MILLIONAIRE AND THE PARIS MONKEYS

Evening Post, Volume CI, Issue 42, 18 February 1921, Page 8

MILLIONAIRE AND THE PARIS MONKEYS

£20,000 CHEQUE COMEDY.

The fable of tho unrecognised multimillionaire is:being told everywhere here (writes the Pari6 correspondent of the Manchester Guardian). Here it is Sir Basil Zabaroff, the Anglo-Greek magnate, and tho story sounds so much in the manner of tho man who gave bags of silver to be. distributed to tho Parie poor on the day of tho Armistice that conditional belief may be given to it.

Two months ago the guardian, of. the monkey-3iouse in the Paris Zoo (Jardin dcs Plantes) was engaged in conversation by a distinguished old gentleman, who was indignant at the miserable etato of tho establishment and tho man's charges. The guardian explained that the war had done a. groat deal oJ harm to the Zoo in general, and that repairs, urgently needed, oould not be carried out owing to lack of funds. On being asked the sum required the guardian replied that ho had heard it-would cost 500,000 francs (£20,000) to put the monkey-house in order.

Tho .stranger immediately wrote out a. cheque for tho sum, which the man,- thinking he had to deal with -an amiable lunatic or joker, put in his..pocket. When going off duty he handed it to his office chief, ■who laughingly put it into a drawer. There it lay for two months, until after a discussion, more in a spirit >of "red tape" than because they thought it waa worth anything, tho clerks sent it on to the Ministry of Public Instruction. ' A (lay later came a sharp note from tho Ministry: "What on earth do you mean by keeping tho.cheque signed Basil Zaharoff for two months?"

/That is not the end of the epiritcd in-ter-departmental fight no\V being waged between tho^ Ministries of Public Works and Instruction over the money intended for the poor monlcoys as to who is to have the spendinjr of the munificent gift.