AGAIN THE ZOO

Evening Post, Volume LXXXIV, Issue 71, 20 September 1912, Page 8

AGAIN THE ZOO

BATTLE ABOUT CHARGES A. CLAUSE RESTORED. Not long ago the Wellington Empowering Bill (by which the City Corporation seeks power to charge for admission to sports grounds on certain days and to the Zoological Gardens) was battered by tho Local Bills Committee, whiA knocked Newtown Park and the Zoo out of the schedule. Tho committee had listened to _ the Zoological Society, which protested againßt the charge pioposals, and the society's voice was allowed to prevail against the wishes of the City Council. The mutilated Bill then went to the Lands Committee, which rendered "first aid." The patient had a sapid recovery, which was reported to the House of .Representatives yesterday. It was explained by ~l\lr. E. Newman (Chairman of Committees) that the Bill had been amended by the committee to bring it back into its original form. Objecting to the restoration of the clause, Mr.,H. G. Ell invited the House to believe that the Zoological Society had been largely responsible for the collection of animals in Newtown Park. The Local Bills Committee had been assured that about a hundred and fifty people were* voluntarily contributing yearly to the maintenance of the institution. The time for taking local Bills in the House has gone by, but it is probable that an afternoon will be set apart for their consideration before the end of the session. WHAT DOES THE SOCIETY DO? Mr. Frost, chairman of the Reserves Committee, stated to a Post representative that the Local Bills Committee must have been grossly misinformed as to the Zoological tiociety's part in building up and maintaining the Zoo. The society bad given some animals (principally monkeys) and birds, and had raised subscriptions from the public towards the purchase of a bear irom a circus, but not a penny had been received from the society towards the cost of cages or other material' or the general maintenance of the Zoo. A great many people in Newtown believed that it would bebetter to have the Zoo kept up and improved by the aid of admission money than to allow it to deteriorate for lack of funds. The self-appointed Zoological Society had nothing to do with the administration of the Zoo, which wa3 under the control of the Reserves Committee and the City Council.