposes. In a fuller explanation of the 
matter than we were able to give yesterday it may 
be stated that some weeks ago Messrs. Bostock's 
proposed visit to Leeds came before the Chief 
Constable (Mr. W. Burns Lindley), and also be- 
fore the Watch Committee. That authority en- 
dorsed the Chief Constable's view that fo Trea- 
sons connected with air-raid precautions it was 
not desirable that the show should visit the city 
in these times. It was unwittingly stated yester- 
day thhat the market authoriies then approached 
the competent military authority for the city, and 
after meeting with a refusal from that quarer, 
placed the matter before the Ministry of Munitions 
and obtained the Ministry's sanction for the hold- 
ing of the show. This is not borne out by a 
closer investigation of the facts, and it would 
seem that no blame attaches to any of the Cor- 
poration departments, nor have the Ministry of 
Munitions any desire to override the local authori- 
ties in any decision they may have come to in 
the matter. 
Holding the view that they would be able to 
satisfy military and police requirements with re- 
gard to lighting restrictions, the promoters of the 
show approached the Ministry of Munitions to 
ascertain whether a visit to Leeds was likely to 
affect the output of munitions. The negative reply 
they received appears to have been somewhat 
freely translated into an official sanction to hold 
the show. At any rate, armed with this docu- 
ment, the commenced negotiations for the renting 
of a suitable "pitch in Leeds, and a contract was 
eventually signed whereby they agreed to occupy 
the vacant plot of land behind the wholesale meat 
market in New Pork Street, for one month, at a 
rental of £50. Messrs. Bostock and their agents 
were solely responsible for the negotiations with 
the Ministry of Munitions and the Military Au- 
thorities, and the Corporation and its servants had 
no share in the matter until the contract came 
to be signed. 
HOW THE CONTRACT WAS SIGNED. 
The circumstances in which this took place 
are best explained by Mr. Herbert Yeadon, the 
Markets Superintendent, who stated yesterday 
that it was a mistake to say that either the Mar- 
kets Committee or he himselm had approached 
the Military Authorities or the Ministry of Muni- 
tions in the matter. So far as he was concerned, 
he had acted throughout not as the Markets Sup- 
erintendent, but as the agent of the Development 
Committee, who in October, 1904, adopted a 
resolution empowering him to let! this land. The 
land itself is a plot that remains over from cer- 
tain street improvements and demolitions of slum 
dwellings, carried out some years ago. It has 
constantly been let for the purpose of fairs, and 
before the lighting restrictions came into force 
frequently brought in a profit of £300' or £400 a 
year. What happened io the present case was 
this : On October 28 Mr. Yeadon received a letter 
from Mr. Wesley Petty, who wrote on behalf of 
Mr. ,. H. Bostock, asking for an interview for 
the purpose of discussing the occupation of the 
site by the menagerie. On November 1 Mr. Yea- 
don visited the Chief Constable, who said that 
he did not feel that he ought to take the responsi- 
bility of the show coming fo Leeds. He therefore 
referred Mr. Yeadon to Colonel Gordon, R.F.A. , 
the Competent Military Authority in Leeds. On 
the following day Mr. Wesley Petty and Mr. E. 
H. Bostock called upon Mr. Yeadon at the Mar- 
kets Office, and were duly referred by him to Col. 
Gordon, Mr. Petty remarking that he felt sure 
that he could come to terms with Colonel Gordon 
respecting lighting arrangements, etc. Mr. Yea- 
don heard nothing more fore some time and, he 
says, was under the impression that the matter 
had dropped. On November 30, however, he was 
rather surprised to receive an intimation from 
Mr. Wesley Petty that permission for the show 
to be held had been obtained from the Ministry 
of Munitions. Mr. Yeadon wishes it to be made 
clear that he had taken absolutely no action what- 
ever in regard to approaching the Military Au- 
thority or the Ministry of Munitions; all that he 
did was to see the Chief Constable on the matter, 
and then, on his suggestion, to refer Mr. Petty 
and Mr. Bostock to the military authority. On 
December 14, Mr. W. C. Burns, agent for Messrs. 
Bostock and Wombwell called upon Mr. Yeadon 
and produced a letter signed by Colonel Gordon 
authorising the show to be held. On the strength 
of this authorisation terms were arranged with 
Messrs. Bostock and Wombwell for the occupa- 
tion by them of the land from December 2& to 
January 20 for a sum of £50 l , subject to military 
and police control as to lighting, etc. On t he 
following day Mr. Yeadon wrote to the Chief 
Constable informing him of what had been done. 
As Mr. Bostock had not arrived in Leeds 
yesterday it was impossible to obtain the text of 
the communications that have passed between 
him and the Ministry of Munitions, but we under- 
stand that he holds two letters which support him 
in his action. One of these, the letter referred 
to by Mr. Peadon as coming from Colonel Gor- 
don, is stated to contain Colonel Gordon's en- 
dorsement of the view expressed by the Ministry 
of Munitions that the show will not interfere 
with the output of munitions, and the other, ex- 
pressing the same view, is a letter written by Mr. 
Montagu, the late Minister of Munitions, to Mr. 
Bostock direct. It should be explained that the 
Government Department concerned has power to 
prevent the holding of fairs, etc., if it is t'hought 
that the will interfere with work on munitions, 
and their views on the matter are entirely apart 
