62 



ally with the fair association. 1 desire to thank them for all that they have 

 done for us, and hope not one of them this year will hesitate to do all we re- 

 quest of them. Of course we expect to be reasonable in our request;*. I feel 

 that I can assure the roads that no one who acciepts a favor from them does 

 it for any personal train, all the labor of the members of the board being 

 gratuitous and for the cause. 



I believe all the members of the board will agree with me in the views I 

 have expressed in this report. 



Respectfully submitted, 



J. Irving Pearce, 

 Suptrintendtnt oj Iranaportation. 



SECRETARY'S REPORT. 



lo the Illinois State Board oJ Agriculture: 

 Gentlemen — In compliance with the statute the following report is made: 



OFFICE WORK. 



The usual amount of ofiSce work has been done during the past year in a 

 very satisfactory manner. The four crop reports have been issued with 

 promptness, and the bulletins on the principal growing crops were made up 

 and issued to the newspapers on request of the managers. 



The law for gathering statistics by the assessors is practically a dead letter, 

 and the department is forced to rely upon the intelligence and patriotism of 

 the crop correspondents throughout the State for the data from which to 

 make up the reports as they are required. In many counties the assessors 

 refuse to take the statistics, and in others the farmers refuse to give them in. 

 The great trouble is that there is no penalty attached to a failure to make 

 proper returns of agricultural statistics. If the law could be amended, fix- 

 ing a good round penalty for failure on the part of either the assessor or 

 producer, we would have no trouble. Many people certainly do not under- 

 stand the necessity of this work, or they would not object to furnishing the 

 data tor doing it. This compilation of averages, per centuins and compari- 

 sons furnishes the only basis from which the production of a given crop in 

 the State of Illinois can be approximately arrived at, having no bearing 

 whatever on the assessment. 



INSURANCE. 



There is at this time insurance on every building on the fair grounds, as 

 will be more specifically shown by the table hereto attached, which gives the 

 name of the company, building insured, amount of insurance carried on 

 each, and the time of expiration of the same. 



You will note there has been no additional insurance placed on the Ma- 

 chinery Hall or its extensions. Twenty- five thousand dollars was placed on 

 the Coliseum the week before the fair. Ttie loss on the Woman's Building, 

 $8,000, and also a small lightning loss on the Dome, $177.10, have been paid 

 during the last fall. The wisdom of the board in carrying insurance on the 

 property on the grounds cannot be questioned, since there has been paid 

 during 1901, on account of losses by fire, a sum equal to the premiurns for 

 ten years on the amount now carried. The companies are the best in the 

 country, all authorized by our laws to do business in this State. 



