A ZOO FOR AUCKLAND.

Auckland Star, Volume LIII, Issue 171, 21 July 1922, Page 10

A ZOO FOR AUCKLAND.

(To the Editor.) Sir, —I wonder if the ratepayers realUc what the proposed zoo is 'going to ■•net! It is p-oposed to borrow £10,000; that is for a start: but it will not stop t.bere. We may safely assume it will cost, nearer £20,000, before a penny is taken at the gate. The takings inav average £50 per week, but it is very doubtful; the certainty is that the upkeep wi'.l not be less than £ 100 per week. At. the' Tiest the ratepayers stand to pay with the interest not less than £4000 cut of the rates. Xo, sir, a zoo is not a payable proposition in New Zealand at present, and the City Council are not the people io run it, as we know to our cost, in their mismanagement of the fish business and trams. — l> am, etc., HEXRY iwPE. (To the Editor;). '«■ . Sir, —As a working man I look upon the proposed zoo as one. of the best j moves that the council has made 'for a c-onsiderab.e time. Some years ago I had the opportunity of visitiig Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth," arid* in all these cities is maintained an excellent zoo, and in each city, on securing someone to siiow mc round the sights to be seen, a visit to the zoo was always the first proposition. In each of those cities thousands of people v:sit tale zoological gardens every week. lam confident of this, that if a good zoo is established it will be patronised by countless people, who wouid only be too pleased to avail themselves of an afternoon's real change and pleasure; and like everything else if its good, it will pay for itself; and if Auckland citizens can be judged from their past acts' of generosity, 1 am confident that a great many of" the animals will be presented free of cost.—l am, etc., A PROGRESSIVE LABOURER. (To the Editor.) Sir, —As a lover of freedom, I want to enter my protest against the establishment of a zoo in Auckland. To see noble animals like lions, tigers, leopards, etc., shut up in small cages, ceaselessly pacing around their narrow coniin.es for the whole term of their earthly existence, is to mc a crying shame. It is a relic of the 'barbarous days of ancient Rome, when wild animals fought in the arena. These poor beasts are to be kept in captivity to make an Auckland holiday. Then there is the sanitary aspect of the matter. During the plague scare in Sydney several animals in the zoo had to be destroyed. A zoo is a great attraction for rats, the smell is most offensive at times, and the roaring of the lions has distressed the nerves of many people in Onehunga. If a zoo were established on the Hagentoeck system, say at Rangitoto, with room for the animals to roam about, one might welcome the idea, but Auckland cannot take on an expenditure such as this wou'.d mean. The plea has been advanced that children could study natural history. Could not this be done at the Museum, where there are many specimens of wild animals and more could easily be obtained at small cost!- We have numerous other,attraction3 in and around our city, and I think we could very well do without the proposed zoo. I am, etc., FREEDOM. fTo tUe KdJtor.) ■Sir, —While a lover or animals I agree entirely with "Ratepayer." This is certainly not the time for extra burdens, as the great majority of property, owners find enough expense already, and would not derive any benefit from the zoo. lam sure I voice the opinion of ' many others when I say that £10,000 I wasted on a zoo while there is poverty in our midst is a disgrace.—l am, etc., ' DISGUSTED.