

atrae™ 
EDITOR’S 
LOWER RATES ON LIVE WILD ANIMALS. 
The New York Zoological Society has 
secured from the express companies doing 
business in the Eastern half of the United 
States a concession in rates on live ani- 
mals which is of far-reaching impor- 
tance to our Zoological park, and to all 
other zoological g rdens and preserves, 
both public and private, throughout the 
United States. Prior to this time, all 
express companies, with the exception of 
three which had previously granted a 
concession to a dealer in live animals at 
Wichita, Kan., had charged for the trans- 
portation of live quadrupeds, birds and 
reptiles, double the rates for ordinary 
merchandise. In very many cases this 
rate was actually prohibitive, especially 
with regard to animals from the Rocky 
mountain region and Sierra Nevadas, 
where the finest forms are to be found. 
Quite recently the Zoological society 
paid $11.50 express charges on a wild cat 
from Phoenix, Arizona, the purchase price 
of which was $5. 
A short time ago, the Zoological so- 
ciety, through one of its managers, Mr. 
Charles T. Barney, approached Mr. James 
C. Fargo, President of the American 
Express Co., with a formal request that 
all animals in transit to the New York 
Zoological Park be transported at one 
merchandise rate. It was pointed out 
that if such a rate were made by express 
companies generally, it would result in a 
very great increase in the number of 
animals transported by the express com- 
panies and preserved for exhibition in 
zoological gardens and parks and in pri- 
vate game preserves. 
The matter received favorable consider- 
ation from the American Express Co. 
and through the good offices of its presi- 
dent, and of General Traffic Manager Brad- 
ley, “all the express companies represent- 
ed in New York have been induced to join 
the American in an agreement to trans- 
port live animals, other than domestic live 
stock, at one merchandise rate. The new 
rate went into effect on August Ist on all 
the lines of the American, National, 
Adams, Pacific, Southern, United States, 
and Wells Fargo express companies. Mr. 
Bradley declares it very likely that -all 
express companies will adopt this same 
Not only does the concession apply 
to animals in transit to zoological gardens 
and parks, but it is also extended to deal- 
ers and others who are making shipments 
to private individuals. This should be 
good news to the Jarge number of per- 
231 
CORNER. 
sons who are establishing private game 
preserves, and to the dozen or more 
cities in this country which are establish- 
ing collections of living animals. 

With this issue RECREATION completes 
the fifth year of its existence, and with 
the next number will start on its sixth. 
The first edition, of 5,000 copies, was 
dated October, 1894. I started with a 
capital of less than $3,000. For the first 
year my entire office furniture consisted of 
a small second-hand desk and a chair, 
which stood in the corner of a printing 
loft at 216 William street, and my entire 
office force consisted of one stenographer. 
I was my own editor, business manager, 
cue solicitor, mailing clerk and of- 
e boy. During that year, however, the 
Hilciness grew rapidly and in ’95 it be- 
came necessary to have an office of my 
own. In September of that year I took 
2 rooms at rm West 24th street, where I 
have been ever since. In ’97 I leased the 
entire floor and my office *torce now num- 
bers 15 people. RECREATION started with 
a circulation of 5,000 copies and this has 
steadily increased to 65,000. My first 
printer’s bill was $280, and my monthly 
bills are now averaging $3,600. The first 
number had 48 pages and I am now run- 
ning 144 pages. I started with 17 pages of 
advertising and am now carrying 60. 
My first advertising rate was $25 a 
page. My present rate is $100 a page, and 
the fact that I am now carrying 4 times 
as many pages of advertising as I did at 
first is the best evidence any one could 
ask as to the value of RECREATION as an 
advertising medium. 
Many of the same advertisers who ap- 
peared in the first isste of RECREATION 
are in it yet, and all are paying my present 
rates. There are a few manufacturers of 
sportsmen’s goods who think they know 
more than the other fellows, and who have 
never yet been willing to make a test of 
RECREATION. I can eertainly afford to 
have them stay out if they can afford it. 
Their competitors who are in the maga- 
zine have sold many thousands of dollars’ 
worth of goods that these outsiders might 
have sold if their heads had not been 
quite so large. If RecREATION did not 
bring trade the Winchesters, the Rem- 
ee the Lefevres, the Forehands, the 
UW. C. Co., the Peters Cartridge Co., 
and ve others would not have stayed n 
and consented to the various advances I 
have made in rates, 

